Archives For Iowa

Iowa is often neglected by tourists because of how rural and non-Big-Night-Life it can seem to someone who’s accustomed to places like San Francisco, LA or New York.

But Iowa has much to offer those who actually want a taste of the slow life, and the Hawkeye State’s the right place to be for both “down-home” county-fair-like festivals, and the big ones that just can’t help but be mentioned because they draw lots of people.

Here are just a few to get you started:

The Des Moines Art Festival

Now, June is already over, so you’ll have to wait till next year, but Des Moines’ big annual art festival near the Des Moines River is not an event to miss. They pull artists of all stripes in from all over, and it’s at that perfect time of year when it’s still spring-like but tipping towards full-on summer. And because the festival is held near downtown, you get a chance to experience the night life after the art vendors have closed up for the day.

What kinds of art are featured? Pretty much anything you can think of—from pottery, to paintings, to jewelry, fabric art, and even wood carving. It’s a visual smorgasbord, and a feast for the nose as well, as many food vendors come to provide hungry festival-goers with tasty treats. If you’re an art lover and want a laid-back party atmosphere, come to Des Moines’ art festival, which usually occurs the second week of June.

The Iowa State Fair

This was mentioned in the first article about Iowa, and it’s such a big deal that it deserves a second mention. Considering the fair is starting in just shy of three weeks, on August 13th, and ending ten days later, here’s a small lowdown on what’s happening this year:

The Iowa State Fair

The Iowa State Fair

The Grandstand is one of the major things going on with world-famous acts coming in and playing. Carrie Underwood is one of them, as is Reba McEntire and Def Leppard.

There are three permanent attractions at the Fair that you absolutely cannot miss: 1) the Sky Glider, a ski-lift-like ride that goes across the fairgrounds giving you an amazing view of the place from up above. 2) The “Ye Olde Mill,” a “tunnel-of-love”-type ride that’s been at the Fair since the early 1900s. 3) Giant Slide. This is actually something of a new thing, but definitely give it a go!

If you’re interested in agriculture at all, then hit the Ag Building for a taste of what goes on in Iowa’s agricultural scene: from the bee exhibit (they sell honey-sticks that would make Winnie-the-Pooh drool, it’s so delicious!), to the ever-famous Butter Cow sculpture that’s been an Ag Building staple since 1911. There have been four main sculptors up till 2006, when a fifth sculptor, Sarah Pratt, who apprenticed for 15 years under the fourth sculptor, Norma “Duffy” Lyon, took Norma’s place. In addition to the Butter Cow, Sarah has sculpted “Superman,” from “Superman Returns,” in honor of Norwalk, IA native Brandon Routh, that dead-ringer-for-Christopher Reeve who donned the cape and tights for the role. (Hey, no matter what Iowans thought of the movie, we loved that an Iowa native got chosen to be the last son of Krypton!)

And this is just a mere taste of what goes on at the Fair.

Glenn Miller Festival—Clarinda

If you love big band music from the 1940s, you can do no better than to come to the Glenn Miller festival in Clarinda. The festival happens in early June to honor the memory of Glenn Miller, who went missing in action during WWII while directing the Glenn Miller AAF band.

Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival—Cedar Rapids

As you might guess, this is an event to honor the anniversary of American Independence, and it happens from late June to early July. It’s been a popular event for nearly 30 years, with all kinds of attractions including classic rock concert nights, lots of wonderful food, and of course, a patriotic pops concert, concluding with night-time fireworks on July 4th.

RAGBRAI—Iowa-wide Event

What is RAGBRAI? It’s the oldest and largest touring bicycle ride in the world, and it happens in late July. It’s a 7-day, 500-mile-long trek across Iowa, and it’s sponsored by the Des Moines Register, the newspaper from Des Moines that’s read by thousands of people. Hence the acronym’s meaning: Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. Towns across Iowa that get chosen as part of the riders’ overnight and daytime ride-throughs pull out all the stops to make sure the riders are welcomed with open arms, treated to parties, music, and of course, plenty of food, drink and places to put their heads for the night. You could easily say this is probably the biggest statewide festival next to the Iowa State Fair, only it’s a lot more mobile—and there’s no butter cow.

National Balloon Classic–Indianola

If you love hot air balloons, and of course, hot air balloon races, come to Indianola, just ten minutes south of Des Moines in late July through early August to see the widest array of hot air balloons from all over the world. It’s an event that’s been hopping and happening for nearly fifty years!

It’s not just about balloon races though. It’s an event that includes balloon rides, kids’ activities and more! But even if you don’t take a ride yourself, just spread out a blanket and watch the beauties float against the blue Iowa sky. And yes, you just might find yourself humming the old Captain & Tenille song: “Up Up & Away…”

These are just some of the many, many festivals happening around the Hawkeye State. You definitely won’t find anything like these events in too many other places. As the motto for this year’s State Fair goes, “Nothing Compares.” If you truly want to get away from the larger cities and want to experience a slightly slower pace, come to Iowa for one or more of our yearly festivals. We’d love to see you there!

Vacationing In Iowa: The Hawkeye State

Many people who travel either within the United States as American citizens, or from abroad generally don’t think about the Midwest. All the “super-touristy” places are either San Francisco, New York, Chicago, L.A., and so on.

Iowa

Iowa

But the great thing about the Midwest, even as “hick-ish” as some people make it out to be, is that it can be an idyllic getaway for those folks who are tired of super-sized cities with super-sized attitudes. One of the best states in the Midwest to get away to is Iowa, also known as the Hawkeye State, likely named for the many red-tailed hawks in the area. If you’ve never seen a red-tailed hawk, go look them up in Google. They’re spectacular birds.

But interestingly enough, the hawk is not the state bird. That role belongs to the Eastern Goldfinch, which, interestingly enough, is shared by New Jersey and Washington State.

Nature Havens

If you love fishing, any kind of boating, such as canoeing, kayaking, or sailboating, hiking, camping or just wandering about in nature and listening to birds and finding a “thoughtful spot,”  for meditation, Iowa is the state to be in. We have many stunning state parks, conservation and recreation areas. One of those state parks is Ledges State Park in Boone, west of Ames on Highway 30.

Iowa Nature

Iowa Nature

This is one of the best places for nature walks and hiking because the Boone area boasts one of the largest forested places in Iowa, along the Des Moines River Valley. To be fair, there are not a lot of remaining forested areas in Iowa, owing to all the corn and soy fields. That’s just been the way of things over the last 150-odd years. But Ledges gives you a decent idea of what it was like long before humans got their hands on all the trees once upon a time.

Or perhaps a comparison, to say, the Elven realms of “Lothlorien” or “Rivendell” would be more than adequate, because Ledges State Park is very hilly terrain, with tons of trees and glorious ferns at the bases of these trees. And there’s a waterfall pouring into a small pond or lake where kids can play and cool off during the humid Iowa summers.

Another place that’s great for nature walks and to see Iowa’s role in environmental conservation is the Grimes Farm and Conservation area just outside of Marshalltown, also close to Highway 30, on the eastern side of Interstate 35. This place boasts a large boardwalk area built by past Eagle Scouts, as well as numerous flat hiking trails, and a bike trail that runs right by—and under—the Union Pacific railroad line. So if you are a “trainspotter,” this is the place to be to watch for trains, because Marshalltown is a very busy corridor for the Union Pacific line.

City Life

Heading back west, go about forty miles to Ames, which boasts Iowa State University—one of the most famous agricultural and tech colleges in the country. But apart from that, Ames has been rated one of the best college towns to be in. It has a perfect blend of small-town Iowa charm plus the hustle and bustle of city life that more active people enjoy. If you enjoy organic and vegetarian food and want to cook your own food while on vacation, you can do no better than Wheatsfield, a health food co-op located near Grand Avenue. They also have a deli and sit-down area complete with a WiFi hot spot, so settle in, get cozy and enjoy the wonderful smells of herbs and incense.

Iowa City

Iowa City

Once you’re done there, go up to Campus town via Lincoln Way and head for one of Ames’ best-kept secrets: A beading shop known as “Grandma’s Attic.” If you really like making jewelry or just like stones, crystals, statuary, incense, and other bohemian-type items, this is the place to be for even a day’s mental and emotional R&R. Christie, the owner, is very welcoming and friendly and she has all kinds of fun things to look at, touch and play around with. Her shop is usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays, opening at around 11:30 and closing around 6:30 most nights.

This is by no means the end of entertainment in Ames. “Grandma’s Attic” just happens to be a well-known spot to the locals, and is truly a fantastic place for friendly conversation—especially about beading and, for all you Whovians out there, Christie is a Whovian as well, so you can get a lively conversation going with her about that, too.

About a half-hour south of Ames is Des Moines, Iowa’s capital city. Where Ames boasts 60,000 people on average, Des Moines has bigger bragging rights at about 207,000, just to round it off to an even number. Des Moines is home to the Simon Estes Amphitheatre, right along the Des Moines River, the Civic Center, which has hosted various plays and musicals over the years, from “Annie” to “Phantom of the Opera,” and others. Both of these are right in the heart of downtown Des Moines, so if you want to get to know the heart and soul of this beautiful city and its artsy scene, go here, because this is also where the Des Moines Art Festival is held during the month of June.

Cedar Rapids Iowa City

Cedar Rapids Iowa City

Also home to Des Moines is the Iowa State Fairgrounds, where the Iowa State Fair takes place each year around the second week and a half of August, just before school starts. It’s been boasting record turnouts in recent years, owing to people taking to the notion of “staycations,” but because of this, business has boomed for vendors who come to the fair to sell their wares. There is so much to see and do at the State Fair each year, with various acts coming in to play in the Grandstand. This is the place to sample classic Iowa State Fair food, if you haven’t already. Plus now there is also vegetarian fare, by increasing demand.

This is just the corn tassel of all there is to do in Iowa, and Ames and Des Moines are just two of the major cities that boast so much fun that’s tucked away here away from those who usually keep their sights set on bigger places to be. Let’s put it this way: they don’t know what they’re missing.