Die Heimat County Inn is found in the village of Homestead, Iowa, located in the Amana Colonies. The Amana Colonies is a seven-village area built and established by German Pietists in the 1800s. Homestead, as well as the rest of The Amana Colonies, do their best to live up to, and preserve, their heritage with many stores and shops selling a wide variety of German based goods and traditional foods as well. The town will also hold Oktoberfest, which is a celebration that showcases German traditions and festivities. Another unique fact of the area is that the movie, "Christmas in Homestead," used the city of Homestead as its filming location.
Situated on an acre of property, Die Heimat Country Inn is a two-leveled historic German home, initially serving as a communal kitchen in the surrounding villages. The property is found in Homestead, Iowa, one of seven villages in the Amana Colonies. Dating back to the 1800s, the Amana Colonies were built and established by German Pietists. These individuals were historically known for being persecuted in their homeland by the German government and the Lutheran Church. This led the group to migrate out to New York and then to Iowa.
Open year-round, the property supplies fifteen rooms for their guests, with seven rooms located on the first floor and nine on the second. A gift shop on the first floor sells local items, including paintings from local artists. Other local items include baked goods and chocolates, hand-crafted by people from the surrounding villages. Having published a cookbook recently, part-owner June Hershberger sells her recipes along with a locally-made coloring book and a historical non-fiction that discusses the Amana Colonies. The gift shop also includes memorabilia, such as mugs and coasters.
Depending on the room, the bedding arrangements vary from queen-sized beds to king-sized, with full-beds being included as well. Amenities included in guests' stay are TVs, private bathrooms, and air conditioning in each unit. Free WiFi is serviced throughout the building, to go along with the TV in providing media and entertainment services for the guests. Breakfast is provided with the guests' stay, including a full hot dish menu, baked goods, fruits, pancakes, french toast, and other various items.
The village of Homestead provides several museums for guests to go to, such as the Amana Heritage Society Museum. Activities such as Oktoberfest provide party opportunities, with Oktoberfest referring to the annually celebrated German festival that showcases the traditions and festivities Germany has to offer. A woolen mill in the surrounding villages presents hand-crafted wool and cotton, showing the Amana colonists' deep history.
Homeliness, as mentioned by June Hershberger, is presented as being the culture of Die Heimat Country Inn. Along with homeliness, comfortability is also mentioned by the Hershbergers as the "foundation of their business." Guests who have stayed at the German village dwelling mention in their reviews the level of hospitality provided by Marc and June Hershberger, stating, "the owners welcome their guests into the inn with opening arms, taking care of our every need." Other reviews focus on the breakfast provided each morning during the patrons' stay, referring to it as "delicious; the best homemade breakfast I have had at an inn." The cleanliness is referred to as "lovingly clean," with the rooms and decor "decorated with very intriguing colors that showcase each room's personality."
The village of Homestead, where the property is located, is known for being the "hometown" of Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher, who's family lived four miles out of the village. It also served as the filming location for the Hallmark movie "Christmas in Homestead."
Area tours are presented throughout various times of the day, allowing guests to visit all corners of the Amana Colonies, showcasing the religious history. One of the stops during the tour presents the Amana Meeting House, where guests can learn of the beliefs of the Inspirationists. An Inspirationist is defined a someone who "holds a theory of belief in inspiration, especially of Scripture." Other destination stops include the communal kitchen of the colonies, showing how the villages were able to gather in the early 1800s collectively. The property of Die Heimat Country Inn served as one of those communal kitchens in its early days before being reconstructed into an inn.
The Die Heimat Country Inn served as a "stagecoach stop" in the 1800s, with the property later being a communal kitchen for the Amana Colonies' surrounding villages. A communal kitchen refers to a gathered destination in a populous area for kitchen needs, instead of in the patrons' homes. The kitchen served upwards of 35-40 people three times a day, with the kitchen being one of several located in the area.
In the early 1960s, the property was purchased by two men who turned the communal kitchen into a place of lodging. The two men built nineteen rooms and an innkeeper's quarter, naming the property Die Heimat. Die Heimat is a German-rooted word that derives from "the home place," however, the phrase can also mean "the place of my roots" or "our homeland" through various translations. From the two men who renovated the property, several different people have owned the inn, including Jim Lloyd, who was a radio broadcaster for WMT radio in Cedar Rapids, with his cooking program being broadcasted from the inn. In 2014, Marc and June Hershberger purchased the property, where they have ran and operated the inn for the last six years.
4434 V Street
Homestead, Iowa 52236
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Marc & June Hershberger
