The picturesque countryside of Decatur County hosts a variety of county and state parks, game preserves, lakes, recreational trails and historical sites. The county features gently rolling farmland and rural communities with a rich history and family values.
Camping, Fishing, Hunting
Nine Eagles State Park
Rugged wooded hills and valleys abundant with oak trees make Nine Eagles one of southern Iowa’s most scenic parks. The park has trees which are more than 300 years old. Visitors enjoy six miles of bridle and nine miles of hiking trails, swimming at the sandy beach, pleasant camping areas and shaded picnic spots with tables and fireplaces scattered throughout the 1,100-acre park.
http://www.stateparks.com/nine_eagles.html
Little River Lake
Little River Recreation Area is a 2,200 acre area jointly managed by the Decatur County Conservation and the Iowa DNR. The area offers the 787 acre Little River Lake as well as rental cabins, campground, beach and multiple playgrounds. For more information on Little River Lake please visit http://www.decaturcountyconservation.com/dccb_006.htm
Slip Bluff Park
Slip Bluff is a 300 acre park offering a 16 acre lake, over 2 miles of hiking trails, campground, park and picnic facilities. The park is covered with beautiful hardwood timber that provides many spectacular natural sights throughout the year. Please visit the following site for more information, http://www.decaturcountyconservation.com/
Entertainment
SCIT Theatre
SCIT Theatre, located on the west side of the Leon square, non-profit, 100% volunteer-run theatre. They offer movie showings each weekend, and live performances throughout the year by the Central Decatur Drama Departments and Leon Community Theatre. Its mission is to offer affordable family-friendly entertainment to children and families. https://scittheatre.square.site/
Coliseum Theatre
The Lamoni Coliseum opened in 1911 and was originally a live playhouse and concert hall. In 1925, the theater was acquired by Graceland University. The theater has served primarily as a movie house since that time. In the late 1950s, the name of the theater was changed to the Collegian but was later returned to its original name. The Coliseum was remodeled in the early 1990s, including new restrooms, new projectors, concession area, and box office. https://www.graceland.edu/offices/coliseum/
The Shaw Center
The Shaw Center, located on the Graceland Campus, serves as a teaching environment offering superior professional experiences that complement the fine arts academic program while providing meaningful content and connections that prepare and develop students for lifelong participation in the arts. Many years and thousands of plays, concerts, exhibitions, recitals, performances, church services, baccalaureates, lectures and forums later, the Shaw Center continues to shine as the cultural hub where many gather to be entertained, to rejoice and to celebrate. https://www.graceland.edu/academics/colleges-schools/visual-and-performing-arts/the-shaw-center/
Trails
Lamoni Trail
The Lamoni Bike Trail begins at Liberty Hall and swings through the country side into town, and then finishes on the east edge of Lamoni. It’s total length is approximately 6 miles long.
Leon Trail
The Leon Bike Trail begins at the fairgrounds and continues past the north side of the Leon Cemetery, and ends just east of the Water Treatment Plant for a total of 1.5 miles. The new edition of the trail continues across the Little River Lake Road and follows the southwest side of the lake for an additional mile and a half. In total the trail offers about 3 miles of pavement.
Swimming
There are two swimming pools located in Decatur County. The Lamoni Public Swimming Pool is a family-friendly space that includes a shallow and deep end, as well as a diving board. Other amenities include a concession area, updated showers and bathrooms, and multiple seating areas.
The Leon Public Swimming Pool provides a great place to play providing a water mushroom in the shallow end, a diving board, a basketball hoop, and newly installed climbing walls. Decatur County is also home to Nine Eagles State Park and Little River Lake that both have swimming areas.
Historical Sights
Liberty Hall https://www.historicsitesfoundation.org/liberty-hall.html
Liberty Hall is located in Lamoni. This Victorian style, three-story house was once the home of Joseph Smith the III and the headquarters for the Community of Christ Church. Tours are welcome weekly.
Decatur County Historical Society
http://iagenweb.org/decatur/Hist_Soc/Decatur_Hist_Society.html
The purpose of the The Decatur County Historical Society is to preserve historical artifacts of Decatur County and to share them through the Decatur County Historical Museum which is located in the 100 block of North Main in Leon.
Golf
Lamoni and Leon both house beautiful 9-hole golf courses. The Lamoni Golf and Country Club offers terrific views and challenging play for golfers at every skill level. Well-groomed fairways and greens keep this course difficult yet friendly. The Leon Golf & Country Club is a private club that is open to golfers paying green fees. Leon offers an excellent par 36 layout with gently rolling hills. Both Leon and Lamoni are a terrific choice for your regular rounds of golf or a new destination for you and friends when visiting Lamoni.