Pella Historical Museums and Tulip Time

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Pella Historical Museums and Tulip Time Explore the Vermeer Windmill, Historical Village, and Scholte House Museum, or visit for Tulip Time!

Pella Historical Society and Museums welcomes you to Pella, Iowa. Here, you can take a tour of the Vermeer Windmill, explore the Historical Village, learn about Pella’s founders at the Scholte House, and browse our gift shop! We also host Pella’s annual Tulip Festival, held every year during the first full weekend in May. Feel free to message us with any questions, or take a look at our website: www.pellahistorical.com.

🌷 Meet your 2027 Tulip Court candidates!We're excited to introduce the nine young women who have accepted nominations fo...
10/13/2026

🌷 Meet your 2027 Tulip Court candidates!

We're excited to introduce the nine young women who have accepted nominations for the 2027 Tulip Court. This year, we're foregoing the community voting stage of the selection process, meaning all nine candidates will advance directly to the Tulip Queen's Announcement Party on Saturday, November 14, at 7:00pm in the Pella High School Auditorium.

At the Announcement Party, each candidate will have the opportunity to share her personality, interests, talents, and love for Tulip Time through an individual presentation and questions from the judges. We can't wait to get to know these nine young women better as we look ahead to Tulip Time 2027!

Tickets for the Tulip Queen's Announcement Party go on sale November 1. We hope you'll join us for this special Pella tradition!

Today, we celebrate Columbus Day at the federal level, but in Iowa, we also honor Indigenous Peoples' Day! At Pella Hist...
10/13/2026

Today, we celebrate Columbus Day at the federal level, but in Iowa, we also honor Indigenous Peoples' Day! At Pella Historical Museums & Tulip Time, we adopted a land acknowledgement statement back in 2023 to recognize the Indigenous People who called this area home before European settlers arrived. Here is a snippet of that statement:

"Through the decades, thousands of people have contributed to the history and way of life in this area - people of unique backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. Pella Historical Society & Museums is proud of Pella’s Dutch heritage. At the same time, we recognize that the land we live on is historically home to those who were here long before Europeans arrived.

Specifically, this land was cared for by the Iowa people, or Báxoje, the Fox, or Meskwaki, the Sauk, or Êshkwîha or Yochikwîka, and the Sioux, or Očhéthi Šakówiŋ. These people created homes, raised their families, celebrated their beliefs, and preserved their environment, all on this land."

Read the full statement on our website: www.pellahistorical.org/landacknowledgement

The Scholte House will be open for our regular tour hours on Saturday, October 31st from 1-4pm AND we will be handing ou...
10/11/2026

The Scholte House will be open for our regular tour hours on Saturday, October 31st from 1-4pm AND we will be handing out candy to anyone who stops by AND we will offer a free tour to anyone in costume who would like a tour of the Scholte House! Stop by for just a treat while you're out and about on Halloween or wear your best costume to get a free tour of the house! We hope to see lots of you then!🎃

What does it mean to be a member of Pella Historical Museums & Tulip Time?🌷Yes, membership comes with benefits like muse...
10/11/2026

What does it mean to be a member of Pella Historical Museums & Tulip Time?🌷

Yes, membership comes with benefits like museum admission, but it's also one of the simplest ways to support the work happening here all year long. Our members help us care for historic buildings and collections, share Pella's story with thousands of visitors, offer educational and cultural programming, and continue traditions like Tulip Time that have connected generations of Pella residents.

If you value Pella's history and the traditions that make this community special, membership is a wonderful way to be part of preserving them.

Learn more or become a member: www.pellahistorical.org/join-support

📸Douglas Tupper, Axel Vasquez, Andrew Schneider

🍟🌷 FOOD VENDORS: We want you at King’s Day! 👑We’re looking for a great mix of food trucks, trailers, and tent-based food...
10/10/2026

🍟🌷 FOOD VENDORS: We want you at King’s Day! 👑

We’re looking for a great mix of food trucks, trailers, and tent-based food vendors to help us feed the crowds at the 2027 King’s Day celebration! Held the week before Tulip Time, King’s Day brings a little bit of the Netherlands’ Koningsdag tradition to Pella, with a curated vendor market, live entertainment, activities, plenty of orange, and, of course, FOOD.

King’s Day takes place Saturday, May 1, from 9am–4pm at Scholte Gardens. The food vendor fee is $100, and applications are due January 8. Vendors will be selected based on menu variety, operational needs, available space, and overall fit with the event rather than on a first-come, first-served basis.

Interested? Find the food vendor application and all the details here: www.pellahistorical.org/kingsday

And if you have a favorite food truck or vendor you’d love to see at King’s Day, tag them below! 👇

📸Douglas Tupper Photography

TOMORROW (Saturday, October 10), visitors to the Vermeer Windmill are in for a special treat! We will be milling flour b...
10/10/2026

TOMORROW (Saturday, October 10), visitors to the Vermeer Windmill are in for a special treat! We will be milling flour beginning at 10am, so if you join us for the 10:30 tour, you'll get to watch the Vermeer Windmill come to life. This happens fewer than ten times a year!

Remember, members and students in the Pella School District are always free, so stop by to see history in action before heading to the Oktoberfest activities by the Klokkenspel.

📸Douglas Tupper Photography

🕯️ Every seat has been claimed... Unearthly Tales: Triumph & Tragedy is officially SOLD OUT!Thank you to everyone who re...
10/09/2026

🕯️ Every seat has been claimed... Unearthly Tales: Triumph & Tragedy is officially SOLD OUT!

Thank you to everyone who reserved a seat for an evening among Pella’s departed. We're thrilled by the response and can't wait to welcome you aboard the Pella Trolley next Saturday, October 17!

As autumn shadows lengthen, we'll journey through Oakwood Cemetery to uncover the triumphs, tragedies, and darker tales of those who came before us. Until then, the dearly departed await... 🍂

🌹The Red Rooms🌹Join us for a tour at the Scholte House and enjoy the updates and additions to the Pella story that featu...
10/09/2026

🌹The Red Rooms🌹
Join us for a tour at the Scholte House and enjoy the updates and additions to the Pella story that feature members of the founding family, the Scholtes. Tours of the museum are available from 1-4pm, Tuesday-Saturday.

Your Thursday reminder to make some cozy fall plans🍂☕🎨 A cup of hot tea. Something sweet to snack on. A paintbrush in ha...
10/08/2026

Your Thursday reminder to make some cozy fall plans🍂☕🎨 A cup of hot tea. Something sweet to snack on. A paintbrush in hand. And, by the end of the evening, a bookish autumn painting to take home with you.

Autumn Tea & Painting is coming up Friday, October 23, in the Scholte Garden Room! Dora Olson will guide you step-by-step through the painting, so you absolutely do not need to consider yourself an artist to join us. Come with a friend, bring your book club, or claim a seat for yourself and enjoy a cozy evening at the Scholte House.

🍂 Scholte Garden Room at the Scholte House
🎨 $45 per person
☕ Tea, light bites & sweet treats included

Consider this your sign to put something fun on the October calendar. Reserve your spot: www.pellahistorical.org/comingup

As autumn shadows lengthen, we're heading back to Oakwood Cemetery. Not on foot this year, but aboard the Pella Trolley!...
10/07/2026

As autumn shadows lengthen, we're heading back to Oakwood Cemetery. Not on foot this year, but aboard the Pella Trolley!

Unearthly Tales returns Saturday, October 17 with all-new stories and a new format. You'll board at Strawtown Inn, ride through the cemetery while we share the triumphs, tragedies, and darker tales of five Pella residents laid to rest there, then return to Strawtown for drinks, light bites, and a final toast to the dearly departed.

Tours depart at 5pm, 6:15pm, and 7:30pm. Tickets are $40 for members and $45 for non-members, and advance purchase is required.

Hosted in partnership with Pella historian Bruce Boertje, Strawtown Inn, and Visit Pella. Grab your tickets at pellahistorical.org/unearthlytales.

Address

507 Franklin Street
Pella, IA
50219

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(641) 620-9463

Website

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