RAGBRAI 2023: The Ultimate Route Guide for Amana, Iowa

What is RAGBRAI?

RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) is a legendary 8 day, 500 mile, rolling festival of bicycles, including music, food, friendship, and community. This non-competitive ride started in 1973 as a creative idea between two Des Moines Register writers who also happened to be avid bicyclists. They invited the public to ride along and the rest is history. RAGBRAI is now the oldest and largest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world!

The RAGBRAI full route for the 50th ride across Iowa includes 30 communities.

Plan your RAGBRAI Meeting or Lodging in Amana, Iowa

Prost RAGBRAI riders, let’s spin some time! The Hotel Millwright team is so excited that Amana is on the RAGBRAI route this year. If you’re looking for lodging, dining, or just a cold beverage and some air conditioning, we’d love to host you at Hotel Millwright.

Hotel Millwright offers a one-of-a-kind overnight lodging experience. Our boutique hotel is part of an 8-acre woolen mill complex alongside the Mill Race Canal. It once was the industrial center of the village of Amana and is now Iowa’s only remaining textile mill. Over time, changes in the industry and downsizing left many of the buildings empty. Through research, we discovered that the best use of these buildings was to enhance our hospitality community, and Hotel Millwright was born.

The Hotel Millwright complex was thoughtfully designed with sustainability in mind. From permeable paver streetscapes for stormwater runoff filtration to 100% green electricity provided by the Amana Farms methane digester, we’re working hard to build an eco-conscious oasis with as little disruption to Mother Earth as possible.

Best Food and Restaurants in Amana, Iowa

Hotel Millwright offers two restaurants to satisfy your cravings, plus see our RAGBRAI Passthrough Millwright Party details below.

THE INDIGO ROOM is simple, elegant, and unpretentious. Enjoy classic cocktails prepared with fresh ingredients, quick service breakfast and lunch, freshly made breakfast sandwiches, scrambles, and omelets, house-baked pastries, cakes, and confectionaries, delicious lunchtime sandwiches, wraps, and burgers, Iowa craft beers on tap, and laid back social environment.

ELECTRIC THREAD is quaint, cool, and has whiskey for days. Enjoy craft beer selections, a bourbon flight experience featuring local distillers, nibbles & bites to share, and a beer garden patio overlooking the Millrace stream.

Amana was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and is home to seven scenic and well-preserved German villages. As you ride into the Amana Colonies, it will feel as if you’re entering another world. The thriving community offers a genuine German ambiance created by the ancestors of the villages over 90 years ago. You will find handcrafted products, art, and a variety of quaint shops lining the streets, along with authentic food, wines, and beers.

Find more details about the Amana Colonies at amanacolonies.com.

You will pass through Amana on Day 6, approximately 400 miles into your ride, and we can’t wait to welcome you to our incredible community.

Join us at Hotel Millwright for a Passthrough Millwright Party!

Friday, July 28th

10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Enjoy Live Music, Misting Fans, Street Tacos, Drinks, Self-Guided Tours, Bike Repair Kit Available & MORE!

We are here for you! Contact us at stay@hotelmillwright.com or 319.838.5015.

#SpinningTimeAtMillwright