When you find a town that proclaims itself as the Ice Cream Capital of the World you have to pull over ASAP
Also considering that if you made it all the way to Le Mars you must be far from civilization!! Looking at a map right here you see that it is near the western edge of Iowa and closest city to it would be Sioux Falls, SD
My first impression when I heard the term Ice Cream Capital I figured there would be multiple competing ice cream stands across the street from each other. That was the case with the self-proclaimed Pizza Capital of the World, Old Forge, PA I visited in 2020. Nope here its just one giant ice cream place
The company name is Wells and is the largest family-owned and managed ice cream manufacturer in the United States since 1913. It is the maker of Blue Bunny ice cream often coterminous with the brand. Blue bunny was the result of “Name that Ice Cream” contest and winner was chosen due to owner noticing how much his son enjoyed the blue bunnies in a department store window at Easter time.
Inside the facility its fun, you got a serving station and then its also a museum about the history of the company. Honestly you would be missing out if you did not take a walk outside and explore the streets around it.
In one alley you will find a mural by Jean Weiner titled “Home Grown”, features ice cream novelties growing out of a farm field.
Another catchy one is of the greeting postcard style by Mitch Zenk. It showcases many of Le Mars’ destination highlights
The lower half of the mural shows a family riding their bicycles. It emphasizes the fact that LeMars is popular for cyclists especially because it has served as the starting point for the Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). RAGBRAI traces its roots back to August 1973 when 2 writers teamed up to bicycle across the state, from west to east, documenting the 412-mile ride in the newspaper. It kept getting repeated year after year and grew in numbers and became an annual tradition.
A common feature of historical downtowns is theaters and Le Mars is not exempt. However this building wasn’t always a theater. The building was constructed in 1882 as a bank, and was known as the German American Savings Bank. After World War I, it was renamed American Trust and Savings Bank, and remained a bank until the early 1960s. Today its the Browns Century Theater
The brick set of buildings called the Union Block, once housed a confectionary called the Palace of Sweets.
Lastly I leave you with a ghost sign. This one is of Koenig Insurance
