Things to Do in Algona, Iowa: A Complete Local Guide for Residents and Visitors

Algona is a small town, but it doesn’t run out of things to do. Between a WWII-era museum, a state park two miles from downtown, and a full calendar of hometown festivals, there’s more here than a quick drive-through would suggest. Here’s a real local guide, whether you just moved into a Hunt Rentals apartment or you’re visiting for the day.

History and Museums · Outdoors and Parks · Annual Events · Good to Know

History and Museums

Camp Algona POW Museum

Algona has a genuinely unusual piece of WWII history. From 1944 to 1946, the town was home to a base camp that housed German prisoners of war and supervised 34 branch camps across the region. The museum, at 114 South Thorington St, is set in the former Furniture Loft Building and has been open since 2004. Inside, photographs, letters, and artifacts tell the story of daily life at the camp, for both prisoners and guards.

The Algona Nativity Scene

The camp’s most lasting legacy is a Christmas tradition. POWs built a 65-figure nativity scene out of cement during their time at Camp Algona, and it’s been a beloved local display ever since.

Kossuth County Historical Museum

Set inside an 1867 wooden schoolhouse and a set of prairie-front buildings, this museum holds more than 10,000 artifacts covering the county’s pioneer history. Vintage photographs, antique farm equipment, and everyday objects from Kossuth County’s early settlers fill the exhibits.

Kossuth County Ag & Motorsports Museum

This museum covers the county’s farming and racing history side by side, and it recently gained a notable neighbor. The Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum relocated to the fairgrounds here in 2025, bringing statewide racing history to the same grounds as the county’s agricultural exhibits.

Outdoors and Parks

Ambrose A. Call State Park

Just 1.5 miles southwest of downtown at 2007 Call Park Dr, this 138-acre park is a patch of rugged hills and old-growth timber in the middle of otherwise flat farmland. Two miles of wooded trails wind down a ravine and along a creek, and the park also allows camping and cross-country skiing once winter sets in.

Water’s Edge Nature Center and Smith Lake

Near Smith Lake, the Water’s Edge Nature Center runs educational programs and activities for all ages, making it a good stop for families or anyone who wants a slower, closer look at the local landscape.

Annual Events

Band Day Festival

Every fall, Algona shuts down State Street for a 1 p.m. Saturday parade packed with high school marching bands, floats, and local entries, followed by a field show competition at Algona High School. The festival has run for over 75 years and remains one of the town’s biggest annual draws.

Kossuth County Fair

Held each August at the Kossuth County Ag & Motorsports Museum grounds, the county fair runs a full week of livestock exhibitions, agricultural competitions, motorsports, live entertainment, and fair food. It’s the kind of event where you run into half the town in one evening.

Founders’ Day

Algona also marks its founding each July with a community celebration, rounding out a calendar that keeps something going in nearly every season.

Good to Know

• Most of Algona’s museums run on limited hours or volunteer staffing, so it’s worth calling ahead before a special trip.
• The Nativity Scene draws visitors from well outside Kossuth County every December, so plan for a bit of a crowd on weekend evenings.
• Ambrose A. Call State Park has no entrance fee for day visits, only camping requires a permit.

Whether it’s a museum, a hiking trail, or a summer parade, Algona has more going on than its size lets on. Ready to make it home? Hunt Rentals offers two-bedroom apartments across three Algona properties.

Ready to see what’s available? Browse our current properties or download the rental application to get started.