Fairfield (Iowa)

Fairfield was a typical small Iowa town until the Maharishi International University (then called the Maharishi University of Management) set up shop in 1974. This town of less than 10,000 people is now home to hundreds or thousands of proponents of transcendental meditation.

Most people drive to Fairfield. It is about two hours' drive southeast of Des Moines (Iowa state highway IA-163 east towards Pella; then US-63 South towards Ottumwa; and US-34 Business E into Fairfield) and about an hour's drive south-southwest of Iowa City (US-218 south to Mount Pleasant, then US-34 Business west into Fairfield).

It's also possible to take Amtrak's California Zephyr route, running between Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area, to neighboring Ottumwa, and then either rent a car or use ride hailing services ($40–50) to reach Fairfield.

• 🌍 Fairfield Municipal Airport (FFL  ^IATA). General aviation airport. No scheduled passenger service. (updated Aug 2020)

While there are excellent trails for biking and walking, and the relatively compact layout means it's possible to walk anywhere in town, often within 10–15 minutes of your starting point, most people drive cars.

• The Golden Domes at Maharishi International University in Northern Fairfield.
• Chatauqua Park – Frisbee disc golf and nice paved loop trail
• Jefferson County Park – great trails for hiking in the summer and for cross-country skiing in the winter

• The Art Walk. Takes place on the square every first Friday of the month. 
• Jefferson County Fair. 

• Home of the Maharishi International University and its K–12 counterpart, the Maharishi School.
• Local media: The Source (monthly) and The Weekly Reader (weekly) have current listings for classes, workshops, music, art shows, theater, dance, and everything else that's going on here as well as around the state.

For major shopping expeditions, consider driving about 50 miles north on IA-1 to the outlet mall in Williamsburg, off Interstate 80.

Fairfield has more restaurants per capita than San Francisco, so be ready to see more Thai and Indian restaurants than your Iowan local diners.

• The deli at the Hy-Vee grocery store is not spectacular, but the price is right.
• Gupta Vegetarian, 51 S Court St, ☏ +1 641 472-0548. M-F 11:30AM-2PM, 6-8PM. Vegetarian Indian. 
• Istanbul Grill, 50 S 2nd St, ☏ +1 641 209-1458. Turkish. 
• Noodle House, 59 N Court St, ☏ +1 641 472-0222. Thai. 
• Thai Deli, 120 W Broadway, ☏ +1 641 472-3902. Thai restaurant, they label themselves "vegetarian" but some meat dishes appear on the menu as well. 
• Green Gourmet, 117 E Broadway Ave, ☏ +1 641 472-2277. M-Sa 11:30AM-4PM. Organic buffet, much local, western, Indian, Thai, Chinese 

• Several good coffee shops, be sure to check out Cafe Paradiso on the Square for the freshly roasted coffee. Plus they have live music and you can draw on the tables! They now serve wine, and for events, beer.
• Also Everybody's Whole Foods has a thriving coffee shop that serves espresso and freshly made juice combos.

Hotels in town tend to fall in the "inexpensive" range in terms of both price and quality, with the price per night sometimes being significantly less than $100 for a standard room. The chains tend to be located on the western or southern side of town, near the highways.

• 🌍 Seven Roses Inn, 1208 E Burlington Ave, ☏ +1 641-209-7077, boyer@lisco.com. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. Bed and breakfast with six rental rooms/suites, with a maximum of two or three people in each. Excellent hot breakfast on the weekends. No smoking. No pets. May be appropriate for people who avoid scented cleaning chemicals. $145+. (updated Mar 2024)