Plan Your Visit

It could easily take a whole day or more to see everything at Vesterheim. If you are short on time, you won’t want to miss these standouts on any Vesterheim tour, but fair warning—there will be a lot of other wonderful things on the way that may distract you. You can view these objects within one hour.

Since they are in Decorah, they have to visit some of the town’s great parks, like Phelps Park or Dunning Springs, where there’s a wonderful waterfall. Or they take a bike ride on the 11-mile Trout Run Trail.

These kids love to roam through old-time-yet-modern downtown shops, play on the hilly lawn surrounding the historic courthouse, and visit the Porter House Museum’s stone wall, where they look in the secret stone crevices for pennies.

When it comes time to eat, they recommend Magpie Coffeehouse and T-Bocks Sports Bar and Grill.

If you spend the night, they love camping at Decorah’s award-winning Pulpit Rock Campground, right outside of town on the scenic Upper Iowa River, or checking into one of Decorah’s great hotels, two of which have indoor swimming pools. But they are especially excited about staying at the Hotel Winneshiek, where the historic setting and fancy décor allow them to continue to use their imaginations and make their own histories.

Vesterheim in Decorah is a perfect family get-away any time of year.

Patti is an eagle-holic. She loves watching the Decorah eagles web cam, but seeing them for real is even better! Any time of year, she drives to the nest just south of Decorah at the Fish Hatchery to see how things are going for two of Decorah’s most well-known denizens.

She likes to walk along the river on the paved Trout Run Trail. The trail head is on the west end of Main Street, just a few blocks from Vesterheim. It is also a good place to have a picnic. If it is summer, watching the fireflies over the Upper Iowa River or the Decorah Prairie is an absolute must.

Decorah is known for its quaint small-town main street filled with modern fun shops. Patti usually checks out the sale racks at locally-owned Margaret’s Boutique. She has found unique fashions that she hasn’t seen anywhere else.

Decorah hosts the fantastic Winneshiek Farmer’s Market that’s open in downtown Decorah on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings from May 1 through October 31. Patti feels lucky when she’s in town during the market and she likes to go there to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, and sometimes lefse.

Patti starts off her mornings in Decorah with a cup of coffee from the Oneota Community Food Co-op. She says to make sure to get a free stamp card to earn a free cup of coffee. Sometimes she treats herself to a chocolate fudge oatmeal bar. If she doesn’t bring food from home, she likes to buy lunch at the Co-op. Her favorite panini is the Turkey Mango Madness. If you’re staying a few days, get yourself a stamp card for wraps and paninis. Their hummus is great, as well as many of their deli salads. The Co-op is also a good place for a wi-fi connection.

If she is in the mood for pizza, it’s a hard choice between Mabe’s and McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita. Mabe’s is right downtown, and McCaffrey’s is just outside of town past Twin Springs and the pretty ride to get there is worth it.

A new favorite place to eat is the Old Armory BBQ, just across the corner from Vesterheim’s Westby-Torgerson Education Center. Check out their fantastic lunch specials.

Kathleen enjoys rosemaling classes, Vesterheim’s annual celebrations, and wandering through the museum’s collections. Kathleen says, “Vesterheim’s collection includes exquisite pieces of different styles, and the museum’s class schedule offers lots of diversity as well.” Readers of Heritage of Darkness, her book set at Vesterheim, will especially enjoy checking out key museum artifacts and galleries from the book. There’s an important trunk in the Norwegian House on the first floor and the Valdres House in the Open Air Division creates the setting for an exciting scene, as well. You’ll have to read the book to find more fun connections.

Kathleen emphasizes that Vesterheim is of interest to everyone, not just those with Scandinavian heritage. Vesterheim’s mission is to “explore the diversity of American immigration through the lens of Norwegian-American experience.” She says, “I can attest to that. I have no Norwegian heritage, but I find that each visit helps me reflect upon what my own Swiss, Dutch, and Scottish ancestors experienced.”

After a day of enjoying the museum, a folk art class, or writing, Kathleen loves to take a walk through Decorah’s historic neighborhood on Upper Broadway. She says that the number of historic homes is impressive, but even more so is the diversity of styles of architecture.

Kathleen’s favorite local haunt is Java John’s. The staff are friendly and helpful, the coffee is great, and pastries and quiche make a lovely breakfast or lunch. She also appreciates the many electrical outlets and the three-room layout, which provide the right setting for whatever you’re in the mood for. She wrote several portions of Heritage of Darkness in the back room, while enjoying a mocha latte and an herb-cheese scone.

Her next favorite local haunt is the Oneota Community Food Co-op, where she usually goes for lunch. Great food, including a terrific salad bar, is available every day and it’s very convenient to the museum. As a vegetarian, she appreciates knowing that she will always find delicious choices.

Is there something you are especially interested in seeing at Vesterheim? With a collection of over 33,000 artifacts, many of Vesterheim’s objects are in storage, but we’d like to make sure you have access to your special piece.

If you have a specific viewing request, please contact Vesterheim before you visit to assure access to the collection items you would like to see or study most. Viewing requests can be sent to info@vesterheim.org or 563-382-9681. Two weeks notice is preferred.