About Olio in Iowa

Olio in Iowa is a Midwest-based travel blog inspired by offbeat destinations, roadside attractions, and “world’s largest” things. Started in 2012, Olio in Iowa focuses on unique travel destinations and the joys of roadtripping. With readers located across the country, Olio in Iowa strives to highlight the nation’s sometimes overlooked locales and showcase the people who help create and maintain them.

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Latest Posts

Volkswagen Beetle Spider

I make the trip west on I-80 between Des Moines and Omaha pretty frequently for work, but somehow I’d never stopped to see this roadside oddity…

Discovering the Little Mermaid in Kimballton, Iowa

So in 1974, the town of Kimballton decided what better way to celebrate its Danish heritage than with an exact replica of the Little Mermaid statue that stands in the Copenhagen harbor?

Abita Mystery House

If I hadn’t been doing research for an adventure for Wandering the World’s Largest, I never would have stumbled upon the Abita Mystery House. But am I ever glad that I did…

Meet Otto the World’s Largest Otter

One of my favorite things about Minnesota is its large number of, well, large attractions. Lucky for me, one of Iowa’s neighboring states is home to dozens of “world’s largest” things just waiting to be…

Available Now: Iowa Supper Clubs

From relish trays and Old Fashioned cocktails to prime rib and fried fish, supper clubs are a quintessential part of midwestern dining culture. In Iowa, hundreds of supper clubs once dotted the state’s rural highways and byways, serving as havens for hungry travelers and community gathering places for small towns. Today, fewer of these classic eateries remain, but the ones that do hold some unique stories and incredible dining experiences.

Iowa Supper Clubs Book Cover

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