7 reasons to plan a trip to Iowa

Architecture buff? Often find yourself daydreaming of flowers? Rather be hiking? Whatever your personality profile, Iowa has something that suits you—and it’s not just Des Moines that’s having a moment. Though you’ll find plenty to do in the capital city, there’s much to do all around the state.

Read on for seven compelling reasons to set your sights on Iowa in the year ahead.

Taking place on April 1 at the newly renovated Waterloo Convention Center, this one-day party features a cornucopia of Iowa-based food and drinks. Plan to meet chefs and artisans from around the state, watch cooking demos, and more.

If you can’t swing a spring trip to Iowa and still want to experience the state’s best flavors, add Iowa’s Tenderloin Trail to your go-list. Tenderloin sandwiches are Iowa’s specialty—typically a breaded pork tenderloin, and the rest of the ingredient list is epicurean luck of the draw. You can try 14 variations of the beloved sandwich on this toothsome trail.

In 2023, the African American Museum of Iowa (AAMI) will hit two milestones: its 30th anniversary and its grand reopening in the fall. Having undergone renovations to the tune of $5 million, extensive updates and enhanced accessibility help bring to light the culture and history of the African American diaspora. It's the only museum of its kind in the state and well worth planning a day trip to Cedar Rapids.

While you’re in the area, check out the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art with the largest collection of Grant Wood paintings from “American Gothic” fame and natural attractions like the Indian Creek Nature Center.

Remind us why we haven’t checked a river cruise along the Mississippi River from our travel must-dos yet? This year, you can step upon the new Viking Mississippi for a river cruise voyage like never before. Now in operation for its first full season, the cruise sails from St. Paul, MN, to New Orleans, with trips spanning between eight and 15 days. Expect stops along the way in Iowa towns like Dubuque, Quad Cities/Davenport, and Burlington.

Plus, if you’re craving more of a history lesson on the Mississippi, you can catch recently debuted experiential exhibits at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque or explore its wonders via car on the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. The road—which was commissioned in 1938—runs the length of Iowa’s eastern river border, starting in Lansing and passing through Dubuque, Clinton, Davenport, Muscatine, and Burlington, before ending in Keokuk. There are several stops for a deeper dive into the river's history, including 18 interpretive centers. One particularly breathtaking stop along the water is the Mines of Spain, centered around Canadian Julien Dubuque and his experience settling the 189-acre area in the 18th century. Over 200 years later, the Mines of Spain encompasses over 1,000 acres and serves as Dubuque’s final resting place.

If you’re not familiar with RAGBRAI, it’s safe to say that just one day at this week-long, bicycle-based fête will turn you into a convert. Picture eight straight days of riding bicycles, pop-up concerts, and epic eats. Billed as the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world, it’s a spectacle you won’t soon forget. Join the fun in 2023 from July 22 to July 29. Worth noting: You can register as a rider until May 15, 2023, for either a day pass or the full week. Week-long non-rider passes are also available for those cheering riders on and/or offering vehicle or tent support. Registered participants will enjoy baggage transportation, provision for camping locations at each host community (BYO tent), shower services, bicycle shipping stations at the end of the event, and more. Many towns use Facebook for housing match groups to facilitate finding a place to stay along the route for registered riders. If you want to join unofficially, you’re on your own when it comes to finding lodging or camping.

For sporting fans, we’d also be remiss not to mention the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. “Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa!” as they say of this fly-speck town’s baseball diamond and house that catapulted to fame in the eponymous 1989 movie. Ditto for Lauridsen Skate Park in Des Moines, a gem for skating fanatics and the largest open skate park in the U.S.

Well, you won’t be in the EU technically speaking, but some 45 minutes outside of Des Moines in Pella, you’ll feel like you’re in the Netherlands. Think: musically-animated Klokkenspel, the bucolic Molengracht canal complete with a working drawbridge, and Dutch architecture aplenty. Pella really shines in the spring, when a kaleidoscope of 300,000 blooming tulips pops up all around town. The corresponding festival, called Tulip Time, will take place on May 4–6, 2023, honoring Pella’s Dutch culture with a craft market.

Book your stay at The Amsterdam Hotel, the perfect place to snooze after a long day of exploring the Pella Historical Society Museums; eating your way through Jaarsma Bakery, Ulrich’s Meat Market, and Dutch Fix; and marveling at the Vermeer Windmill, the tallest working grain windmill in the country.

Unleash your inner child and check out Iowa's Rail Explorers in Boone, which opens for its first full season in spring 2023 and is the only Rail Explorers location to hit the Midwest. The experience takes place on the same track as the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad and you’ll embark on a 12-mile rail car journey, powered by pedals and an electric motor system, with cinematic vistas of the Des Moines River Valley along the way. Our favorite moment? The adrenaline-pumping voyage over Bass Point High Trestle Bridge.

Speaking of trains, Iowa’s High Trestle Trail is also worth adding to your itinerary. This decommissioned railroad has been transformed into a 25-mile multi-use trail, which also spans the High Trestle Trail Bridge. Be sure to enjoy some of the six overlooks with interpretive panels to clue you into the region’s cultural and natural history. FYI: The trail runs through Central Iowa with trailheads in Madrid, Woodward, Slater, Sheldahl, and Ankeny.

The celebrated Frank Lloyd Wright property, The Alsop House—first designed for the house’s namesake family in 1947—will welcome visitors for the first time in fall 2023. The house has undergone meticulous renovations to breathe new life into the storied home while still maintaining its original flooring and windows. Now known as The Alsop Art Gallery, design enthusiasts can look forward to scoping out the architectural archives of Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as rotating art exhibits.

Beyond this unique destination, you can peep at examples of Wright’s iconic Prairie School style around the state. One such place is the Historic Park Inn Hotel. Situated in downtown Mason City, it’s actually the last hotel designed by the architectural virtuoso that’s still standing. Earning a well-deserved spot on the National Register of Historic Places, be sure to dine at Markley & Blythe inside the hotel, a tavern serving up Midwestern nouveau hits like beet tartare, squash ravioli, and, for brunch, inimitable stuffed French toast (savory or sweet).