This small garden and park in the tiny town of Kimballton will charm you with its fairy tale magic.

The Hans Christian Andersen statue garden features a smaller version of The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen Harbor. Situated around the Little Mermaid and her fountain are eight more statues that represent the author's most famous fairy tales.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Google Maps
Google Maps
The town of Kimballton has just over 300 residents. It's located in Audubon County west of Des Moines on I-80. Elk Horn is just three miles south of this tiny town on highway 173.
The Little Mermaid Park in Kimballton is also home to the Audubon County Freedom Rock.
dolph72/Trip Advisor
dolph72/Trip Advisor
The eight additional statues surrounding the mermaid are by Troy Muller, Art Director of the New Century Art Guild.

Related Stories

This Is The Newest Park In Iowa And It's Incredible

This Is The Newest Park In Iowa And It's Incredible

 If You Live in Iowa, You’ll Want to Visit This Amazing Park This Winter

If You Live in Iowa, You’ll Want to Visit This Amazing Park This Winter

 The Epic Park In Iowa Where You Can Take Home 365-Million-Year-Old Fossils

The Epic Park In Iowa Where You Can Take Home 365-Million-Year-Old Fossils
In 2008, the bronze statue was recast. She had started to deteriorate, so the community raised money to have her repaired.
Leonora (Ellie) Enking/Flickr
The Hans Christian Andersen Park and the refurbished statue were rededicated during the town's Quasquicentennial Celebration that year.
The original statue was purchased by the Progressive Danes of Kimballton in 1974.
Leonora (Ellie) Enking/Flickr
The artists responsible for creating The Little Mermaid statue are two former Modesto, California college students. The original statue stands in Copenhagen harbor, in honor of the famous Danish storyteller, Hans Christian Andersen.
The Kimballton garden surrounding The Little Mermaid and the eight other fairytale statues is the pride of the community.
Audubon County Website
Visitors can enjoy a call-in service courtesy of Marne & Elk Horn Telephone Company by dialing 712-773-4267 (HANS) for a three-minute synopsis of each fairy tale sculpture in the garden.
This small Iowa town does a great job of supporting the arts.
Google Maps
The New Century Art Guild is a non-profit in Kimballton that supports military veterans who want a career in visual art. There are three buildings, supported by the organization, with over 4,000 square feet of gallery and studio space on Main Street.
Be sure to stop by the nearby town of Elk Horn while you are in the area.
Danish Villages Website
Their authentic windmill from Denmark was built in 1848 and brought to Elk Horn in 1976. The mill also has the biggest Danish import gift shop in the U.S.

Have you seen this amazing replica of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid Statue?

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Articles

Explore Iowa