BASEBALLPARKS.COM's Ten Must-See Parks

Field Of Dreams Movie Site

Most Americans have seen the movie Field of Dreams, which was filmed in 1988 and starred Kevin Costner as farmer Ray Kinsella, James Earl Jones as reclusive author Terence Mann, Burt Lancaster as aging physician Moonlight Graham and Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson.  The script was based on the wonderful book Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella -- and in fact, the story told in the book is probably more intriguing than the spellbinding one in the movie.  Anyway, despite the big stars and gripping story line of this movie, the real star is probably the game of baseball, as it is the pastime that prompts Ray to build the ball field out of his corn field, the bond that brings Ray and Terence together at Fenway Park, the sport that the young Moonlight Graham wants to make his life's work -- and, of course, baseball is the sport that brings Ray and his father together at the end of the movie in a way that the two had found impossible in real life.  

And Ray's baseball field is at the heart of the "Field of Dreams Movie Site" in Dyersville, Iowa.  This is where many of the outdoor scenes were shot, and where today you can still visit to relive your favorite parts of the movie.  There are not one but two souvenir stores operating on this site, as two different land-owners had to be convinced to lend their corn fields for this film project -- so, naturally, both of those farmers want to cash in on the continuing interest in this spot.  

When filming was finished, the two farmers went back to raising corn . . . until the first visitors started arriving a week after the release of the movie in April of 1989.  Since then, hundreds of thousands of Field of Dreams fans have made the trek to Dyersville.  In fact, more than a decade after the release of the movie, more than 50,000 visitors still come to see this baseball field each year.

WHERE THIS PARK IS LOCATED:  The simple answer is that it is located in Ray Kinsella's corn field in Iowa.  A more exact answer is that this field is on Lansing Road three miles northeast of Dyersville, Iowa, which is about 25 miles west of Dubuque on U.S. Highway 20.  

WHO PLAYED HERE:  First and foremost, the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson . . . Charity games played here since the filming of the movie have included such players as Bob Feller, George Brett, Reggie Jackson and Lou Brock.  

SPECIAL EVENTS WHICH HAVE OCCURRED HERE:  This exchange between Shoeless Joe Jackson and Ray Kinsella:  "Is this heaven?"  "No, it's Iowa" . . .  Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, who in real life appeared in just one inning of a Major League game way back in 1905 (although the movie said it was 1922) -- and never got to bat or even touch the ball during the game -- was allowed to "make a comeback" here and get to bat against a Major League pitcher . . . and farmer Ray Kinsella got to play catch  with his father as men in movie theaters across America tried not to let anyone see them cry.

WHY YOU MUST SEE THIS PARK:  Is this a tourist trap?  Sure, but that doesn't mean there's no point in going here.  In fact, I would characterize this as being pure Americana.  There is a certain magic and beauty here, a beauty that was obvious to film-maker Phil Alden Robinson when he first spotted this corn field in February 1988.  He decided to use this field and the adjoining farm house as the setting for one of the greatest baseball movies ever.  It's fun to visit here -- and the souvenirs for sale are ones you'll actually want to keep and wear.

So go to Blockbuster and rent Field of Dreams one more time, then head to northeast Iowa and see where this movie magic was made.

This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

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