What's your favorite spot in Iowa?

What locations are your favorite places in Iowa to take your family?   Any unusual tours or locations that you really liked?

Iowa State Fair

http://www.iowastatefair.org/
Des Moines, Iowa


I have to admit that our family is NOT "religious" about the fair - we don't go every year, but if you want to live here you need to experience the fair.  Some of our favorites are the Pioneer Play Farm for kids and visiting the pigs!!

Pioneer Play Farm for kids

We caught NEMO!!!

Keosauqua and Keokuk

On our way to St. Louis, we traveled through the little towns of Keosauqua and Keokuk located in southeast Iowa.

The bridge cross the Des Moines River at Keosauqua, Iowa

Hunting for geodes in Keokuk, Iowa

 Public scratching post in Keosauqua, Iowa

Science Center of Iowa

Science Center of Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
http://www.sciowa.org/


Our favorites are the IMAX theatre and the planetarium (ok, Dad's favorite anyway).  In fact, Wil and Carrie visited the Science Center on the 2nd day the center was opened.  When you enter, you get one of those wrist bands that are hard to get off...  and Wil turned it into an experiment.  He left the band on to see how long it would last.  Of course, Mom thought this would last only a few days before he'd get tired of it and cut it off.  But sure enough, it made to 1 month, then 6 months, and he kept going.  He even took pictures of it a regular intervals.  The band almost made it to one full year, as it fell off at 360 days.

The entrance band from the Science Center after 30 days.

National Balloon Classic

http://www.nationalballoonclassic.com/
Indianola, Iowa

Our favorite was the Nite-Glow, when the balloons are lite up at night - and the kids can go visit each balloon and the drivers share their trading cards with the kids!!

Fenelon Place Elevator Company

Fenelon Place Elevator Company
Dubuque, Iowa
http://www.dbq.com/fenplco/


Fenelon is the worlds shortest, steepest railway taking passengers from 4th street to Fenelon Place for a fantastic view of the Mississippi River Valley.

Looking down the railway as the car takes you back down to 4th street.

National Mississippi River Museum
Dubuque, Iowa
http://www.mississippirivermuseum.com

Pick sweet corn from the field!!

We wouldn't be able to certify our family as "native Iowans" unless we took our kids out to a friends farm near Mitchellville and had them pick their own sweet corn directly from the field.  Wil was also told that he had to each raw field corn as well - just so that he would know the difference!!