A few miles downstream from the Quad Cities, Muscatine is a place with volumes of history, going back to the early days of Euro-American settlement in Iowa. One resident in the 19th century was Mark Twain, who adored the sunsets over the Mississippi, and you can find out why at the scenic Riverside Park and …
Laid out on the bluffs by the mighty Mississippi River, Burlington is at the spot where in 1805 explorer Zebulon Pike first raised the American flag on what would become Iowan soil. A century later the city was flourishing as a nexus point for river and rail transport networks. Burlington has a lot of fine …
At the tip of the Iowa City metro area, North Liberty is a suburban city with a residential character and a highly educated populace. The city has grown at a staggering rate in the new millennium, tripling to more than 20,000 at the last count in 2020. To the east lies the immense Coralville Lake, …
Northeast of Des Moines, Altoona is on the map for a few attractions that bring millions of people to the city every year. One is Adventureland, Iowa’s top theme park, with an exciting arsenal of thrill rides and a water park included with admission. The enormous gaming complex, Prairie Meadows combines a one-mile racetrack with …
A town of 16,000 not far south of Des Moines, Indianola punches well above its weight. First off, the big skies over Indianola are the venue for the National Balloon Classic, a summer hot air ballooning festival drawing 25,000 people to the city. There’s a museum dedicated to the art and history of ballooning, and …
Sitting 30 miles east of Des Moines, Newton is a city that developed quickly in the early 20th century as the “Washing Machine Capital of the World”. A driving force behind that was the Maytag Washing Machine Company, which was eventually bought out by Whirlpool. Even today, the Maytag name is omnipresent in Newton, given …
Home to more than 22,000 people, the ever-growing city of Coralville is on the northwest shoulder of Iowa City and the University of Iowa Campus. Coralville has come through a transformation in the last few years, constructing the Iowa River Landing district, which has an inviting mix of shopping, culture and entertainment. The Coral Ridge …
Five miles west of downtown Des Moines, Clive is a suburban city that formed in the late 19th century around a depot on the St. Louis – Des Moines Northern Railway. You can see this very building, dating back to 1882, at the Clive Historical Society’s campus, also preserving a caboose and general store. Clive …
Neighbored by Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota, Iowa is a state in the Midwestern United States which is bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River on the west. The state flag’s distinctive resemblance to the flag of France is due to the French influence in the city …
Iowa is not the first state that one thinks of when considering waterfalls, and many of the cascades here are, in fact, manmade spillways rather than natural falls. However, these impressive waterfalls are still gorgeous and well worth a visit if you are interested in getting into the great outdoors during a trip to Iowa. …