The New TM Info Center on Main Street just north of the square is open five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday.
You may know Fairfield for its First Friday Art Walks, its music festivals, Sondheim Center performances and car shows, but did you know it’s also been home to a community of more than 2,000 meditators for the past 40 years? Who are these people and what is their story? Now there’s a new way to experience the Transcendental Meditation movement’s Fairfield attractions, tour Maharishi University and other TM movement sites, and get to know this fascinating part of American culture in Southeast Iowa.
The Transcendental Meditation Information Center and Guide to the Attractions of Fairfield and Maharishi Vedic City, just opened in downtown Fairfield, offers free information and expert help in exploring Fairfield, nearby Vedic City, and Jefferson County. The Center is located at 110 North Main St., Fairfield, Iowa, beside Revelations bookstore, just off the town square. Its hours of operation are 10 AM-4:30 PM.
What is the story of those eye-catching Golden Domes in the north part of town? Why are 200 “Vedic Pandits” from India meditating in Maharishi Vedic City? How exactly does the acre-long Vedic observatory with its masonry astronomical instruments embody the structure of the manifest universe? Where is Maharishi University’s award-winning organic vegetarian dining hall and how much does a meal cost? When are the university’s Visitor’s Weekends? Where are the best hiking trails? How can a town of 9,476 have two health food stores and five top-notch cafes, and where are they?
As a visitor to Fairfield, you’ll be in some high profile company—recent visitors include Jim Carrey, Oprah, Candy Crowley, and filmmaker David Lynch, all practitioners of Transcendental Meditation who’ve lauded tiny Fairfield. If you’re not familiar with TM, it was introduced to the U.S. by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1959, and was embraced by the Beatles, bringing it worldwide attention. Thousands of TM practitioners moved to Fairfield in the mid-1970’s when the TM movement purchased Parsons College and founded its TM-related university.
Stop in to find out about TM and life in Fairfield.
All visitors to the Information Center receive a warm, inviting welcome, plus guidance in finding attractions, facilities, events, celebrations, galleries, businesses, guided tours, realtors, recreational facilities, shops, medical facilities, and professional services. The Center also offers introductory TM talks and can answer all your questions about TM and guide you to the right connections at Maharishi University, as well as direct you to attractions and services from TM program affiliates, town organizations, and other useful Fairfield information centers.
In addition, visiting TM meditators can find meditation locations, schedules, connections and more, while all other visitors curious about the TM movement, its history in Fairfield, and the TM program (as well as the eclectic variety of activities and opportunities in Jefferson County), can find what they need to know about this fascinating community and most creative of towns.
The new TM Information Center is a great new opportunity to learn about TM and Fairfield. The Center serves everyone and welcomes all visitors.
Did you know?
- Fairfield, Iowa was voted #7 best small town to visit in 2013 by Smithsonian magazine
- Jim Carrey’s spellbinding commencement address in May at Maharishi University (which has gotten more than 1.6 million views on YouTube) was open to the public
- Students from more than 80 countries attend Maharishi University
- Fairfield’s Mayor Ed Malloy was interviewed on “Moving America Forward,” hosted by William Shatner, last April
- Fairfield won Entrepreneurial Community of the Year by the State of Iowa
- Fairfield is 5th largest market for organic food in America, home to dozens of organic farms
- Maharishi University offers the first sustainable living degree—with classes held in the world’s most advanced, off-the-grid, living building
For more information about the Information Center, email .ff@tm.org or phone 641-209-7060. Details about the TM technique can be found at www.tm.org and Maharishi University of Management at www.MUM.edu.