Field of Dreams: Is This Heaven? No, It’s Dyersville, Iowa

I am a big 80’s movie buff and Field of Dreams has always been one of of my favorites. It is easily one of the most rewatchable summer movies of all time. I love the nostalgic baseball theme and otherworldly plot elements. Several years ago, I found out that you can visit the actual field used in filming. I’ve been wanting to explore this place for years, but unfortunately I’ve never lived in or traveled anywhere within a reasonable daytrip.

This spring, Mike and I found ourselves embarking on a cross country drive from Cleveland to Phoenix so we decided now was a great time to take a little detour to Dyersville, Iowa. If anything, it made our drive more interesting and gave us something to look forward to along the way. We love visiting oddball and unique attractions anytime we take a roadtrip. This is a great opportunity for us to explore more of the country that we wouldn’t see otherwise.

Was it worth it? 100% and the entire experience was even better than I expected. I only wish I had budgeted a bit more time. We plan on hopefully returning sometime this summer so we can walk through the corn stalks (we were a bit too early), meet a Ghost Player, and visit the nearby If You Build It Exhibit (it was closed during our visit but I heard it’s great!).

“If You Build It, They Will Come”

If you haven’t seen the movie before (definitely do so before visiting!), Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) is a farmer who hears a mysterious voice whisper “if you build it he will come” as he walks through the cornfield near his home in rural Iowa.

Shoeless Joe Jackson (played by Ray Liotta) is the “he” in this case. The White Sox outfielder was involved in the infamous Black Sox Scandal of 1919. Ray creates the baseball diamond that exists today and begins to see ghostly visions of baseball players.

The people came in droves!

In the movie, Terrence Mann gives his famous speech – “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… It’ll 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 most definitely come.”

One of the most famous movie quotes of all time also rang true for this attraction. According to this New York Times article, over 100,000 people visit the site each year. This is not surprising as almost everyone loves baseball (it brings up such great childhood memories) and it is relatively close to several Midwest cities including: Dubuque (30 min), Des Moines (3.5 hours), Minneapolis (4 hours), Chicago (3.5), and St. Louis (5 hours). Just seeing the field, playing baseball, and seeing all the movie memorabilia brought back so much nostalgia for me, both of growing up watching this movie and my childhood playing softball at the park district.

According to the movie site, tourists began checking out the baseball field not long after the film’s release in 1989. In 2011, an investing firm called Go The Distance (headed by Denise Stillman) purchased the space and turned it into the attraction which exists today.

If you are a fan of this movie or just baseball in general, I highly recommend planning a daytrip or even a roadtrip and staying at the iconic farmhouse!

The MLB Ballpark

In 2015, the Major League Baseball association joined in and an 8000 seat ballpark was added to the site. As a Chicago southside native, I find it pretty cool that this field was remodeled after the old Comiskey Park where the White Sox played from 1910 to 1990.

The first game that took place here was the White Sox vs. the New York Yankees on August 12th, 2021. I imagine this would have been a wonderful experience for both baseball fans and fans of the movie! Game number 2 was a matchoff between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds on August 11th, 2022.

Following a big multi million dollar expansion in 2022, the park announced several major events including a Tim McGraw concert. Then, a non profit called Dyersville Events purchased the site.

According to the field’s website, the next MLB game will take place August 13th when the Minnesota Twins face the Philadelphia Phillies. Learn more and see when tickets become available. Note that this field is not open to the public outside of ticketed events.

You can read more about the history of the field on this site.

Things to do on your visit

Whether you are looking to spend an hour here or a full day, there is plenty of fun for baseball and movie fans. I was really impressed with how true to the original movie site they kept this place after all these years. I give them props for how clean and well maintained they kept the field. As 80’s kids, we grew up watching this movie so it was definitely nostalgia overload!

We had a great time – taking pictures, batting, running the field. It’s been on our bucket list for years and we were not disappointed at all. I can’t wait to come back when the corn is growing and maybe see a legendary Ghost Players show too! Even though we missed out a bit due to the spring timing, it was nice having the field completely to ourselves on a slow spring day (seriously, we were the only ones around). I imagine they get a ton of tourist traffic as evident by the overflow lot size.

Here are a few fun things you can do during your visit

Run the bases. This is a must!

Take lots of pictures of the field. You can recreate famous movie scenes and have a lot of fun depending on the crowd levels.

They also have some photo opps set up by the house “If you Build It” and a “Field of Dreams” sign.

Practice your batting and pitching skills. Mike and I had a blast each taking turns batting and pitching. Both of us played softball in our youth so this was a fun blast to the past. I didn’t know they had bats, gloves, and baseballs and softballs out for the public which is pretty cool. I definitely would have planned a longer stop had I known so.

Check out the gift shop. There is a small gift shop on-site selling mostly apparel. It opens at 9am and closes at various times depending on time of year (4-9pm).

Tour the Kinsella family house. Tours are 30 min and require a separate fee. Please book in advance to ensure availability. You will learn more about the history of the home which was a farm (the Lansing Family farm) in the early 20th century.

From March-December, you can rent out the 3 bedroom farmhouse for a hefty fee. It can sleep up to 9.

You can also rent the field for private use. Rates start at $300 for the first hour and $150 for each additional hour. You can learn more on their website.

Youth baseball and softball, as well as senior tournaments. Learn more on the official wegbsite.

Also there is a little tribute to Denise Stillman who founded Go the Distance Baseball and set up the tournaments. Legend says that if you rub her face, it will bring you good luck. I figured, why not? I can see that everyone else thought the same thing as evidence by how worn out the nose appeared.

Where is the corn?

Typically, corn grows from Late July through early August. Unfortunately, we were just a few months too early! I think it would be really cool to walk through the cornfield on to the field just like the ghost players did in the movie! I am sure the pictures would be a lot better too!

The Ghost Players

This iconic tradition started in 1990 when local Iowa residents (many who were extras in the movie) surprised visitors by walking out of the cornfield onto the field. They now tour the country with their unique comedy show. According to the movie site’s website, they first appeared dressed in costumes recreating movies scenes. They became more popular in the 90s and eventually toured in over 30 countries. They also made a special appearance at the 2021 MLB Game.

On Ghost Saturdays, you will be able to enjoy a free hour long show. Also, during the summer season (on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-2pm), the ghosts will be able to take pictures and even play a game of catch. I recently watched an interesting documentary on Tubi about the ghosts. Unfortunately, we were a bit too early on our May visit! Maybe next time! It’s so hard for us to plan a visit on an exact date (to be honest, we were lucky to visit the field at all). Learn more about the ghost player tradition.

Additional info

Address: 28995 Lansing Rd. Dyersville, Iowa 52040

Nearby cities: Dubuque, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Des Monies

Suggested donation: $20 (you will receive a free pin). I didn’t mind the fee as this place is meticulously maintained. I give the staff bonus points for being nice enough to take our pictures without us asking.

Parking: Free

Hours: Sunrise-sunset year-round

Dining options:

• The Dugout (serves typical American food like hot dogs and burgers. Open 10am-pm daily from April-November and on weekends in March)
• The Stretch (serves concessions like popcorn and hot dogs. Open May-September from 10am-5pm)
• Ice cream stand (serves treats from Chocolate Shoppe in Madison. Open 10am-5pm from May-October).

Accessibility: Handicapped parking although the lot is either gravel or grass

Pet policy: Leashed dogs ok at the movie site (not in the farmhouse).

Note: Also in town, there is also an If You Build It Exhibit museum which I heard is almost as great as the movie site. Unfortunately, it was closed during our visit. Admission is just $5 bucks and you can make your own baseball card and sit on a replica of the front porch swing. Open weekends only in May and 10am-5pm from Memorial to Labor Day.

The Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum

As a side note, there is an awesome museum dedicated to Shoeless Joe Jackson in Greenville, South Carolina. I found out about this hidden gem while living in this gorgeous area for a few years.

If you didn’t know, he was born and died in Greenville. The home he lived in has been converted into a museum. This was Joe’s final house, although it was originally located here: 119 E. Wilburn Avenue. It was moved to its’ new location across from Fluor Field (where the Greenville Drive plays). The address is: 356 Field Street.

Admission is free (donations are appreciated). During your self-guided tour, you will be able to see a lot of memorabilia including items from Joe’s own collection.

Other Shoeless Joe attractions include: a lifesize bronze statue at the field, his gravesite and Woodlawn Memorial Park, and Shoeless Joe Jackson Memorial Park located at 406 West Avenue. In 1993, this park was donated to the Park District. You can still see the ball field where Joe played in the Textile League.