Vinton Unlimited

A merged chamber of commerce and economic development group.

Self-Guided Walking Tours

Vinton, Iowa is a river community with a vibrant shopping district and many family-friendly events and activities. This county seat community is home to over 20 chainsaw carvings, larger than life murals on the side of 11 buildings, and over a dozen giant ears of corn! Our historic homes, courthouse, train depot, and Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School are all great additions to the charm of our community.

Information on Our Self-Guided Walking Tours

Carving Tour

In July of 2011, Vinton was devastated by a Derecho wind storm. Nearly every property had damage, and the city suffered the loss of many of its beautiful, century old trees.

Brian Parr, a life-long resident and self-taught artist, used his amazing talents to create works of art from tree trunks that would have otherwise been removed after the storm. These works of art can be viewed from the comfort of your own vehicle in a drive-by tour.

Click HERE to download a PDF brochure of the self-guided chainsaw carving tour.

COMMUNITY ART CORN PROJECT

The Community Corn Project was a major initiative undertaken by the Vinton Guild of Fine Arts in 2015 to create themed fiberglass corn statues and place them around the community of Vinton. Brian Parr led the effort, assisted by Rick Poldberg, Therese Foth, and many other VGFA members and artists.

Download the brochure to begin your walking tour today!

For more information on the Guild, visit their website http://www.vintonart.com/ or follow the Vinton Guild of Fine Arts on Facebook.

Mural Tour

In the fall of 2000, the Wall dogs, a group of over 70 artists from all over the US brought our history to life by painting eight murals. These murals capture the pride that Iowans have in agriculture and in their communities. Some of the mural titles are: Shop Vinton, First Train to Vinton, Vinton Hybrid, Play Ball! Baseball in Benton.

Click HERE to download a PDF brochure of the self-guided Mural brochure.

Riverside Park Trails

Riverside Park

Click HERE to download a PDF brochure of the trails at Riverside Park .

Riverside Park Trails

Riverside Park

Click HERE to download a PDF brochure of the trails at Riverside Park .

Nathan’s Miles Glow Trail

By day, Nathan’s Miles Glow Trail, looks like a normal path or sidewalk, but at night you  see something different!  There are 3,000 pounds of glowing stones scattered over the two mile stretch of the paved path.

The glow stones run on solar power, and after only 15 minutes of charge, can light the path for 15 hours.  These glowing rocks come from a manufacturer in Canada and are completely non-toxic and non-radioactive.

Named “Nathan’s Miles” for the late Nathan Hesson.  Nathan served on the Vinton City Council, and was a huge supporter of the trail and part of the decisions that were made leading up to the trails completion.  Vinton was Nathan’s hometown and he wanted it to have the world’s longest glow-in-the-dark trail as well as have it offer an economic benefit to the community by being a unique attraction for this small but charming Iowa town.

Nathan passed away in January 2021 at the age of 37; the trail was completed four months later.

The trail is open 24 hours a day, except for the last Friday & Saturday of August when the trail is closed for Boomtown.

Download the brochure to begin your walking tour today!

The Vinton-Garrison-Dysart rail line was abandoned in 1994 and purchased by the Iowa Trails Council in 1995. In the spring of 2000, members of the  Old Creamery Nature Trail began finishing the handicapped accessible trail. Several stone bridges are common throughout the scenic trail and add much to it’s character.

Click HERE to download a PDF brochure of the Old Creamery Nature Trail.

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Vinton Unlimited
310 A Ave
Vinton, Iowa 52349

319-472-3955