Very nice travel experience in South Central Iowa Town of Eldon. Nice museum witn nice displays and plenty of information on the house, painting and Grant Wood, the artist. The house is open to see, but the real attraction is the historic home. With your paid admission, you can get costuming and pitchfork to reprise the American Gothic painting.

We stumbled across this site while traveling through the southern half of Iowa. It is very nicely curated with everything you would ever want to know for an introduction to Grant Wood - his life, family and rural roots. It is worth the trip. I like traveling coast to coast in Iowa on Hwy 2. It's very relaxing as well as beautiful. On this route you will also find evidence that the last presidential election didn't occur as reported. Apparently, the news is slow to reach this portion of the state. Anyway, this is awfully special even for Iowa.

Ok for a quick roadside attraction. A few informative signs posted outdoors by the house. I was miffed that they wouldn't let us use the restroom unless we paid $5 per person museum admission fee (but of course it's free to look around in the gift shop).

Very well done for such a small place. Any fan of Americana should stop if in the area. We were on motorcycles and met a couple from Indonesia who said it was a must see for them.

How do you go to Iowa and not see the house by Grant Wood? You can't go in most days, but it doesn't really matter because it's not famous for the interior. There was one woman in the visitor center. You basically have 3 panels of information to read with a kid's video being played really loudly on a loop. Bathrooms are for visitors only. You can take a pitchfork out for a photo. No one else was there when we visited. You have the option to watch a 30 min video. You drive thru a very rural neighborhood that seems very poor. The city should really market the house better and bring more tourism to the city.

We were in the area from out of town, so we decided to stop by... it was around 10 minutes to 1, and apparently they had an event in the morning so a woman shouted out the door to us they were closed until 1. We waited, mainly because we wanted to borrow a pitchfork for a picture (they also have costumes available to borrow at no cost), to see the museum. At 1, my mother, who is a senior citizen, asked to use the restroom... after being grilled that she would be going through the FREE museum, she was pointed in the right direction. We walked through the museum (it took about 5 minutes total... it's one room and very small) and then grabbed a pitchfork for some pictures outside in front of the house. They have a selfie station to use the timer on your phone to snap a shot or two. Returned our pitchfork and we were off. Super quick trip. I believe the house is available to tour during the summer (bottom floor, only), but it's just one of those neat roadside attractions... they also have a gift shop with the museum.

We found this place by following signs along the road. We had no idea what it was till we got there. We were glad we visited. The worker at the visitor center was very helpful and friendly.

I live so close but had never been. It was really cool to see. I wish we had made it when the visitors center was open.

We went on a Friday, right before noon and nobody else was there. Perfect time to go!

This was off the beaten track - have to drive through an area that is, well, not appealing but it was safe. Then you turn the corner and this very pretty couple of acres of green grass appear and there sits the house with a visitor center. Unfortunately, I made it to this stop a few minutes after 5 pm so I wasn't afforded the opportunity to dress up and get my picture taken in front of the house. So I snapped a few pics and moved on. Very nice place though.

Cool place to visit and enjoy surrounding area. House is exactly as portrayed in painting.

We were at the American Gothic prior to the building opening but the signage outside had so much information. A great stop to educate about Iowa Art! Will stop again when the education center is open.

You see a sign enough times and you think it’s a sign. I had no idea what American Gothic was, but the small brown signs were intriguing. I found myself in the small town of Eldon traveling between Ames, Iowa and St Louis. There is a Railroad museum on the main drag, closed when I passed through. The Gothic House is a short distance into a neighborhood. The house is featured in the background of the painting “American Gothic.” There is a gift shop, good informational signage and a fun photo opportunity. The gift shop was closed when I went but the house was still available to be seen. I wouldn’t miss it if I were in Eldon, having been transported back in time to relive my life.

Great place to visit! Very friendly hosts and beautiful scenery. A must see!

We walked around the museum and there is a tour available but we didn't do that this trip maybe next time

It was a unique experience!! I mean, if you want to actually appreciate it, read about it and be familiar with it before you decide to make the trip.

It was nice to see in person but not worth the drive as a specific destination. The house was surprisingly smaller than expected. Also, hard to get a good picture of the house without also capturing a neighboring mobile home in the background. Nice background information on both Grant Wood as well as the house itself.

Ok here comes the confession: I was looking for a spooky black goth house not realizing this is one of the most if not #1 paintings that has a huge cult parody following. Also very famous architecture. Once I figured it all out I was amazed and in awe that I was standing in front of the house where the famous picture was taken. Lots of history and photo opps. You can dress up for a fee and have your pic taken in front of the famous house, there are nature trails as well. There is a gift shop and a small area with more photos and history. The small area in the back of the gift shop is blocked by velvet ropes and there is a fee to get back there. *That's also where the *bathrooms are located and you have to pay the fee to use the restroom.* That was the only down side especially after our long drive. It's very beautiful there and lots of room to just roam around, get the kids and pets out of the car and have a really nice walk.

While wandering the backroads amongst the fall colors, we journeyed to quaint Eldon, Iowa. In addition to the house itself, the landscaping and history museum made this trip very enjoyable. There's a good place to eat and have your favorite beverage nearby, too.