Des Moines is located in central Iowa and features many attractions for any type of traveler. Some options include sports both college and professional, casinos, antique shopping, historic museums and many cultural events. Des Moines is known around the world as an excellent family destination. The largest tourism event for the state is the summer Iowa State Fair. The nearby town of Altoona offers the Adventure Land which has a hundred different rides, shows and attractions with four roller coasters. Throughout the year the city offers a variety of performing arts at any of their seven theaters. In Cedar Rapids you can have a unique cultural experience. Brucemore offers beautiful gardens to walk through with a Queen Anne style mansion that was built in the late eighteen hundreds. There is the Czech Village which takes you to central Europe with a variety of bakeries, shops and restaurants. Cedar Rapids is an excellent destination for the history oriented traveler since the city offers the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, the Iowa Masonic Library and Museum, the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, and the Indian Creek Nature Center. Cedar Rapids offers both a historic and outdoor experience for travelers. Many of the accommodations you will find in Iowa are chain hotels and motels. However there are a few excellent options such as the Suits of 800 Locust Hotel and Spa in Des Moines which is a boutique property and the only of its kind in Des Moines. Nearby in the city of Perry there is the Hotel Pattee which is a historic landmark with forty room and suites that are individually decorated according to historical figures from the Midwest.

Posted on November 3rd, 2008 by Kathy Austin
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While in Iowa, you can find some excellent sots and locations to fish for walleye. The first spot that comes to mind is at Big Creek Lake a few miles from Polk City. This lake was however, a non-fishing lake because of all the problems it had. The DNR went in, drained the entire lake, and stocked it once again with excellent results. Here is the place to catch some good size walleyes. This lake is an angler’s delight for walleye fishing. They do however have some length restrictions for the walleye, which is fifteen inches with a limit of three catch and keepers a day. If the walleye is over twenty inches, you can only have one of those. The lake has many great spots to fish for walleye since they rebuilt the lake. They added many rock piles for the walleye to hide. It has been said that trolling the waters by the rock piles has the best results for catching walleye. You can obtain a map of the lake with the locations of the rock piles so you know where the best spots are to find the walleye. You will find this map through the Iowa DNR website or at an area bait shop.

Another great fishing location is Brushy Creek Lake by Des Moines. Although they first starting stocking the lake in the late 1990s with walleye, you can catch a walleye if you know the hot spots where they hover. It is very possible to catch up to sixteen-inch walleyes and sometimes a twenty-two inch walleye is not out of the question. Although the lake is extremely deep, the angler has a real fishing experience when hooking the big walleye. There are many different spots in the lake where rock piles hide the walleye. There is such a lake cover on the lake that you may have a problem deciding where to cast the bait. Many anglers have found that drop and reel in very slowly not to make any fast movement works well. The waters of the lake are exceptionally clear and you will want to have a pair of sunglasses along to protect your eyes on sunny days. This is also when the walleye seek deeper water levels. If you have a chance to fish on Brushy Creek Lake on a cloudy or slightly windy day, you will find the walleye bite more.

Posted on September 15th, 2008 by Fred Peters
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Fun Valley is located in Montezuma, Iowa, with 14 named runs and 5 trails, with only 30 inches of average snowfall a year. With 35 acres of skiable area, they use 100% of snowmaking for the winter enjoyment of their skiers and snowboarders. Catering to beginners and intermediates, the Fun Valley ski resort makes a great place for families with children and beginners to learn how to ski, or to learn how to snowboard. Snowboarders are also welcome, with a gentle terrain available. Eight paths are for snowboarders alone with no cross-country available. Unfortunately, no handicap accessibility is available but night skiing is there. Group lessons are in one-hour increments, for 6-years and older and private lessons are offered 5-years and under. Skiing and snowboarding are in both private and group packages with advance reservations preferred, so it would be a good idea to book in advance for the lessons. Snow tubing is also available as one of the winter activities, in addition to snowshoeing.

Fun Valley offers outstanding group rates for groups of ten or more. Birthday packages are also fun, exciting and wonderful for that special day for kids, and their friends and family, ages twelve and under. Every Wednesday and Thursday night the ski resort offers a student night with greatly reduced rates. Buddy Pass Friday’s are also popular – bring your friends and you will all save on lift tickets. Coca-Cola sponsors Sprite Saturday’s at Fun Valley, where you can participate in three activities for one flat affordable fee. Sundays are Family Four Pack Day. There is no doubt about it, today when family values are questionable, going skiing is a way for everyone to have fun with each other and also, by doing something different.

Posted on July 9th, 2008 by D.S. Merchant
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Crappie is a plentiful species of fish in most areas of the United States, and there are thousands of lakes and rivers in the country where crappie can be found. As in many states, Iowa crappie fishing is best in spring but can be done in most months of the year. Where are the best locations, and what tips and tactics should be used to produce the most crappie? Crappie Fishing in Iowa is good throughout the state and although these plentiful panfish prefer standing waters with brushpiles and other heavy cover, you can also find them in many interior streams, as well as the backwaters and oxbows of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. However, the best places to look in Iowa are the man-made lakes, oxbow lakes, reservoirs, and small ponds that litter the state. You’ll find consistent catches in the early and mid spring, though fishing in many of the natural lakes provide an abundant crop of crappie year round.

In the spring, Iowa crappie fishing is most productive, but the characteristics of the lakes vary widely from one to the next. You’ll find your best opportunities in waters that have warmed to about 58 degrees or more. Here, spawning can occur, and you’ll find large schools of crappie hanging around. This temperature can be hard to find, depending on your location within the state, at least until May, when spring actually starts to take off in Iowa. The length of the day can also affect the ability to find crappie, with the panfish more likely to appear when there is more daylight keeping the waters more consistently warm throughout the day. Look for conditions to be best in inlets, marshes, canals, and marinas in natural lakes. As summer begins, the crappie shift from shallow waters back to the deeper, cooler waters that range anywhere from eight to twenty-five feet. You may have trouble fishing during these months without the assistance of a depth finder that will locate the large schools of fish. Drift fishing will produce the best catch for you during these months, with trial and error being the only “scientific” way to determine the locations. However, determining the level at which water in the lake no longer carries adequate oxygen for the fish to breathe will help you find the depth at which you can expect to find the crappie. Try fishing under structures during the summer, where you can find some of the best Iowa crappie fishing all year long.

Posted on May 5th, 2008 by Arnold Smith
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Iowa has some beautiful places that are wonderful vacation destinations. One of the must see places is Crystal Lake Cave. There is an interesting story behind this location. Back in 1868 lead miners were looking for a lead vein and they drilled 40 feet into the ground. And although they were not successful in finding the lead they had hoped for they did find something else even more amazing. What they found was Crystal Lake Cave. Although the cave was discovered for many years it was not open to the public until 1932. Bernard Markus, one of the original miners, played a role in getting the cave open to the public and it finally became so after his death.

While the miners were digging they found quite a few different types of gems and minerals that are on display in the gift shop. There is no other show cavern like Crystal Lake Cave and this is the longest a cave has been “alive” in Iowa. The cave is underground and continues to be one of the most amazing places to visit in Iowa. The tour of the cave takes about half an hour to 45 minutes and it is an adventure like none other you have ever taken. A tour guide will lead you so that you get the most out of the adventure. Keep in mind that no matter what the temperature is outside it will be quite cool in Crystal Lake Cave and the year round temperature is usually around 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

Posted on December 20th, 2007 by Cary Ordway
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Iowa is not always the first place people think of when they are deciding where to spend their tourist dollars. But the truth is, Iowa has a lot to offer tourists, and Iowa tourism is on the rise. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Iowa has tourist activities for each season, and there is always something to do no matter what time of year you are investigating Iowa tourism options.

Facts About Iowa

The many sites available for Iowa tourism have lots to offer. These tourism sites are also happy to give some facts about Iowa for tourists to note. For instance, the capitol of Iowa is Des Moines, which is located in the middle of the state and has a population of over 198,000. The state flower is the wild rose, the state tree is an oak, and chances are pretty good that in the spring and summer you may catch a glimpse of the state bird, the eastern goldfinch. Iowa is named for the Ioway Indians that used to live in that region.

What Can You Do In Iowa?

The question should not be what can you do, but what can’t you do. Iowa tourism is the quintessential travel destination in that it has something for every one. If you like to gamble, you can do it in Iowa. Iowa has some of the best cultural opportunities for tourists. Museums, art galleries, and musical and theater productions are common events in the bigger cities.

If you prefer the great outdoors, Iowa tourism is for you. You can hike, camp, fish, boat and golf on one of the state’s many excellent golf courses. There are plenty of state parks to explore to your heart’s content.

Iowa also offers tourists a rich heritage of history. There are historic sites to visit and learn about in every corner of state, especially along the mighty Mississippi.

And if you are just in the market for a good time, check out Adventureland, one of the best amusement parks around. Thrills and excitement are yours for the taking.

What Else Does Iowa Have To Offer?

Iowa has a tourist bureau that is ready and willing to help you plan your business or personal trip to their state. They can help you with family travel, pet-friendly travel, cheap and discount travel options and lots of information for the business traveler, too. They can give you information on everything from lodging to dining to area airports.

So if you have never thought of Iowa as a great travel destination, think again. Check out Iowa, and you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s no wonder that Iowa tourism continues to grow.

Posted on September 15th, 2007 by Lauri
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