Over Labor Day weekend we drove to Dyersville (three hours from Des Moines) to visit the Field of Dreams Movie Site. I've lived in Iowa my whole life but had never been there!

If you're unfamiliar with the movie, it was filmed in Iowa in 1989 and surprised almost everyone when it was nominated for Best Picture. I'm not sure I've ever seen the whole thing start to finish (what!), but I have definitely seen clips and know the storyline...it gets quoted a lot here in Iowa. We're very proud of it as it's essentially a love letter to Iowa and compares our state to heaven several times :-)

I'm so glad the movie site has been preserved instead of becoming commercialized as some people have proposed. It's free admission and you can play on the field (unless there is an event going on) — just make sure to bring your own equipment! It's so quiet and peaceful there! We played baseball for a while, took a break for a picnic lunch and then let the kids run the bases again before heading home.

The farmhouse is still there (no one currently lives in it), and tours are available if you schedule 24 hours in advance. There were several extra bleachers and white tents set up when we were there because the following day was their biggest event of the year — Team of Dreams. Normally the field is more scaled down to look like it did in the movie.

The corn might actually have been my favorite part :-) It was really high when we were there. A nearby farming family plants the corn so each row faces into the outfield...it's really well-done and looks so cool when you're on the field!

If you live in Iowa or are passing through, I would definitely recommend a visit. The magic is still there!

"Is this heaven?"

"It's Iowa."

"Iowa? I could have sworn it was heaven."