DON'T LAUGH.......Considering a vacation to Iowa! (Des Moines, Davenport: condo, home)

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by nanjosbrand

My recommendations for your Iowa visit would be to at least drive near the town of Anamosa. Grant Wood is famous for his American Gothic painting, and I believe that you would find it interesting how much the landscape does look like all his artwork. The area near that town is simply beautiful.
In Des Moines, there is a wonderful historical museum, if you're into that kind of stuff.
Winterset is where the Bridges of Madison county was filmed and that area is neat as well.
Iowa does have some neat attractions to take advantage of. Hope you enjoy your trip.

And on the topic of American Gothic. The actual house in the painting is in Eldon Iowa, just east of Ottumwa. They also have a museum by the house that's interesting as it describes Grant Wood's life, his works, and how this famous painting came together.

[bikegirl76]

Why would we laugh?

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

i love how offensive the title of the thread is, haha.

As if visiting Iowa is a totally WHACKED out idea. It kinda pisses me off.

I'm a big fan but I wouldn't recommend Iowa as a vacation destination. If you happen to pass through or wind up here somehow it's really not that bad.


I applaud to OP's sense of adventure and curiosity to check out a place like Iowa though. I would suggest coming here next August to check out the State Fair (2009 Iowa State Fair | State Fair Time) in Des Moines. If you plan on making it to the Des Moines area, I'd be happy to recommend some restaurants or other things.

[Luke9686]

The main point of this person's travels to Iowa is because of their 50 state goal. I recommend northeast Iowa, as well as central Iowa. Bluffs, hills, and farms. You'll come to Iowa and not want to leave.

[stacylee926]

Can't believe no said to see Field of Dreams...... that is the only reason my hubby wants to go.

[iowegian]

For outdoor activities, I recommend the Effigy Mounds National Monument north of Marquette. It is a national park with great hiking trails, scenic views of the Mississippi River and surrounding bluffs, and of course Native American burial mounds. It is possibly the most interesting park I have visited in this state. There is a lot of beautiful scenery in this area as well.

Small towns with character aren't too hard to find in Iowa. If you haven't been to any Amish areas, Kalona is interesting. There is a cheese factory and some little Amish stores. The Amana Colonies are a German settlement that is pretty nice, albeit tourist-y. Both of these are around Iowa City. Pella is a small Dutch town with a large working windmill and a cute town square with bakeries and other little stores. It's closer to Des Moines.

If you were going to Kalona or the Amanas, you could stay in downtown Iowa City and look around there. It is just a nice downtown/campus area with stores and restaurants. There is the Old Capitol museum, where Iowa's first capitol building was located. There aren't too many attractions in Iowa City but if you were here at the right time, there could be something interesting going on. (Iowa City / Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau - ICCCVB is full of info about the area.)

[odessa3]

More thank-yous for all your ideas! Northeast Iowa is looking appealing, and I will look into it further.

[elfyum]

I swear I can't believe how many people discount the plains states!!!
It's the Heartland Of America!!!
I had always wanted to go there (it was one of my main states of interest - though I too want to visit all 50!) & recently met the love of my life & that's where he lives! (Yes we met online)
I went to visit (Des Moines area) & LOVE it!!!!!!!
Granted I have yet to experience the winter but it is absolutely beautiful there!!!
There's a rose garden - I'm sure a local can say exactly where - which wasn't in bloom yet, but the whole place is gorgeous & I can only imagine it with all those roses!!!
The state capital building is so cool! That gold top makes it look like it should be in India or something!
Des Moines is so cute!
The people are very friendly, the air is clean, there's lots of wide open spaces - America at it's finest!
And so I get back to work & they ask where I went.
I say Iowa & they ask what's there.
I say corn & rabbits!
And my manager asks about potatoes.
Ummmm - that would be Idaho.
Sheesh!
Well that's fine with me!
Keep your big cities & give me the wide open spaces of America any day!!!
Oh! And check out Fairfield & the Loess Hills!!!!
Didn't get to either but I will.
There's so much to explore!

[TheFarmer'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by odessa3

I live in northeast PA, and one of my goals in life is to step foot in all 50 states. I've never been to Iowa. My husband and I are considering a trip to Iowa for next year's vacation (driving). Due to driving distance, we'd probably stay in eastern IA. Bring on your ideas! We like to SEE and DO. We enjoy small towns with character, outdoors activities like hiking, quirky museums, and a good brewpub. Bring on your ideas!!

You could take a cruise down the Mississippi. I really recommend seeing Bellevue, Iowa. Beautiful homes.
The Field of Dreams
Crystal Lake Cave
Vedic Observatory
Spook Cave
Bridges of Madison County..the only real issue here is that they are pretty far into the state and in an area where one could easily get lost. If you're adventurous and like winding, forested roads, you may decide to try this.
St. Donatus (Dubuque)
Living History Farms in Des Moines
Algona POW museum
Mines of Spain Recreation Area
Fenelon Place Elevator
Amana Colonies (try the Dandelion Wine)
Reiman Gardens (Ames)
Sweet Vale of Avoca Musem...because you can't get quirkier than taxidermy collections from around the world.
Indian Artifiact Museum of Bentonsport
Villages of Van Buren, in a quirky quaint sort of way
Ice House Museum
Porter House Museum
Vesterheim Museum
Snake Alley in Burlington, IA (Crookedest Street in the World, also happens to be surrounded by some beautiful buildings)
BruceMore
Czech Village
Pella, Iowa
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
Maquoketa Caves
Ushers Ferry
Devonian Fossil Gorge
Old Capitol Musem
Kalona, Iowa
Science Museum, Des Moines
Adventureland
Storm Lake
Lake Okiboji
Medical Museum at the University of Iowa(which I think is still there..it's been awhile on this one)
Grotto of the Redemption (a little out of the way but amazingly beautiful)
1876 School Museum (Coralville, IA)
You need a pork tenderloin...one of the big ones that doesn't fit on the bun. It's a life-changing experience.
Take time to enjoy our Farmer's Markets and eat a fresh Muscatine melon..they're HUGE!
And speaking of Eldon, IA...I'm not sure it's still there but Rosanne used to have a restaurant out there. Elvis and 50's themed. And the peanut butter and banana sandwich I had wasn't overly bad.

It may not seem like much, but I hope you enjoy your stay in our beautiful state!

This is what I can think of right now...I may come back and add later. There's so much to do it's hard to put it all down at once.

[Jimrob1]

Sometimes the best vacation you can have, is the one that is far away from major tourist areas. I think Iowa would be a wonderful place for a vacation. The USA is made up of more than Disney Land, beaches and mountains.