Top Things to do in Iowa
Top Hotels in Iowa
- 1. Des Lux Hotel
- 2. Stoney Creek Hotel
- 3. Hampton Inn West Des Moines Lake Drive
- 4. Drury Inn & Suites West Des Moines
- 5. Drury Inn & Suites Iowa City Coralville
- 6. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Cedar Falls, IA
- 7. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Ames, IA
- 8. Hotel Julien Dubuque
- 9. Cobblestone Inn & Suites - Forest City
- 10. Hotel Renovo
10 State Parks in Iowa That You Shouldn't Miss
History and monuments dot this landscape almost as often as the golden farmlands. Learn about America’s 31st president at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch. In northeast Iowa is the Effigy Mounds National Monument, a group of prehistoric American Indian burial and ceremonial mounds. This part of Iowa is also home to the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage. The 37-county region tells the story of American agriculture, agribusiness and farm life and is affiliated with the National Park Service. In addition, there are five national wildlife refuges here. If you love history, imagine seeing the Amana Colonies, consisting of seven historic villages in 1855 by German immigrants as a religious communal society. Here you can also buy antiques, hand-woven baskets, furniture and clocks and locally made wine and beer. In Ames, take the family to see the Christian Petersen Art Museum, a newer structure that exhibits works of art by Christian Petersen and contemporary artists. You won’t want to miss the state capital of Des Moines, home to Blank Park Zoo with its naturalistic exhibits and more than 800 animals from five continents. You also should enjoy the Brenton Skating Plaza, an outdoor family entertainment venue.
Restaurants in Iowa
1. Cedar Rock State Park (Lowell Walter Residence)
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 89 reviews
Cedar Rock State Park is the home to the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Lowell and Agnes Walter Estate. The property is a complete and beautiful example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian design meaning that Wright is as much the interior designer as he was the architect. Those that tour the home experience it almost as if the homeowners stepped out in 1950. The estate is comprised of four Wright designed structures which include the house, council fire, river pavilion, and formal entrance gate. Seasonal guided tours of the property depart the visitor center hourly from 10:00 am-3:00 pm Thursday to Sunday's from late May to mid-October.
Reviewed By dmarkiowa - Davenport, United States
Beautiful setting, open air tractor ride through prairie to the house with a bonus boathouse, the most livable Wright house we've toured. The living room was stunning, designed for entertaining. The tour guide was knowledgeable and personable, performing a piece he composed on the custom Steinway piano.
2. Lacey Keosauqua State Park
3. Maquoketa Caves State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 209 reviews
Starting April 1st 2021 parking will be limited to designated spots only, once they are full you must wait for a open parking spot to access the park, Please plan your trip to come earlier or later in the day and avoid peak times on the weekends from 11-4 pm. If arriving during peak times, you should have an alternate place to visit until the park is less busy. 2021 Campground Changes: The campground is 100% reservable. Same day reservations will be accepted from April 1 - October 31 and until 9 pm on the day of arrival. A reservation is required to camp.
Reviewed By joaniemaria - Eldridge, United States
We arrived to view the fall leaves. Trails were open. Caves were closed. The trails are well groomed and lovely. The woods and hills wind around the state park and caves. We especially enjoyed the natural bridge. It is a lovely photo op. Restrooms were closed for the season, as were the boardwalks due to storm damage and fallen trees. We enjoyed our fall visit nevertheless. I recommend a visit.
4. Backbone State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 91 reviews
Reviewed By somuch2seeintheworld - Iowa City, United States
I have visited Backbone in all seasons and recommend it at any time of year! This was Iowa's first state park. It's a really beautiful park. The "backbone" in the name comes from the limestone ridges in the park. These are features of a karst landscape, where the underlying limestone is eroded by water & weather. They make for fascinating - if sometimes treacherous! - hiking. The permanent buildings in the park (lodge, boathouse, etc) were built during the Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and, like so many CCC buildings, have really stood the test of time. They are still beautiful and functional. We visited the park to stay at a cabin during a snowy weekend in January. I was hoping for a quiet winter getaway and that's exactly what we got. We could walk out our door and down to the lake or onto a set of trails. There are two sizes of cabins you can reserve. We stayed in the smaller version, which had a bed in one room, a bathroom, and a kitchen/dining area room which also had a sofa/pull-out bed. There's a door between the bedroom and living area you can close. On an aesthetic note, the walls were a beautiful warm pine and the whole place was really lovely when filled with bright winter sunlight! I don't think you'd want to stay in that size cabin with more than 3 or 4 people, certainly in the winter, it would probably feel pretty crowded pretty quickly. The larger cabins were right next door and seemed to have more "living"/gathering space, plus they had a really nice big porch. The park reservation information told us to bring nearly everything but the kitchen sink, but we arrived to discover a microwave, coffee maker, toaster, pots and pans, cooking utensils, an oven with stovetop, and a full-size fridge + freezer in the cabin. We did need the plates, cups, and eating utensils we had brought, plus it was helpful to have paper & cloth towels for cleanup. The nearest town where you can pick up some groceries (there are restaurants and bars there, too) is Strawberry Point. Make sure you get a picture with the giant strawberry!
5. Pikes Peak State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 338 reviews
Reviewed By MMM_and_MPM - Bettendorf, United States
The park lived up to its billing as a fall color must do in NE Iowa! Even though we visited on a Thursday there were a lot of visitors. It was a beautiful fall day and we took advantage of a well placed table on the bluff to enjoy lunch prior to a hike. We took a couple of back loops off the parking lot to work our way to the main attractions; the Bridal Falls Overlook and the Crows Nest Overlook. The hiking was moderate with some elevation. Fall colors were prime and we thoroughly enjoyed the exercise, fall color and the views. After a few requisite pictures we were off to our next adventure, the Effigy Mounds National Monument.
6. Stone State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 70 reviews
Reviewed By joelwx39 - Saint Paul, United States
We just drove through. Many spectacular overlooks. It is a hilly bluff so hiking will be more difficult, but enjoyable. If you go, visit the nature center.
7. Palisades-Kepler State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By Teammilitello - Des Moines, United States
Stone bridges, stone steps, stone gazebos, this hike had me pulling out my camera every step of the way. Totally recommend bringing kids of any age to this park. We ended our day with some fossil-hunting on the beach. Found quite a few!
8. Clear Lake State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 48 reviews
Reviewed By jetsoo - Cedar Falls, United States
This may be each year on the third Saturday of February, I’m not sure. We heard about it last year as it was on the today show and wanted to go and fly a kite on the ice there were literally hundreds of colorful kites being flown see the pictures attached. We took beanbag style water toys that made nice chairs that were insulated to sit on the ice with. It was a nice day because the temperature had come up from the previous day by about 25°. We parked at the high school and took the shuttle to the kite flying area (on frozen Clear Lake). The downtown area was doing it’s best to handle the crowds but the lines were long wherever we went for food you might want to consider taking food with you if you went to this event next year! We ended up spending about three hours flying the kite and watching the other kites and had a great time!
