In Field of Dreams, beginner farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) risks bankruptcy to build a baseball diamond in the middle of his Iowa cornfield. Kinsella, rebelling against his deceased father’s calculated lifestyle, impulsively follows the advice of a mysterious voice assuring, “If you build it, he will come.” Months after he builds it, they come: several ghosts of baseball’s past, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta), flock to the field to relive their glory days. By film’s end, baseball fans from all over arrive to witness the mystical match. And since the 1989 movie’s release, about 65,000 people per year have also made the trek to the Field of Dreams.
Built by Universal Studios in 1989, the 193-acre (78 hectare) site is now owned by the Lansing family. The family maintains the baseball diamond and welcomes tourists free of charge. However, in mid-May 2010 the family put the land — including a two-bedroom house — on the market for $5.4 million. Both Costner and Liotta have reportedly passed on the chance of owning the Field of Dreams.