MUST EXPERIENCE ADVENTURELAND PARK & SCIENCE CENTER OF IOWA ADVENTURE BAY WATER PARK sciowa.org adventurelandpark.com This dynamic 110,000 square-foott Adventureland Park has facility features six interactive more than 100 rides, shows learning areas, live programs and attractions, including and hands-on activities three great roller coasters. encouraging learning and fun Rides for all ages are available, for all ages. It houses the only from mild to wet-and- fully functional clear toilet in the wild. Also enjoy a variety of Northern Hemisphere. family entertainment shows. Kokomo Cove is a virtual GREATER DES MOINES splash factory for the whole BOTANICAL GARDEN family, offering over 100 water features. dmbotanicalgarden.com More than a place for plants, the BLANK PARK ZOO Botanical Garden is a place for blankparkzoo.com people. The center’s 15,000 The Blank Park Zoo is exotic plants, special events, Iowa’s Wildest Adventure! interactive display greenhouse Experience the wonders of make it an ideal stop. It’s among nature found in the tropical the best examples of American rainforests, Australian Victorian Second Empire Outback and Africa. architecture. Educational classes, tours and rental facilities available. JESTER PARK EQUESTRIAN CENTER jesterparkec.com IOWA HALL OF PRIDE Dedicated to providing horse iowahallofpride.com enthusiasts the ideal area to All Iowa students, K-12, pursue their passions. Guided are admitted free to the trail riding, wagon and sleigh Iowa Hall of Pride. Filled rides, year-round riding with dozens of hands-on lessons, team building, camps, interactive exhibits, Iowa therapeutic riding, long and Hall of Pride tells the stories short-term equestrian boarding of Iowa’s communities and and indoor and outdoor arenas their heroes. It’s fun for kids, available for rent. adults and families. DOWNTOWN FARMERS’ MARKET PAPPAJOHN SCULPTURE PARK desmoinesfarmersmarket.com desmoinesartcenter.org The Downtown Farmers’ Market The 4.4 acre sculpture park presents 300 Iowa producers, located in Downtown Des offering fresh fruit, vegetables and so Moines features 26 works much more. Come for the freshness of art donated by John and and stay for the fun! It is rated as Mary Pappajohn from their one of he countries top Farmers’ renowned personal collection Markets. of contemporary sculptures. The sculptures are valued at more than $42 million. MUST EXPERIENCE CLIMB IOWA SLEEPY HOLLOW SPORTS PARK climbiowa.com sleepyhollowsportspark.com Climb Iowa is the largest indoorr This unique 60-acre, year- rock climbing and training round sports park features center in Iowa. It offers over downhill skiing, snowboarding 10,000 square feet of top rope, and snow tubing during the boulder and lead climbing. Theyy winter months and miniature also offer fi tness equipment and golf course, par-3 golf course, yoga classes. batting cages, sand volleyball leagues and bumper boats in spring and summer. RECREATIONAL TRAILS catchdesmoines.com Greater Des Moines boasts BRENTON SKATING over 600 miles of trails PLAZA and was recently named brentonplaza.com the number one walking From November to March, city in Iowa by Prevention Brenton offers people of all magazine. Our extensive trail ages the chance to ice skate in system is perfect for walking, the open air, under the stars. A running and biking. Be sure fun, recreational experience for to download our trails maps families and individuals of all ages. featuring walking routes and public art. PRAIRIE MEADOWS MB2 RACEWAY prairiemeadows.com mb2raceway.com Prairie Meadows features MB2 Raceway is Iowa’s premier 1,900 slot machines, table Indoor Go-Karting Center. MB2 games including poker and Raceway offers Corporate Team- blackjack, Thoroughbred and Building, a VIP Lounge and a Quarter Horse racing spring 1,200 square foot Conference through early fall, simulcast Room complete with audio and racing, restaurants, concessions video. Race up to 45mph in their and lively lounges. electric go-karts! FLIX BREWHOUSE DES MOINES ART CENTER mb2raceway.com desmoinesartcenter.org Flix Brewhouse is the only fi rst run movie theatre in The Des Moines Art Center the world to incorporate a fully engages diverse local and functioning microbrewery. By international audiences with combining these concepts, the art of today. Recognized Flix delivers to your theatre seat by international art critics three of America’s great loves as a world-class museum - craft beer, great food and the in the heart of the Midwest, latest movies! the Art Center has amassed a collection representing of artists of the 19th and 20th century. MUST EXPERIENCE– Shopping HISTORIC VALLEY JUNCTION VALLEY WEST MALL valleyjuncti on.com valleywestmall.com Historic Valley Junction is a Valley West Mall is Des Moines’ charming, renovated railroad premier shopping center district with a collection offering three department of more than 120 retail stores- JC Penney, Von Maur and businesses, including art Younkers. Other stores include galleries, fashion boutiques, Banana Republic, Charlotte antique shops, restaurants and Russe, The Limited, Eddie Bauer, specialty stores. Gap and more. HISTORIC EAST VILLAGE MERLE HAY MALL eastvillagedesmoines.com merlehaymall.com Historic East Village is a Merle Hay Mall is Iowa’s fi rst progressive, pedestrian enclosed shopping mall with friendly neighborhood 1.2 million square feet of retail featuring eclectic local fl air. space featuring Target, Younkers, The East Village is a hub of Old Navy, Sears and Kohl’s, as activity with annual festivals, well as over 100 specialty stores. diverse nightlife scene, Staples and Ulta joined in 2009. beautiful streetscape and restored historic properties. BASS PRO SHOPS basspro.com JORDAN CREEK TOWN CENTER While you’ll fi nd a huge jordancreektowncenter.comcom selection of outdoor gear, Bass Jordan Creek Town Center Pro Shops stores are also part is a huge retail, dining and museum, art gallery, antique entertainment development store, aquarium, education, including a two-level conservation and entertainment enclosed mall with 125 center. The entire store is a retailers, a movie theater and tribute to the vast diversity of the restaurants. Iowa landscape, its history and the culture of its people. SOUTHRIDGE MALL shopsouthridgemall.com WEST GLEN TOWN CENTER As the only enclosed shopping westglentowncenter.com center serving the south side From home furnishings and of Des Moines, the mall owns wine tasting to the latest looks the loyalty of the south side and plush pampering, West shopper. The mall recently Glen Town Center is your completed a renovation shopping destination. project that modernized and West Glen also offers delicious brightened the center. dining choices and exciting night life options. MUST EXPERIENCE – Sports IOWA ENERGY GOLF COURSES iowanba.com catchdesmoines.com/things-to-do/golf/ggf The Iowa Energy basketball Easy access, affordable team is a franchise of the pricing and an abundance of NBA Development League. courses make Des Moines an The team plays 24 home outstanding place to bring your games at the Wells Fargo clubs. Fifteen public courses Arena with the season with at least 18 holes await you. beginning in November and running through April. KNOXVILLE RACEWAY knoxvilleraceway.com IOWA CUBS For over 50 years, Knoxville iowacubs.com Raceway has been entertaining The Iowa Cubs are the people from around the globe Triple-A affi liate of the with the most exciting open Chicago Cubs. The I-Cubs wheel and dirt track racing play in 11,000-seat Principal on the planet. Racing takes Park as part of the Pacifi c place from mid-April through Coast League. The I-Cubs September. season runs early April to early September. DES MOINES MENACE menacesoccer.com IOWA WILD HOCKEY The Des Moines Menace are a iowawild.com PDL soccer team playing their The Iowa Wild is the home games right here in West American Hockey League Des Moines. Their season runs (AHL) affi liate of the National May - July. Be sure to check Hockey League’s Minnesota out a game...the atmosphere is Wild. The team began playing electric! at Wells Fargo Arena October, 2013. IOWA BARNSTORMERS theiowabarnstormers.com The Barnstormers are the IOWA SPEEDWAY newest member of Arena iowaspeedway.com Football 1. Home games are Iowa Speedway offers high- played April through July at speed, pulse-pounding racing Wells Fargo Arena in Downtown events. The 10,000 square Des Moines. foot, modern facility hosts national races and concerts throughout the racing season. MUST EXPERIENCE – Historical HOYT SHERMAN PLACE LIVING HISTORY FARMS hoytsherman.org lhf.org Built in 1877 by prominent This open-air museum tells the businessman Hoyt Sherman, story of Midwestern agriculture the facility is Des Moines’ and rural life using interpreters fi rst public art gallery, which in period costumes. Visit the now serves as a home for a 1700 Ioway Indian Village, 1850 distinctive collection of 19th Pioneer Farm, 1875 Frontier and 20th century artwork. Town and 1900 Horse-powered The 1,250-seat theater is Farm. known for its historic interior. SALISBURY HOUSE & GARDENS BENNETT SCHOOLHOUSE salisburyhouse.org wdmhistoricalsociety.orgg Salisbury House, a 42-room The Bennett School, circa mansion built in the 1920s, 1926, is one of the last one- is fi lled with original art, rare room schoolhouses standing books and antique furnishings in Polk County. Tours are from around the world. available upon request. IOWA HALL OF PRIDE iowahallofpride.com HISTORIC JORDAN HOUSE All Iowa students, K-12, are wdmhistoricalsociety.orgg admitted free to the Iowa Hall This 1850 Victorian house of Pride. Filled with dozens of was an offi cial site on the hands-on interactive exhibits, National Underground Iowa Hall of Pride tells the Railroad Network to stories of Iowa’s communities Freedom. Its rooms tell the and their heroes. It’s fun for kids, history of Senator James C. adults and families. Jordan and the growth of Valley Junction into West Des HERITAGE CAROUSEL Moines. heritagecarousel.org Heritage Carousel features STATE HISTORICAL MUSEUM OF IOWA hand-carved animals include a iowahistory.org tiger, an ostrich, a zebra, a baby Iowa’s history lives on in elephant, a giraffe, a sea urchin this modern granite and and a panda.