Iowa’s Indie Bookshop Tour is only three years old, but other states are already modeling their own summer programs after it. Wisconsin, Missouri and Nebraska have all created their own tours.
The tour exists thanks to CoriAnn Theroux, owner of The Green Dragon bookstore in Fort Dodge. Her work has brought booksellers across the state much closer together.
The months of planning and organizing helped her win Bookseller of the Year from the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association in 2026.
“The best thing we always hear about, besides how much everyone loves independent bookstores, is how much people discover Iowa as they go on our tour,” Theroux said. “Not only do they get to go to this bookstore, but they’re also going into the communities and supporting the communities as a whole in multiple different ways.”
What is the Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour?
When you visit any bookstore participating in the tour, you can pick up a “passport.” You can earn stamps by making purchases at the bookstores. Passports with at least two stamps can be entered for a chance at prizes.
The tour runs from July 1 to Sept. 30, with 62 Iowa bookstores participating this year.
In 2025, independent bookstores received $500,000 from shoppers participating in the tour, Theroux said. That number doesn’t include the economic boom that neighboring businesses receive from people stopping to get gas, eat out at local restaurants or go shopping.
“As a business, sometimes you get worried with the way the world is or the economy,” Theroux said. “To see so many people come out and want to support you, and tell you they love you being here and love what you’re doing for them and their community is just heartwarming. It reminds you of why you’re here.”
What are the prizes for turning in an Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour passport?
Passports with 55 or more stamps from bookshops could win:
Additionally, winners will be drawn from all passport entries. Each location stamp on your passport is one entry. The prizes available are:
All prizes are gift cards to a bookstore of the winner’s choice.
You can also win other prizes by completing a bingo card (sponsored by Libro.fm audiobooks) or by correctly solving the “bookstore murder mystery” by asking for clues at each location.
What’s the bookshop tour route in central Iowa?
The bookshop tour website offers a variety of route ideas to help you get started on your road trip.
The route in central Iowa, for example, is 38.9 miles long. It starts at Wandering Raccoon Books in Grimes, makes stops through Valley Junction, Des Moines and ends at Dungeon’s Gate in Ankeny.
What are the new bookstores joining the tour in 2026?
Want to check out the newest bookstores Iowa has to offer? These stores will be joining the tour for the very first time:
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour grows to 62 stops for 2026
Reporting by Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
