Tara K.
Yelp
"If you build it, he will come." ... "Ease his pain." ... "Go the distance."
And WELCOME TO MY 400th YELP REVIEW!! :-D :-D :-D
For my quatro-centennial Yelp review, I picked a special place for the occasion. We recently had the great pleasure of visiting the Field of Dreams Movie Site! For my husband's 40th birthday, he requested a pilgrimage to the site of a film that for years has meant so very, very much to him, having also lost his father at a young age.
We made the trek to Dyersville, Iowa all the way from Buffalo, New York. We were so lucky to sync up our trip and visit to Field of Dreams on the same day as the annual Ghost Players game! This happens twice per summer, but has not happened since 2019 due to the Pandemic. But this Greatest Show on Dirt was back in action this summer!
The Ghost Players are a group of volunteers, many of who were also actually extras in the movie. They were traveling for many years to entertain our troops overseas and perform for other philanthropic efforts, but now mainly hold their show at the Field of Dreams. Their hilarious show includes crowd participation, and ends with an opportunity for autographs.
Our 11-year old son was just TICKLED to have his Buffalo Bisons jersey signed by all of the Ghost Players, as well as a baseball we purchased at the gift shop. The players were so silly and friendly, and razzed each other and the crowd with such sarcastic expertise. We enjoyed chatting with them all!
We were lucky to be at Field of Dreams during this fun event, but if you are visiting on a day when no events are happening, it is still an amazing attraction! There is of course the baseball diamond itself. Bring your mitts, bats, and balls, to have a catch. ;-) We tossed the ball around the outfield for a long time, and got to pitch from the mound and bat a few, too.
Then there is of course also the corn. Take your time walking in and out of the corn, experiencing its mellow but magical atmosphere, unplug and just breathe it all in for a while, and then take lots of photos of it all, too! If you are able to be there at sunset, the colors in the sky over the corn are entirely breathtaking and otherworldly.
And there is the house! The farmhouse from the movie is now exclusively used for tours. Visiting the baseball field and corn is free (a Terrance Mann $20 donation is suggested, which we paid), but there is an admission charge to tour the home. It was well worth it for my die-hard movie fan husband. The tour guide was fantastic, with many interesting factoids about the making of the movie. Plus your tour admission comes with a nice souvenir magnet.
And while you are in the house, anything you can see is fair game to photograph. My husband and I took some pics on the stairs, reenacting the scene where Annie and Ray decide to send Ray to Boston to find Terrance Mann. Much of the furniture in the home has been re-envisioned as the set was dismantled after the movie wrapped, but there are a few authentic pieces, including the old 80s floor-model TV.
Plus during the house tour you can walk the wraparound porch, and sit in the porch swing that overlooks the field. ("We didn't hear anything!") There are tons of photo opportunities outside of the home as well, with various signs and movie quotes placed around the site.
Also at Field of Dreams is a souvenir shop. If you want to buy souvenirs, expect to drop some dough here. Teeshirts are $35 and up. Since this was the hubb's 40th birthday pilgrimage, we went a bit broke in the souvenir shop, but the tees and hats do all seem to be very good quality.
The concession stand on the third-base line is also a must-stop for a dog and a beer while you're at Field of Dreams. ;-) Concession stand prices were actually fairly reasonable. The $8 for my husband's dog and a beer was fairly priced, and a must-do while we were here for him to complete the experience.
We arrived at Field of Dreams at about noon, watched the Ghost Players game at 1pm, then played on the field, explored the corn, did the house tour, shopped for souvenirs, and had concessions which kept us busy having fun until after 5pm. We went into Dyersville then to eat dinner (a five minute drive), and came back to watch the sunset over the field after we ate. You may wonder how much time can you really spend at a baseball field in the middle of a corn field in the middle of nowhere, but it is not hard to make this an all-day event, and really soak it all up.
So that is the bottom of the ninth on my 400th YELP REVIEW!! And what a review it was!! I will leave you with the immortal words of Terrance Mann that perfectly sum up why us, and so many others, still voyage to this baseball field, thirty years after Ray Kinsella first cleared the corn.
"Ray. People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. ... Oh people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."