Jackie's
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| Guide
to Iowa by Jackie Lieberman
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| Overview
- A great place for families |
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You
really ought to give Iowa a try. At least,
that what they sing in The Music Man.
Actually, after spending four years at
Drake University in Des Moines (home of
the world-famous Drake Relays), I have
to agree. Friendly people, unique shops,
inexpensive restaurants and lots of family-friendly
activities make Iowa a wonderful place
to visit.
If
you’re an outdoorsy person like
me, you might like a trip to Walnut Woods
State Park or Gray’s Lake, where
you can rent a paddleboat or learn to
kayak. And don’t miss the annual
Iowa State Fair, a celebration of agriculture,
entertainment and all things fried. (Corn
dogs and funnel cake, anyone?) My favorite
exhibit is the butter cow, sculpted each
year from about 600 pounds of real butter. |
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| Attraction
- The World’s Largest Truck Stop |
| Overall
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| Located
along Iowa 80, this stop services an average
of 5,000 people a day. Truckers with a little
extra time can relax on the second floor,
which includes a movie theater, dental office
and barber shop, or take a tour of the super
truck showroom. Personally, I like to browse
the shops downstairs, where I once bought
a terrific wooden slingshot to annoy my
travel mates with.
Hungry? You can refuel
your stomach at the restaurant, which
includes a 50-foot salad bar, or at the
fast food court.
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| Attraction
- Living History Farms |
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| A
few years ago some friends and I took a
trip to Urbandale to visit the three working
farms that make up this living museum: an
Ioway Indian farm set around 1700; a prairie
farm set in 1850; and a turn-of-the-century
1900 farm. We also toured the town, set
in 1875, complete with a general store,
apothecary, blacksmith shop and Victorian
homes.
What’s really great
is that we not only saw how everything
worked, but the “townsfolk”
and “farmers” took the time
to talk with us as much as we wanted about
the history they were recreating. My friend’s
two-year-old was a bit young to understand
the history lessons, but loved seeing
the heritage pigs and chickens running
around the farms.
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| Attraction
- Des Moines Botanical Center |
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| The
botanical center is beautiful any time of
year, but I especially love to visit in
the winter. There may be a blizzard outside,
but once you step into the lush greenhouse
dome, you can strip off your parka and stroll
around the sunny space in jeans and a t-shirt. |
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| Attraction
- Valley Junction |
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| The
streets of Valley Junction in West Des Moines
are lined with eclectic, independent shops
and fun restaurants. The antique stores
alone make it worthy of a visit. My favorite
place, though, is the gigantic Theatrical
Shop, where wigs, stage makeup, ballet costumes
and gag gifts all share the maze-like space.
The shop really comes alive right before
Halloween, when novelty items scream and
shriek from around every corner and folks
reserve their costume rentals weeks in advance. |
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| Restaurant
- Café Su |
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| I’ve
traveled all over the world, so it comes
as a surprise to many people that one of
my favorite spots for Asian cuisine is in
West Des Moines. Café Su calls itself
upscale Chinese, but many of the menu items
are actually Malaysian. The hip artwork
on the walls is for sale and changes often,
and on weekend nights there’s a good
chance that they’ll be hosting a local
musician. |
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| Restaurant
- The Machine Shed |
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| This
small chain, with a restaurant in Des Moines
and another in Davenport, offers family-style
down-home Midwest cooking that I can’t
resist. My favorite meal here is the country
fried steak, smothered in peppery cream
gravy and served with mashed potatoes. My
friends and I love the kitchy décor
and tractor parked outside. |
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