The Blank Park Zoo is really great for a quick stop over, nice exhibits. It's relaxing and pretty cool.

Sometimes billed as America's Classic State Fair, with its traditional competitions, agricultural exhibits and food displays, this August event - the hottest draw in town - also features one of the world's largest livestock shows. The 400-acre fairgrounds hosts events year-round with three outdoor stages, show rings, baseball fields and a multimedia center, and also houses a 160-acre campground.

Right in the heart of the city is a half-block long blaze of beauty - Better Homes and Gardens' testing ground for various landscape designs that the company documents and photographs. The area is one large area made of many mini-backyards, complete with annuals, perennials, bulbs and typical backyard structures like fences and gates.

This challenging course is dominated by tree-lined fairways and water hazards that come into play on many of the eighteen holes.

An excellent three-course facility that offers 36-holes of golf featuring broad fairways and medium-sized, undulating greens.

Renowned for excellent playing conditions, this 18-hole bent grass course offers large, fast greens and fairways that are heavily lined with pines.

Contrasting front and back nines challenge a golfer's ability to adapt: the first round offers broad fairways and rolling hills; the second features narrow links carved through dense woodland.

This relatively flat course is perfect for seniors who like to walk and golfers who are new to the game.

Built at the turn of the century, this 18-hole public course does not offer the excitement of modern golf design; however, it does provide beautiful lake vistas, a reduced time commitment for rounds, and a good chance for scoring a personal best.

Don't let the scenic country vistas distract you from the task at hand: tree-lined fairways and water hazards demand shot accuracy at this difficult course.

Considered an excellent golf facility for intermediate players, this complex offers a nine-hole par 3 course with narrow fairways and water hazards that demand accuracy off the tees.

Bunkers do not come into play on this Bermuda-grass course, yet water hazards are present on several holes and fairways tend to vary in width.

Reputed for its huge collection of the Midwest's ornamental and native plants, this 14-acre center bordering the Des Moines River features a domed conservatory that houses over 1000 varieties of exotic plants from throughout the world. The center also has an impressive herb garden, tropical and desert plants, and one of the best bonsai collections in the U.S.