Experience Greenfield
Get off the beaten path and explore Greenfield’s unique and charming attractions. One of Iowa’s Main Street communities, Greenfield is located at the intersection of highways 25 & 92, just 8 miles from the Wallace Farm.
Iowa Aviation Museum
Located at the Greenfield Municipal Airport, the Iowa Aviation Museum is dedicated to preserving Iowa’s aviation heritage, aircraft and memorabilia. The Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame, located at the museum, honors Iowans who have contributed significantly to Iowa’s involvement in aviation. The museum has a collection of civil and military aircraft including early gliders on display. Rare examples of the early flying machines from the 1920s, 1930s & 1940s will delight aviation buffs.
2251 Airport Road
Open April through November: M-Sat 10 am to 5 pm, Sun 1 pm to 5 pm.
Phone: 641-343-7184
Warren Cultural Center
From the moment Ed and Eva Warren opened the doors of their new Opera House in December 1896, the building took its place as the “grand lady” of the Greenfield town square. With its expansive windows, oxidized copper accents, and distinctive turret, the three-story brick structure served as a landmark for culture and commerce. For decades the Opera House drew theatrical troupes, musical performers, and local acts. But as times changed, so did entertainment tastes. The last documented “professional” act was presented in 1930. After that, the theater hosted only occasional community events, such as graduations, dances, and basketball games. Though the ground floor continued to house retail businesses into the 1990s, by the late 1940s the theater space fell into complete disuse.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, efforts to restore it did not begin in earnest until 1994, when it was given to Main Street Greenfield. In 2000 the E.E. Warren Opera House Association was formed to coordinate efforts and oversee what became a $6.2 million makeover. Through the work of historical restoration experts, the auditorium and other rooms returned to their original grandeur. The Warren Cultural Center opened its doors in spring 2012 and now serves as a multi-use facility, hosting meetings, receptions and overnight guests, as well as performances in its historic rooms.
154 Public Square
Office hours: M – F, 9 am to 5 pm. Group tours may be arranged. For drop-in tours, please call ahead if possible.
Phone: 641-343-7337 or 641-743-2566 (Ed & Eva’s Gift Shop also takes calls for the Warren Cultural Center)
Hotel Greenfield
This restored 1920s hotel offers boutique lodging for 21st century guests. With meeting facilities and 20 guest rooms, the hotel provides modern amenities amid original historic features. A full-service courtyard patio serves the hotel and the adjoining Olive Branch Family Restaurant, located in the former office of the Adair County Free Press newspaper. Both the Hotel Greenfield and the Free Press building are on the National Register of Historic Places.
110 East Iowa Street
Phone: 641-343-7323 or 641-221-0034 (cell)
Ed & Eva's
Located within Greenfield’s historic opera house, Ed & Eva’s features products and artwork made in Iowa.
While the online shop provides Iowa products 24/7, a brick & mortar store contains even more amazing and one-of-a-kind Iowa-made products. Stop by to just to browse or combine shopping with a Warren Cultural Center show in the Norman Lear Theater. Details about all of the Warren Cultural Center’s upcoming performances can be found in its web site. The shop is typically open before each performance, but call ahead to make sure.
154 Public Square
Regular store hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – 11 am to 5:30 pm; Saturday – 10 am to 3 pm
Phone: 641-743-2566
Plan Your Visit
Don’t miss any of the area’s Arts & History attractions with this itinerary, or customize it to fit your specific interests.
DAY 1
9:30 am Freedom Rock: Ray “Bubba” Sorensen’s annual salute to veterans is an artistic wonder. His canvas is a boulder that he repaints annually with a collage of military references (just south of I-80 at Highway 25).
10:15 am Iowa Aviation Museum: this gem hosts the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame and boasts a collection of restored pre-WWII airplanes, gliders and memorabilia that give a visual timeline of commercial, military and private flying.
11:30 am Warren Cultural Center: This elegantly restored Iowa opera house includes a unique Iowa arts gift shop, the Norman Lear Theater and a gallery with ever-changing artwork displays.
12:30 pm Lunch
1:15 pm Greenfield’s Lancaster Square: One of only a few town squares of this style in the United States, the incoming streets connect to the center of the block and alleys run from the corners. This historic square is lined with unique, independent shops and businesses.
2:15 pm Adair County Historical Complex: Home to an authentic one-room school house, Iowa Governor Wilson’s boyhood home, and a general museum of Adair County history (2393 S. Lakeview Drive).
3:30 pm Schildberg Antique Car Collection: “Window shop” this private collection of automobiles that range from a 1908 electric Oldsmobile to a series of Corvettes (across from the hotel).
4:45 pm Check in at Hotel Greenfield: View artwork including two murals, two sculptures and historic photos from the famed Ed Sidey Collection
5:30 pm Dinner at Olive Branch
6:30 pm Attend entertainment at the Warren Cultural Center OR catch a movie at the Grand Theater (on the square).
9:30 pm Return to Hotel Greenfield
DAY 2
8:00-9:00 am Enjoy the Hotel’s breakfast.
9:00 am Shop the Greenfield town square and view the Veteran’s Memorial.
10:15 am View Ray “Bubba” Sorensen’s outdoor mural and the sculpture designed by elementary students at the Nodaway Valley School complex (410 NW Second Street).
10:45 am Wallace Farm: The farm’s 40 acres celebrate and honor the work and achievements of Henry A. Wallace, U.S. Vice President from 1940-1945. Follow the steps of the audio tour or walk through produce gardens, flower gardens, the renovated Iowa prairie and sculpture trail and the gift shop in the restored Farmhouse.
noon: Leave for Home