Around 35 miles north of Des Moines, the city of Ames is best known for Iowa State University (ISU), the largest university in the state and the third-largest in the Big 12. With a sprawling, verdant campus, the university contributes museums, impressive architecture, world-class cultural events and a feast of varsity sports action. There’s a …
The oldest city in Iowa is draped over the bluff line on the Mississippi where states of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin share a common border. Dubuque is the anchor for the Tri-State Area and a blossoming visitor attraction mixing natural wonder with a captivating history. This is summed up by the interesting downtown area with …
Bounded on its south side by U.S. 6, Urbandale is a fast-growing suburban city in the northwest of the Des Moines metropolitan area. You can reach downtown Des Moines, and its slew of attractions, in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, to the north and west are the big skies of rural Iowa, which you can …
Across the Missouri River from Omaha, the city of Council Bluffs is connected to its neighbor by a marvelous pedestrian bridge that opened in 2008. There may not be a better place than Council Bluffs to ponder the United States’ epic westward expansion in the 19th century. The city is named for a parley made …
Sharing a boundary with Cedar Rapids, Marion is an historic city with its own personality and a burgeoning population that has doubled since 2000. The city is named after Francis Marion (1732-1795), the “Swamp Fox” who helped swing the Revolutionary War in the United States’ favor in South Carolina. Historic Uptown Marion is a fabulous …
Home to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Cedar Falls shares a metropolitan area with its neighbor Waterloo. The two cities are linked by the Cedar River, as well as a massive network of trails, adding up to more than 100 miles and making this a convenient place to discover on foot or by bike. …
Resting in gently rolling farmland in east central Iowa, Marshalltown is a city of 27,500 on the south bank of the Iowa River. The city developed suddenly from the 1870s onwards, and in 1913 was connected to the Lincoln Highway, America’s first improved transcontinental road. The refrigeration products manufacturer, Lennox International, was founded here in …
The third-largest and fastest-growing city in the Quad Cities sits opposite Moline and east of Davenport, moments from the area’s best attractions and entertainment venues. On this stretch, the Mississippi flows east to west, and Bettendorf has a lot of ways to enjoy that great river. There’s a trail along the waterfront delivering you to …
Often listed among America’s top architectural destinations, Mason City has a rare wealth of Prairie School landmarks. This is the only place in the world where you can stay in a hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), part of a complex with one of the last remaining bank buildings by the architect. Wright’s contemporaries …
Named for a short-lived fort constructed by the Des Moines River in 1850, the seat of Webster County quickly became a center of commerce, mining and agriculture for North Central Iowa. Now, there’s a great outdoor museum documenting Fort Dodge’s origins, and downtown Fort Dodge has tons of grand turn-of-the-century buildings across some 33 blocks. …