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Despite an elevation below 900 feet, Decorah feels like a mountain town, a nook hiding more than an hour from any interstate. Limestone cliffs and clear streams dodged the last glaciers. (Northeast Iowa is part of the Driftless Area, rolling hills that also ripple into Minnesota and Wisconsin.)
Here, visitors will find refined paddling strokes, fly-tying, radical conservation efforts and brewing (with precision that has birthed beers voted No. 1 in the world). You can also explore the town s heritage through Nordic festivals and events at Vesterheim, The National Norwegian-American Museum. Then there s Luther College, a liberal arts school founded 150 years ago by Norwegian immigrants.