Cassie did an amazing job for my wedding reception! She met with us prior and walked us through the…read moreentire venue and what they have to offer. Her decor collection is everything we could possibly want or need and Cassie was more than willing to help put our vision together. Day of she showed up and immediately started helping without even needing asked. She made herself available to us at all times by giving us her number to text her whenever we needed! I grew up going to the Celebration Barn for kids parties but Cassie has completely transformed it to a beautiful venue that I honestly didn't expect. I couldn't be happier with how things were handled and the help that Cassie offered us! Book the Celebration Barn, you won't regret it!!

I was able to attend a small event recently at Speckled Hen Farm featuring a couple of businesses…read morethey closely partner with including Lone Oaks Farm and Covered Bridges Winery. The Speckled Hen and Lone Oaks farms sit basically on the same property with a short walk joining the two. Until a few days ago I'd never heard of either farm. Luann was our host from Lone Okas along with Kris from Speckled Hen. I guess they are both kind of little hidden gems in nearby Madison country! Lone Oaks has a beautiful barn from the mid-1800s as it's showpiece! Moved here from a different location in Southern IA. It's a great story that you can tell Luann enjoys sharing and talking about. Luann hand makes some gorgeous pottery, from local clay, and fired on site that is available in the Speckled Hen retail shop. Lone Oaks also hosts seasonal farm to table dinners in their barn featuring some of our local well known chefs (most recently Chef Aaron Holt of Catering by Doolittle Farm). Luann and Kris were wonderful hosts filling us in on their history, how they select the people they bring into their businesses as vendors and for their events. And setting up an al fresco table of some small plates for us...! Caprese skewers, artisan bread, a dipping sauce, corn chips scoops, a corn dip, and chocolate brownies. Everything tasted wonderful. Winterset is about a 30ish min drive from where I live in Clive. A trip to the Northern part of Ankeny or to the South side can take me just as long...so it's really not far away at all and it's a nice drive. If you're like me and you enjoy a little bit of a day trip to find new things... It's worth the short drive from the metro! Check out upcoming activites at Lone Oaks Farms on their Facebook page and site (as well as those for Speckled hen Farm and Covered Bridges Winery on their respective pages). Loan Oaks has a series with a honey sommelier that might be some sweet events to check out..! Pun intended... Lol https://www.loneoaksfarmia.com/ https://www.facebook.com/loneoaksfarmia

Nice, small rustic event space in Madison County. Beautiful views of the Iowa countryside. I would…read morelove to visit and see all the different flowers through each season.

Pretty Awesome to have a flower shop in town and who doesn't love fresh flowers…read more Fellas this is the place to score some bonus points and put a smile on her face. You can even call in your order so you don't have to wait and can just pick it up to go. I got a beautiful center piece for the table for Christmas. I just stopped in and gave her a little information and got an awesome center piece. These ladies do amazing work and they probably have some insight on what to get to help you out if you are struggling. These are all fresh and smell incredible. The customer service is on point and the price was very reasonable. Thank You for the awesome center piece.

Planning a wedding is more than a financial investment--it's an emotional one, built on trust and…read moreclear communication. We chose Harpor's not just for its beautiful setting, but because of the specific assurances made directly to us by the owner, Chelsie, who also served as our assigned coordinator. Unfortunately, our experience did not reflect those expectations. We held our wedding at Harpor's on June 28, 2025, and purchased their premium coordination package anticipating consistent support, timely communication, and professional service throughout the planning process. However, we often had to follow up on messages, reschedule missed meetings, and take on many coordination responsibilities ourselves. Several services listed in our package such as custom venue layouts, detailed timelines, and a final confirmation meeting, were not provided. On the day of the wedding, multiple services were either mismanaged or not delivered. For example, our five-hour open bar was initially restricted, and some guests were charged for drinks during what we understood to be the prepaid period. We also paid for the venue's late-night pizza service, which was not served. When we inquired, we were told by Chelsie, "I didn't know you wanted that," though this add-on service was included in our proposal and signed agreement. Our families had to step in and help coordinate the event, including assistance in setting up tables and transporting florals from ceremony to reception, due to a lack of available staff support. After the wedding, we contacted the venue to request a partial refund for services we believe were not rendered. Our initial message went unanswered for over a week. After several follow-ups, we heard back from a different coordinator, Justice Parker, who acknowledged the issues and said they would follow up within 48 hours. That was a week ago, and we still haven't heard anything further. It has now been nearly a month since our wedding, and we are still seeking resolution for the services we believe were not delivered. We are continuing to pursue this matter privately, but wanted to share our experience so that other couples can make informed decisions.

The place looks nice but upon closer look... Arrived the day…read morebefore to find a dirty venue, not staffed, dirty house and lots of excuses. Trash was outside the front door from a wedding three days earlier. In fact the same trash was there after we left. Very disappointed for my daughter on what was to be her special day.

We visited the bridges of Madison County entirely by accident during the Covered Bridge Festival…read more That just happened to be the time that we were driving through the area and we honestly had no idea until we arrived. I honestly think the timing kind of put a damper on our experience. Instead of being able to take in the bridges quietly and enjoy this scenery, there were people everywhere including loud groups and dust was getting kicked up on us constantly. It was really difficult to find parking and there was just a general sense of disturbance of the piece and the beauty of the nature surrounding us. It was also virtually impossible to get any good photographs. I know we've come a long way and our phones can remove a person or two from a picture, but crowds of people make it much more difficult. After the first few Bridges, we figured if our visit was going to be disturbed in this way, we might as well balance things out by checking out the main festival in winterset. Unfortunately, when we arrived we realized that dogs are not allowed even though it's an outdoor fair. That made it even more frustrating because we couldn't even enjoy some kennel corn to make up for the overcrowded bridge visits. All that said, the bridges themselves are still really lovely and historical and I can see why this area is loved and that people would come from all around to celebrate the bridges. I would still recommend coming to take a look at them, but definitely to avoid the festival weekend if you're looking for a more peaceful, reflective experience.

I took a tour through the chamber of commerce and had Jewel as my tour guide. She was very…read moreinformative and fun to be around. I loved all of the history that she shared with me and all of the personal stories in between. Highly recommend!

I was able to attend a small event recently at Speckled Hen Farm encompassing Speckled Hen and a…read morecouple of businesses they closely partner with including Covered Bridges Winery. Kevin from Covered Bridges Winery was an excellent host and let us know about their business in the same way as our hosts from Speckled Hen Farm and Lone Oaks Farms did. Where they started, where they are now, and what they have coming up. He offered tasting of 8-10 different wines from sweet to dry of his different blends. I tried the St. Croix (dry red), Frontenac Gris (dry red), LaCrescent (dry white), Marquette (dry white), Petite Rose (dry rose), and Rattlesnake Red (semi-sweet red). I'm not a huge wine drinker...some over the years...and I know my taste leans to dry and not overly sweet. I enjoyed all the samples I tried; both red and white! Ask Kevin about how the name rattlesnake red came to be...! Since we were on the Speckled Hen property we didn't get the full winery experience, but Kevin had the same enthusiasm as Kris (our host from Speckled Hen Farm) and Luann (our host from Lone Oaks Farms). You can tell why they all partner together so well! Winterset is just a 30ish min drive from where I live in Clive. A trip to the Northern part of Ankeny or to the South side can take me just as long...so it's really not far away at all and it's a nice drive. If you're like me and you enjoy a little bit of a day trip to find new things... It's worth the short drive from the metro! Check out upcoming events at Covered Bridges Winery on their Facebook page and site (as well as those for Speckled hen Farm and Lone Oaks Farms on their respective pages). https://coveredbridgeswinery.com/ https://www.facebook.com/CoveredBridgesWinery

Good wine, great service and nice location…read more I stopped here with Harvest Hosts for an overnight stay. It was packed when i got there with live music and a packed house. One of the owners saw me trying to find a place to park and pointed me to the best area to park, said after the band was over people would think out and I could park anywhere i wanted on the grounds. After getting setup i came in and grabbed a bottle of red wine and a charcuterie plate. The owners and staff were wonderful, the wine was great and the music was fantastic!! I had a great time staying with them and if i lived in the area i know i wold be there often.

Jen and her staff has been truly amazing. my son has gone to the Children's Jungle since they very…read morefirst opened and they treat him like family. As any first time mom I was very nervous to send my child to daycare and adding to that nervousness my son has a disability so knowing he was getting the correct care, attention, and love means the world to me. I can't say how much I appreciate the staff for all being so inclusive and kind to my son, my partner, and myself. Any time I have had a worry or concern it was dealt with in a timely manner and where I actually felt like I was being heard and seen. I highly recommend sending your kiddos here.

From the owner: Over 25 Years of Combined Experience, New Playground, Peanut-Free Zone, Separate Toddler Play Area…read moreand Six Age-Specific Classrooms, Local Family Owned Business, On-Site Cook Follows CACFP Nutrition Guidelines. Products: Nutritious Meals and Snacks. Services: Transportation to Winterset Schools, Sports Activities and Winterset Gym for Kindergym, Field Trips and Community Education Days, Infant and Toddler Care, Summer Programs, Before and After School Care for Ages 5-12, Activities for Kids Between 12-18, Year-Round Child Care. Location Facts: From the 92/169 four-way stop, head West to 8th Ave then South to Summit. Turn West and drive one block down.