A Stay Worth Toasting: Judge Richard Distillery Airbnb Wins 2026 OMA Tourism Award for Best Hotel in Pottawattamie County.
A win for craftsmanship, hospitality, and a small town with big taste.
Some places give you a room. We wanted to give you an experience.
That’s the standard we’ve held ourselves to since the day Judge Richard Distillery opened its doors in spring of 2024, and it’s the standard our guests have voted to recognize. We are honored to share that Judge
Richard Distillery Airbnb has been named the 2026 OMA Tourism Award winner for Best Hotel in Pottawattamie County.
To everyone who cast a vote, recommended us to a friend, booked a getaway, celebrated a milestone with us, or simply stopped by the tasting room and decided to stay the night, thank you. This recognition belongs to all of you.
What the OMA Award Means
The OMA Tourism Awards are presented by the Metropolitan Hospitality Association and the Pottawattamie Tourism Committee, with winners chosen by the public. This year more than 7,000 votes were cast across Iowa and Nebraska, spotlighting the restaurants, venues, attractions, and stays that locals and travelers return to year after year.
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Being named Best Hotel in Pottawattamie County in a region that includes Council Bluffs, the Omaha metro, and the surrounding communities is a meaningful win. It tells us that what we set out to build is being felt by the people who walk through our doors.
Where Craftsmanship Meets Hospitality
Judge Richard Distillery sits in Carson, Iowa, a small town with deep family roots and a story that stretches across seven generations of Richardsons. The distillery itself is named after Nathaniel Richardson, a
Virginia-born settler who spent three decades in Kentucky before heading west to become a respected judge in Missouri. His perseverance shaped the family, and that same spirit lives in every bottle we craft today.
We’re proud to be the first bourbon distillery in Pottawattamie County. We’re equally proud that the experience we built around it now stands among the best in the region.
Our on-site accommodations were designed as an extension of the distillery, not as an afterthought to it.
Each room is intentional, comfortable, and quietly elevated. Guests stay just steps from our tasting room, where handcrafted cocktails and small-batch bourbon, vodka, and gin wait at the end of the day. Many guests come for one night and leave already planning the next visit.
Who This Stay Is For
Judge Richard Distillery Airbnb is the kind of place that fits a specific kind of trip:
• A milestone weekend. Birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, retirements, or ‘we deserve this’ celebrations.
• A small group getaway. Close friends, sisters, golf trips, girls’ weekends, or couples traveling together.
• A quiet reset. When home feels loud and the goal of the weekend is exactly nothing.
• A trip into the Omaha metro without staying in the Omaha metro. Close enough for dinner downtown or a Charles Schwab Field game, far enough to actually exhale.
Our availability is limited on purpose. We choose quality over quantity, and our guests tell us that’s exactly what they’re looking for.
The Carson Difference
There’s something about pulling off the interstate and watching the noise fade. Carson sits about 25 minutes from the Council Bluffs and Omaha metro, far enough to feel like you’ve genuinely gone somewhere, close enough to make the whole weekend easy.
Spend an afternoon at the tasting room. Wander into the distilling space and learn how the spirits are made.
Enjoy a craft cocktail from our in-house mixologist. Walk back to your room without ever having to call a
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That combination, refined hospitality and small-town ease, is hard to find. It’s exactly what the OMA Award recognized.
Plan Your Award-Winning Stay
We offer three thoughtfully designed packages so you can choose the experience that fits your trip.
THE CLASSIC $150
One night hotel stay. The simplest way to experience the distillery.
THE NIGHTCAP $200
One night stay, a bottle of Judge Richard Bourbon to take home, and two rock glasses. Built for the guest who wants the night to extend into something they can savor again later.
THE SIGNATURE $275
One night stay, a distillery tour and tasting for two, a bottle of Judge Richard Bourbon, and two rock glasses. The full Judge Richard experience, start to finish.
Each package can be paired with a private event in our dedicated event space, perfect for proposals, anniversary dinners, milestone birthdays, or simply gathering the people who matter to you.
A Thank You, From the Richardsons
Family-built businesses live and die by the loyalty of the people who choose them. So from Jill, Terry, and the entire Judge Richard team, thank you for choosing us, telling your friends about us, and casting your vote. We don’t take a single stay for granted.
The award is sitting in the tasting room now. Come raise a glass with us and see it for yourself.
Sip. Stay. Experience something different.