Iowa’s Field of Dreams will have a boutique hotel and new baseball diamonds

A decade ago, Go baseball remotely formed to preserve the agricultural site in Iowa where the 1989 film Field of Dreams was filmed. The farm can be rented or toured, and the venue includes a gift shop, stadium concessions, and land where visitors can fish. It is expected to attract around 300,000 visitors this year.

Recently, the site’s new owners unveiled a plan to build a youth baseball and softball destination for players, fans and tourists, while preserving the cornfield setting and working farm. With $80 million in private investment, the master plan will nearly double the size of the site, adding nearly 100 acres to the original 190-acre footprint of the former Lansing family farm and cinema site. The project will include nine new ball diamonds, team dormitories and a boutique hotel, all to be completed in phases by the end of 2023.

“While substantial private investment will expand and improve our facilities, we are deeply committed to preserving the romantic experience of the Field of Dreams, including the views, baseball field, farmhouse and fields of but. These images will never change,” COO Dan Evans, a longtime executive at five MLB franchises, said in a statement.

Additional phases through 2025 will include a 100,000 square foot lot, an outdoor concert amphitheater, an RV park, a large park for disabled children and adults, and jogging trails through cornfields . When completed, the development will create approximately 170 new full-time equivalent jobs. Area residents can have member access to the indoor sports complex and a training facility for year-round recreation.

“Preserving and enhancing one of Iowa’s premier tourist destinations makes this project a win-win for local and national economies,” said Keith Rahe, president and CEO of Travel Dubuque, in a press release.

Owner: Go the Distance Baseball, LLC
Owner’s Representative: Leopardo Enterprises
Designer architect and reference architect: DGR planning and design
MEP engineer: KCL engineers
Structural engineer: original design