Grant Wood Country – An Unplanned Lunch In Stone City, Iowa

When we left our house for a day of baseball games I had no idea we would end up in Stone City Iowa instead!  But sometimes life takes all of us in a direction we don’t anticipate.

We piled our GrandCamp lovin’ Indy girls into the car and we headed for Monticello, Iowa to watch their smallest Iowa cousin play baseball. And for those of you who know me personally you know Peepaw and I spend countless summertime hours plunked down in lawn chairs watching our grandkids play baseball and softball. We love every minute of it. 

During our early morning 50 mile ride through beautiful farmland scenery I gave our grandkids a little history about Iowa’s famous painter named Grant Wood. (His famous American Gothic painting is well known to most Americans.)  Years ago Peepaw and I stopped at the famous house depicted in that painting. (You can read about THAT road trip right HERE.)

Our morning drive from Iowa City to Monticello showcased the scenery that made me think of Grant Wood in the first place. He found his inspiration for his peaceful and serene landscape paintings in the rolling hills and fields of Iowa. But when I snapped this photo that morning I had no idea how up close and personal we would get to Grant Wood before the day was over!

We arrived in Monticello just in time for a photo op before the games began…

We all settled into our lawn chairs for a day of baseball and cousin fun. But it wasn’t long before one of our grandgirls leaned over to me and quietly said “Meemaw…my ear hurts!” 

Oh, Lordy! It was about Noon on a Saturday!

There we were in a strange town with no idea where to go for medical care. So I did what any social media loving Meemaw would do. I asked Google for the nearest Urgent Care facility, but I had to narrow my search to find a place that was open on a Saturday afternoon. I left Peepaw at the baseball diamond and I piled our three Indy girls into the car for the thirteen mile trip back the way we had just traveled…back to to Anamosa.

I hugged our stoic little girl as we walked into the Jones County Regional Medical Center Urgent Care and I assured her she would feel better soon. We were immediately greeted by a warm and welcoming staff of professionals who took over from there. What a relief to have found such a wonderful place!

It wasn’t long until our precious grandgirl had been treated, and as we prepared to leave I thanked the entire staff for their kindness. Then I asked them if they had any recommendations for a unique lunch experience in the area. The three staff members said, almost in unison, The General Store Pub in Stone City!

Since I live only  thirty five miles from there, those women were surprised I’d never been to Stone City…a Grant Wood painting in real life. So my grandgirls and I decided it would be our destination for a well deserved late lunch.

Thank heavens for the GPS on my smartphone since Stone City is several miles from Anamosa in the middle of nowhere. I say nowhere…but it is BEAUTIFUL country. And when I saw a huge limestone rock quarry I knew we had to be almost there. And then I saw the sign…

Stone City began as a company town for the workers of local quarries, and the General Store has been turned into a beautiful restaurant and pub. The gorgeous limestone building was built in 1897.

The General Store Pub is nestled on the banks of the Wapsipinicon River which is a tributary of the mighty Mississippi. The restaurant is located on the main floor and the pub is on the lower level. 

I knew we were headed to a great place as I read the sign on the huge front door. (You know I’ve never met a Ma and Pa restaurant I didn’t love!)

The Grant Wood connection was clear as soon as we walked inside. Check out this wood carving!

And the print on the wall is a copy of the painting of that very building. That painting is entitled “Stone City.” 

We were seated in the beautiful dining room and we quickly placed our orders since it was already mid afternoon. (Apparently I was too hungry to think about snapping photos of the room…Sorry!) While we waited for our food we stepped outside onto their large porch overlooking the river, and the outdoor seating was awesome.

There was also a porch upstairs above us as we surveyed the beautiful stone building.

That outside seating was great, but it as quite warm that day so we chose to sit inside. It was easy to see where the original bridge had been, since the stone support still stands in the middle of the river. (You can see it plainly depicted in the painting inside.)

Our comfort food arrived quickly and it was delicious. And we were all glad for some comfort that day!

I ordered a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and coleslaw…a great choice indeed.

The girls chose different items from the kids menu including this burger and waffle fries…

And these chicken finger strips…

As you can see…I’m not the only one who keeps her smartphone and camera close at hand. (I should ask the girls for photos of the main dining room since I’m pretty sure they took some!)

As we finished our meal I remembered to ask our server if we could have S’Mores for dessert! (The Urgent Care staff had told us to ask!) Our server told me they weren’t serving them that day, but she brought over a complimentary surprise for the girls instead.

A bag of marshmallows and a sterno pot for their very own roasted marshmallows!

It didn’t take long for the girls to warm up to THAT idea!

What a happy ending to a lunch they’ll always remember!

Before we left the building we headed downstairs to check out the pub.

It’s a cozy place…

And I’m sure the “locals” love it.

If only those walls could talk…

We headed back outside and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a close look at the grain bin that has been converted into a bar on the front lawn. It’s the perfect spot for their live music events.

Yes…our day at baseball games didn’t go as planned. But thank God for BOTH prescriptions we got at Urgent Care that afternoon. One prescription was an antibiotic…and the other was Stone City!