If you build it, they will come. Sound familiar? There aren’t very many people who haven’t heard of Kevin Costner, or his hit movie Field of Dreams for that matter. How often do you get to visit the set of a movie that is still so popular?
Try living within minutes of the set. To me, it’s one of the best things living in Iowa. I get to tell people that I live so close to the actual Field of Dreams.
Located in Dyersville, Iowa, the Field of Dreams set brings so many visitors from all over the world. To walk over to the visitor’s book and see so many different cities and even countries listed in that book makes it such an honor to live so close to this amazing site.
You would think it would be a pretty populated town, but in fact it’s not. At just over 4,000 people, this small town is very well known.
Field of Dreams, released in 1989, is based on a novel by William P. Kinsella, a Canadian writer. He had attended the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop during his training. The novel, Shoeless Joe was published in 1982.
The movie has recently been released in an anniversary two disc edition of the film which includes many new features such as a virtual visit to the actual Field of Dreams site. The film is about a farmer from Iowa who decides to follow the voice that leads him to building a baseball diamond in his corn field.
The famous movie set is actually a ninety something year old piece of family farm land. Driving up to the site will bring you back to the scenes of that beautiful country home in the movie.
Many movie sites or scenes have been commercialized to the point where no one can truly enjoy it. The Field of Dreams movie set, however, isn’t like that. Everything that can be done has been done to keep it from being that way. Having it out in the country where you have to drive on some less traveled roads makes it a little easier to do that.
It’s still an amazing feeling to walk up and sit on the bleachers while just taking in the beautiful sites. You truly get that feeling as if you were there.
If you close your eyes, you can almost see the ghost players walking out of the cornfield behind the ball diamond. It’s a rather calming feeling, actually.
What an amazing feeling to bring your baseball gear and play some ball on this very famous baseball diamond! Since there are no events scheduled you are free to show up with your gear and play ball anytime you’d like during operating hours. There are souvenirs that you are more than welcome to buy as well. Did I mention that it’s free admission? They are open daily from April through November from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In August of 2006, Kevin Costner actually returned to the movie site with his band for a Netflix sponsored event. At this event, Netflix offered an outdoor showing of the Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner and his band played before the movie started. Again, this was free admission, but you did need to bring your own seating or blankets. This shows how much this movie actually found its way into the hearts of many people all over the world.
Now a little more information that many may not know is that the site is actually two parcels of farmland that has two different owners. Left and center field are not owned by the same people that own the house and the rest of the site. Therefore, there are actually two different souvenirs shops as they have not come together in this matter.
The Lansing family website is the Field of Dreams Movie Site while the other has a separate website and souvenir stand called Left and Center Field of Dreams. They both offer different items, but personally I rather enjoy the smaller, of the two which is the Field of Dreams Movie Site.
They many not offer as many novelties, but what they do offer is amazing. To me, this movie, nor the site should have so many “toys” so to speak to sell. That’s where the commercialization has come into play so much. With this movie, it just doesn’t seem right to me. This movie and the movie site both leave such an impact on a person that a toy just doesn’t seem to satisfy the souvenir part of it.
If you’re ever looking for a great weekend getaway as a family, don’t rule out Iowa. Dyersville, Iowa may be just the perfect vacation for you. Also, if you can’t figure out the perfect gift for a baseball fan, think of this. You can get them a night at a hotel in Dyersville, Iowa where they can visit an amazing site.
We make sure we visit this site at least once per year and we will continue to do that as we enjoy doing this as a family. Anyone that happens to visit us from another state always asks us to take them there. So when someone mentions coming to Iowa on a weekend getaway, don’t rule it out right away. Instead, start planning your visit to The Field of Dreams movie site. Buy or rent the movie and watch it before you visit.
Then watch it again after you get back home. You’ll have a feeling of amazement when watching it the second time. You’ll be saying to yourself, “Is this Heaven? No, it’s Iowa.“
