Des Moines Register
10-22-06
100 places in Iowa to visit before you die
By ERIN CRAWFORD
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Adventurers and Iowans, lend us your spare weekend. We have assembled 100
places so unique or wonderful - and occasionally both - they demand a visit.
At some of these sites, you'll learn about Iowa's past; at others you'll experience
the latest in culture. Some are simply beautiful places to walk or to enjoy one of
the state's many scenic rivers.
This list is similar to a list we published last summer, featuring 100 Iowa dishes
everyone should eat.
The response to that list was overwhelming. Readers visited restaurants, tried
our choices and sent us reviews. They e-mailed furious arguments as to why
their favorites should have made the list.
A few readers even started clubs, planning to eat each and every one of the
items we listed.
So take a look at our list of notable places, arranged alphabetically by location.
Then visit DesMoinesRegister.com/iowalife and let us know what we missed.
Happy trails.
___1.Town square, rich in architecture and retail with a chateau-inspired
courthouse, Adel
___2. POW-built Nativity scene, hand-carved by German prisoners during World
War II and displayed each December, Algona
___3. Yellow River State Forest, Allamakee County
___4. Amana Colonies, seven historical villages, Amana
___5. Campanile, Iowa State University campus, Ames
___6. Reiman Gardens, 14-acre public garden featuring a conservatory and
butterfly wing, Ames
___7. Stephens Auditorium, rated "building of the century" by Iowa architects,
Ames
___8. Hilton Coliseum, home of the Cyclones, Iowa State University, Ames
___9. M-Shop, classic nightclub at Iowa State University, Ames
___10. Arnolds Park, century-old amusement park, Arnolds Park
___11. Albert the Bull, bovine landmark, Audubon
___12. Park Farm Winery & Vineyard, one of several wineries on Iowa's Wine
Trail, Bankston
___13. Davis County Courthouse, built in the Second Empire style, Bloomfield
___14. Chimney Rock, Upper Iowa River, among the most scenic stretches of
river in Iowa, near Bluffton
___15. Downtown commercial district, historic river village, Bonaparte
___16. Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, historic rail line, Boone
___17. Snake Alley, claims to be "crookedest street in the world," Burlington
___18. UNI-Dome, Iowa's largest arena, Cedar Falls
___19. Black Hawk Hotel, historic lodging, Cedar Falls
___20. Brucemore, historic mansion, Cedar Rapids
___21. Grant Wood Studio and Visitor Center, workplace of the famous Iowa
painter, Cedar Rapids
___22. African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa,
featuring exhibits about African-American history in the United States and Iowa,
Cedar Rapids
___23. Pikes Peak State Park, with suspension bridges and majestic river views,
Clayton County
___24. Surf Ballroom, club turned icon as the final show site for Buddy Holly,
Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, Clear Lake
___25. Swinging bridge, Columbus Junction
___26. White Rock Conservancy, protected woodlands, prairie and wetlands in
the Middle Raccoon River valley, Coon Rapids
___27. Western Historic Trails Center, introduction to four important trails that
meet in the city - Mormon, California, Lewis and Clark, and Oregon trails, Council
Bluffs
___28. Historic General Dodge House, Victorian home built by a railroad tycoon,
Council Bluffs
___29. Howell's Dried Floral & Greenhouse, 15 acres of flowers, pumpkins, plus
a charming barn gift shop with a staggering array of dried foliage and flowers in
the hayloft, Cumming
___30. John O'Donnell Stadium, baseball park, Davenport
___31. Figge Art Museum and River Music Experience, Davenport
___32. Village of East Davenport, historic area with antique and art stores,
Davenport
___33. Seed Savers, gardens featuring heritage varieties, Decorah
___34. Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 16 buildings housing 24,000
artifacts, Decorah
___35. Backbone State Park, a steep ridge of bedrock with scenic overlooks
above the Maquoketa River, Delaware County
___36. Des Moines Art Center, designed by three famous architects with an
important collection of contemporary art, Des Moines
___37. State Capitol, magnificent example of 19th-century architecture topped by
a 23-karat gold-leaf dome, Des Moines
___38. Salisbury House, historic home modeled after an English mansion, Des
Moines
___39. Drake Stadium, recently renovated home of the Drake Relays, Des
Moines
___40. 801 Grand, tallest building in the state, Des Moines
___41. Temple for Performing Arts, masterfully renovated Masonic temple
housing a theater, restaurants and other retail, Des Moines
___42. Neal Smith recreation trail, paved route from Des Moines to Saylorville
Lake, Des Moines
___43. Principal Park, stadium home of the Iowa Cubs, Des Moines
___44. Science Center of Iowa, state-of-the-art museum with interactive exhibits
and IMAX theater, Des Moines
___45. Iowa State Fair, Des Moines
___46. Fenelon Place Elevator, claims to be "the world's shortest, steepest
scenic railway" with views of the Mississippi River and downtown, Dubuque
___47. Our Lady of the Mississippi abbey, a community of Trappistine nuns
famed for making caramels, Dubuque
___48. Eagle Point Park, renovated during the Depression and located on the
rock outcroppings overlooking Lock and Dam No. 11 on the Mississippi River,
Dubuque
___49. Field of Dreams, baseball and cornfield where the popular movie was
filmed, Dyersville
___50. National Farm Toy Museum and farm toy stores, massive collection of
agriculture-related toys, Dyersville
___51. American Gothic home featured in Grant Wood's famous portrait, Eldon
___52. Danish windmill, Elk Horn
___53. Maharishi University of Management campus and meditation domes,
where buildings face east and have golden roof ornaments and central silent
spaces called ''Brahmasthans,'' Fairfield
___54. St. Anthony of Padua Chapel, said to be the smallest church in the world
with only eight seats, Festina
___55. Merchants National Bank, the "jewel box" bank designed by Louis
Sullivan, Grinnell
___56. The Landing, three-story stone warehouse converted into hotel,
Guttenberg
___57. Kinnick Stadium, home of the Hawkeyes, University of Iowa campus,
Iowa City
___58. Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratory, futuristic Frank Gehry-designed
building partially covered in stainless steel, Iowa City
___59. Pedestrian Mall, shopping district paved in brick and decorated with arts
and a fountain, Iowa City
___60. Corn mazes, D and D Farms, elaborate patterns in a cornfield, Knoxville
and Ames
___61. Hitchcock House, once a stop on the Underground Railroad, Lewis
___62. Gitchie Manitou State Preserve, featuring the oldest bedrock in the state,
Lyon County
___63. Covered bridges, made legendary by Robert James Waller's book "The
Bridges of Madison County" and a subsequent movie, Madison County
___64. Ledges State Park, with sandstone bluffs and arresting views of the Des
Moines River valley, Madrid
___65. Authentic German Hausbarn, constructed in 1660 in Germany and moved
to Iowa in 1996, Manning
___66. Decker Hotel & Restaurant, restored hotel originally built in 1875,
Maquoketa
___67. Charles MacNider Art Museum, displaying marionettes from "The Sound
of Music," Mason City
___68. Music Man Square, honors "Music Man" composer Meredith Willson,
Mason City
___69. Rock Glen/Rock Crest neighborhoods, cluster of homes built in the
Prairie style, Mason City
___70. The Three Sons, funky clothing store and official retailer of the "University
of Okoboji" line, Milford
___71. DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, flyway for spring and fall migrations of
ducks and geese since the end of the last ice age, Missouri Valley
___72. Ramsey Farm at Lesanville, 180-acre historic working farm and village
depicting rural American life between the late 1800s and the early 1950s, Mount
Ayr
___73. Pearl Button Museum, preserves the era when mussels were harvested
for pearls to make buttons, Muscatine
___74. The Little Brown Church in the Vale, small church made famous in song,
Nashua
___75. Handsaker barn or "Fernald barn," a striking square barn built in 1880,
Nevada
___76. Iowa Speedway, new racetrack designed by illustrious NASCAR driver
Rusty Wallace, Newton
___77. St. Boniface Church, magnificently ornate Catholic church, New Vienna
___78. West Lake Okoboji, a clear blue spring-fed lake in Iowa's Great Lakes
chain, Okoboji
___79. Dutch-inspired downtown business district, with canals, windmills and a
spring tulip festival, Pella
___80. Hotel Pattee, restored hotel filled with art and artifacts from around the
state and Mission-style architecture, Perry
___81. Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, 8,000-acre prairie where the buffalo
still roam, Prairie City
___82. Cedar Rock, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home, Quasqueton
___83. Sidney Iowa Rodeo Championship, calls itself Iowa's oldest, continually
running outdoor rodeo, Sidney
___84. Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, educational center in the Loess Hills,
Sioux City
___85. Grandview Park, outdoor band shell and rose garden dating from 1937,
Sioux City
___86. Orpheum Theatre, opulent vaudeville and motion picture house originally
built in 1927 and since restored for contemporary performances, Sioux City
___87. Clay County Fair, calls itself the largest county fair in the state since
1917, Spencer
___88. St. Wenceslaus Church, oldest Czech Catholic church in America built in
1860, Spillville
___89. Gehlen House Bed and Breakfast, historic guest house in the historic
limestone village built by Luxembourg emigrants, St. Donatus
___90. Toolesboro Indian Mounds, Hopewellian mounds dating from 200 B.C. to
300 A.D., Toolesboro
___91. Living History Farms, rich preservation of the agricultural and domestic
history of Iowa, Urbandale
___92. Villages of Van Buren, 12 historic villages located in a single county, Van
Buren County
___93. Maharishi Vedic Observatory, an open-air observatory of masonry
sundials, Vedic City
___94. Iowa 80 Truckstop, world's largest, Walcott
___95. Galleria de Paco, coffee shop, gallery and club opening within a month
featuring a Sistine Chapel reproduction, Waterloo
___96. John Deere operations, offering factory tours of the agricultural
equipment manufacturer, Waterloo
___97. Lost Island Adventure Park, largest water park in the state, Waterloo
___98. Grotto of the Redemption, religious monument constructed from stone
and gemstones by a German cleric over 42 years, West Bend
___99. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, birthplace of the 31st U.S.
president, West Branch
___100. Valley Junction, historic retail district, West Des Moines
Favorite place?
We asked some well-known Iowans about their own favorite place to go in the
state.
Kevin Cooney, anchor, KCCI
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls
"I know it doesn't sound like a tourist spot - does any campus? - but when you
think about it, campuses can be incredible places to visit. This weekend I'm
looking forward to visiting the UNI Museum, the Marshall Center schoolhouse, as
well as learning more about the history of the university and getting some insight
from those who live and work there about some of the other things."
Gregory L. Geoffroy, Iowa State University president
Great Ape Trust of Iowa, Des Moines
"Although it is not generally open to the broad public, I highly recommend the
Great Ape Trust. It is incredible to experience the intelligence of the bonobos and
orangutan residents and to see the special interaction between the great apes
and the scientists who work there. The experience causes one to think very
differently about the great apes, their intelligence and social structure, and their
long term survival prospects. It is truly one of the two or three top great ape
research centers in the world, and it is a real Iowa treasure."
Christie Vilsack, first lady of Iowa
American Gothic house, Eldon
"I can't (drive through Eldon) without stopping at the American Gothic house. I've
been a great fan of Grant Wood and had a copy of American Gothic in my dorm
room through college.
For my 50th birthday, Tom gave me a lithograph of "American Gothic," which is
one of my favorite possessions. There will be a visitor center there and I helped
the people of Eldon raise the money and raise attention.
I always have to have a picture taken outside ... It's such a humble abode, but so
interesting in the art history of America and one of the most known homes in
America."
Lisa Bluder, head women's basketball coach at University of Iowa
Carver Hawkeye Arena on game night
She also likes:
Kinnick Stadium on a football Saturday.
A burger and fries on Sutliff Bridge in Sutliff, Ia.
Herbert Hoover presidential library, birthplace and park in West Branch, Ia. (stop
and get a pizza at Herb and Lou's to enjoy at the park).
The Brucemore mansion in Cedar Rapids.
Hiking and picnicking at Stone City, Ia.
Any high school gym in Iowa during a girls basketball game!
Sarah Grant, founder of Sticks
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Prairie City
"I go there to think and the place inspires my paintings. You see, I love living in
Iowa."