"Is this Heaven? No.......it's Iowa." Dyersville by happyhourkid

This could be said about many many places. For some, it could mean a new shopping mall. For the little whipper-snappers, it could mean a children's park. And, for others a bit more demented, it could be a tavern or gentleman's club. Whatever the case may be, there are things that if they are built, you will simply go to them. Such is the case with this: The Field of Dreams. Located in the cornfields just outside the sleepy little town of Dyersville, Iowa, this field was the focus of what critics refer to as one of the most inspiring and touching movies in the last 30 years. It starred Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta (my favorite actor of all time), Amy Madigan, the great Burt Lancaster, and James Earl Jones. Me? I am personally a HUGE fan of this movie yet never gave any thought that this field actually still existed somewhere. But low and behold, it took someone who works for one of my accounts to tell me that the field indeed exists and you can actually visit. So I got the directions, made the short 20 minute ride from Dubuque, and there it was...........(Be sure to visit my Dyersville travelogue for pictures I took myself at the Field of Dreams.)

"People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door, as innocent as children, longing for the past. 'Of course, we won't mind if you look around,' you'll say. Then they'll walk out to the bleachers and sit in their shirt sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes, and they'll watch the game. And it will be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come, Ray. The one constant through all the years, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game. It's a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and could be again. People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."
- James Earl Jones (playing Terrance Mann)

• Pros:Absolutely amazing. Sports fans. Movie fans. Doesn't matter. Everyone will love this.
• Cons:Doesn't get the attention it deserves.
• In a nutshell:Not just worth a trip from Dubuque. Get off your lazy ass and drive from Chicago if you have to. It's that worth it.