I’m a huge fan of the “Field of Dreams” movie and this place has been near the top of my Bucket List for a long time. I didn’t think I would ever just be passing through Iowa, so going there was always going to be an inconvenience and out of the way for me.
After battling major health issues for the past few years I finally felt well enough to travel. I made the decision to go while I could because I’m not guaranteed tomorrow and I would be disappointed if I didn’t go there before I die. I researched when the best time is to go to see the corn in its tall, green glory by reading reviews here on trip advisor, checked the future weather reports, watched YouTube videos of other people who’d been there, and did a cost/time analysis of what was the most affordable way to travel there and back in one day. I bought my plane ticket and hoped that everything would work out perfect.
***SPOILER ALERT***IT DID!!!
One month later the big day finally arrived! I got up at 3 A.M. to fly from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to O’Hare Airport in Chicago, where I rented a car and drove 3 1/2 hours to the Field of Dreams movie site in Iowa. When I first got to the field I thought I’d made a terrible mistake. The whole place seemed kind of boring. “I must be out of mind coming all this way just to see a baseball field in a cornfield,” I said to myself.
My attitude changed as soon as I headed out to the cornfield where I started making short videos pretending I was a ghost coming in and out of the cornfield. It was goofy fun. I took lots of pictures of the field and farmhouse, and made videos of myself walking around the bases, pitching from the mound and swinging on the porch swing. I rubbed the two baseball gloves and balls I brought with me in the infield dirt to get some “Field of Dreams Magic” on them and it seemed to work. I was not bored at all, but having a great time!
I was hungry and thirsty, but the only thing they had was a soda vending machine. Fortunately it also sold water, but I didn’t see any food vending machines so you should either bring food with you or eat before you come. I had to go to the bathroom and they had a port-a-potty for that.
I decided to take the tour of the farmhouse. It lasts about a half hour and costs $20 plus tax (James Earl Jones failed to mention the tax part in the movie). It’s on the first floor only because they have offices upstairs and rent out the bedrooms for $750 a night. The tour guide dresses in an old time Chicago White Sox uniform and gives a room to room speech about the filming of the movie that is both informative and interesting. He allows plenty of photo taking and allows you to make yourself at home...which I did. I sat on the couch in the living room and it had to be the most comfortable couch I’ve ever sat on. The tour ends with a photo op on the porch swing. The tour was great and if you are a big fan of the movie and came a long way like me, it's definitely worth the money!
When it was time to finally depart I wasn’t ready to go. I could have easily spent a few days there just relaxing and meditating, but I had only allowed myself a two hour visit because I didn’t want to miss my flight back to New York. I honked the horn of my car twice as if I were leaving my parents or grandparents house. It felt that much like home. 3 1/2 hours later I was back in Chicago and grabbed a deep dish pizza at a well known restaurant near the airport. On my flight back I reflected upon everything I saw and did and what it meant to me. It brought me to tears and I cried just about the entire flight. I’m not even going to mention some of the other magic I experienced at the movie site because it’s too personal, too mind blowing and each of our experiences will be unique.
My recommendation is to go and enjoy yourself in whatever way you see fit. Even if you just have a game of catch and skip the tour visiting Field of Dreams is a worthwhile experience.