- Sep 13, 2002
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Touristy things to do and see in Iowa?
- Thread starter The Tradition
- Start date
Pulpit Rock in Decorah, Clockhouse in CR, Lua and Barn Town in Des Moines.
Toppling Goliath
I second all the recommendations to see the driftless region. Yellow River State Forest is probably the most beautiful place in the state, and it's right near Effigy Mounds along the Mississippi. It looks nothing like most of the rest of the state. I try to hike and camp there at least once per year. You can just drive through too and get out to explore here and there. Great trout streams. Not really busy at all by most park standards; the dog and I went two full days last year without seeing another person hiking and camping way back in the park. Best time to visit is mid October, give or take, when the leaves are turning.
Good gosh, many things to see and do.
Hobo Days in Britt
Old Threshers Reunion in Mount Pleasant
Tulip Time in Pella
Iowa State Fair in Des Moines
Maritime Museum in Arnolds Park
El Bait Shop - Des Moines
Hobo Days in Britt
Old Threshers Reunion in Mount Pleasant
Tulip Time in Pella
Iowa State Fair in Des Moines
Maritime Museum in Arnolds Park
El Bait Shop - Des Moines
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I was in Detroit area a couple weeks ago and drove up over the top back home from Elk Rapids, Charlevoix, Petoskey, Mackinac Island thru the UP - very beautiful.
Charlevoix probably topped the list for cool towns that I could see having a summer residency.
Tunnel of Trees highway (highway?! more like a paved state park road!) is a great drive as well. Leggs Inn in Cross Village is one of the more unique restaurants I've ever visited.
https://www.legsinn.com/#modern-organic-thai
Great Lakes Shipwreck museum is very interesting way up at the top of the Upper Peninsula. Saw the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald
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Have OIT give him a tour. He'll be scared for life.🤣
1) National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
2) Effigy Mounds National Monument.
3) The Surf Ballroom
4) The Field of Dreams
5) Iowa Football or Women’s Basketball or Wrestling
6) Grant Wood’s Studio
7) The American Gothic House
8) National Wrestling Museum
9) The Amana Colonies
10) Maquoketa Caves
2) Effigy Mounds National Monument.
3) The Surf Ballroom
4) The Field of Dreams
5) Iowa Football or Women’s Basketball or Wrestling
6) Grant Wood’s Studio
7) The American Gothic House
8) National Wrestling Museum
9) The Amana Colonies
10) Maquoketa Caves
I think the only tourism high point in Iowa is an Iowa game at kinnick. I love living here but it is a boring ass state in terms of show and tell. Outside of Iowa, I think you would be surprised how ocean like the coast of Lake Michigan is on the western border of Michigan, and it is awesome. The zoo in Omaha is like the Disney world of zoos. Hundreds of millions of buffet / Berkshire Hathaway investor dollars building an indoor jungle, an Aquarium you walk through a glass tunnel with sharks swimming around you, a desert dome that looks like Epcot, etc. It’s crazy. Chicago has the most going on from a big city perspective.
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Love touring the scene of unsolved murders on vacation!I think OP should spend a night in Vallisca
He should head down to @jasonrann 's than. Lots of unsolved murderers in the Midwest. We definitely have a CEREAL killer up here.
Quad Cities for some QC Pizza. It’s legit
Commas are important.
Stalking trout in the Yellow River Forest streams with a side trip to Effigy Mounds is a perfect weekend, especially in the fall with the foliage in full glory.
https://www.surfballroom.com/
The Surf Ballroom is fantastic.
Gorgeous place built in the 40’s I think
The Surf Ballroom is fantastic.
Gorgeous place built in the 40’s I think
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Good call. The views from Effigy Mounds (the only real national parkland in Iowa) and Pikes Peak State Park, both overlooking the Mississippi and its many islands there) are some of the most beautiful views in the country. It’s no wonder the American Indians considered the place holy grounds.
Also, I want to point out that my list contains zero locations in Western Iowa. You could easily hit them all in a couple days.
https://www.surfballroom.com/
The Surf Ballroom is fantastic.
Gorgeous place built in the 40’s I think
Once you go in there and see all the signed pictures of people that performed there........game, set, match
They bring all the heifers down from Iowa State fraternities, and parade them around.
Brayton, IA - Tree in the Middle of the Road
Visit reports, news, maps, directions and info on Tree in the Middle of the Road in Brayton, Iowa.
www.roadsideamerica.com
Never been to the place but last time I had it Neon was a good hazy and they always make great berliner weiss and sour style beer.
To attempt to see all of Iowa's beauty in anything short of a full week would require a trek that would likely result in "it's a lot corn on the Interstate".
This is purely from memory as a guy who travels the state but doesnt "know" roads like some people do.
If I were going to do it proper I would fly into SW Wisconsin and drive over the Mississippi into NE Iowa. Enjoy the driftless for the natural beauty it is while checking out pikes peak and making my way through galena and stopping into maqokata caves, unfortunately your going to have to skip the QCA and SE Iowa.... as you back track through what I have heard is beautiful dacorah and down into the cedar valley. The food around cedar falls is legit, I'd overnight there if possible. Then make your way, from the north, down to the Amana's and check out hoovers house while you are in that neck of the woods, my focus would be staying off I80 but if you wanted to drop straight down to Iowa city to learn about the old capital, see kinnick, or take in the history of IC then it might be worth doing that then headed due west on 80 to the Amanas. South Central Iowa doesnt really have shit especially south of Madison County. You are going to have to high tail it from the Amanas to Des and there is probably something north of I80 in the 90 minute drive worth seeing.... Boone railroad? some might call it Ames.... then drop down to Des Moines.
Check it out in its entirety, go to the east village, go for a beer at the alpine, go to an Icubs game it's actually a fun little park, stay out of the suburbs.
Next day drop down to Madison county and check out the bridges, Mrs Trad will appreciate, from there go 20 Minutes north and check out the location for the Bonnie and Clyde shootout, hit me up, I'll buy you a beer if you are in the area. From there drop south of 80, you could make the excuse to go check out greenfield, but the goal would be to get over to Atlantic to see and Marne Iowa to see coca cola and one of the best motorcycle museums in the world. From there you are either headed due north to the great lakes of Iowa ( okaboji) or further west to council bluffs, f* council bluffs hit the losse hills.
This is purely from memory as a guy who travels the state but doesnt "know" roads like some people do.
If I were going to do it proper I would fly into SW Wisconsin and drive over the Mississippi into NE Iowa. Enjoy the driftless for the natural beauty it is while checking out pikes peak and making my way through galena and stopping into maqokata caves, unfortunately your going to have to skip the QCA and SE Iowa.... as you back track through what I have heard is beautiful dacorah and down into the cedar valley. The food around cedar falls is legit, I'd overnight there if possible. Then make your way, from the north, down to the Amana's and check out hoovers house while you are in that neck of the woods, my focus would be staying off I80 but if you wanted to drop straight down to Iowa city to learn about the old capital, see kinnick, or take in the history of IC then it might be worth doing that then headed due west on 80 to the Amanas. South Central Iowa doesnt really have shit especially south of Madison County. You are going to have to high tail it from the Amanas to Des and there is probably something north of I80 in the 90 minute drive worth seeing.... Boone railroad? some might call it Ames.... then drop down to Des Moines.
Check it out in its entirety, go to the east village, go for a beer at the alpine, go to an Icubs game it's actually a fun little park, stay out of the suburbs.
Next day drop down to Madison county and check out the bridges, Mrs Trad will appreciate, from there go 20 Minutes north and check out the location for the Bonnie and Clyde shootout, hit me up, I'll buy you a beer if you are in the area. From there drop south of 80, you could make the excuse to go check out greenfield, but the goal would be to get over to Atlantic to see and Marne Iowa to see coca cola and one of the best motorcycle museums in the world. From there you are either headed due north to the great lakes of Iowa ( okaboji) or further west to council bluffs, f* council bluffs hit the losse hills.
- Sep 13, 2002
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I just spent some time up there this weekend hiking and making some brewery stops. Not gonna lie, I've always preferred Pulpit Rock over Toppling Goliath. I like both breweries, but I enjoy the size of Pulpit more than the gigantic Toppling Goliath set up. Great beers at each though.
Quite surprised no one has mentioned arguably Iowa's most famous attraction, located in Brandon, IA:
IF you are familiar with Eastside of DSM legends, “walking the fence line” refers to natives who walk the outside perimeter of the Fairgrounds fence, looking for breaches in the fence to enter the State Fair free of charge!! (There is provably close to 10 miles of fence to “walk”if so inclined.) Probably want to make sure you have all the fair goers cars parked in your yard safely before beginning your walk.
Davenport seems pretty popular with the tour boat folks.
We had two of the big ones - a Viking and an American Cruise Line - tied up at the same time recently!
Winner. A river cruise is a perfect idea.
If in Davenport, stop at Yoshi’s and see if Tubby is still there
- Sep 13, 2002
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