Other Destinations and Attractions in Iowa

Adventureland Park in Altoona is a theme park that re-creates the late 19th and early 20th C Iowa featuring Main Street, River City, Last Frontier and Alpine Village. Over 100 shows, attractions and rides are available.

Camp Algona saw 10,000 German prisoners of war from 1944 to 1946. The display tells the story of the camp and its effect on the town and the military. Exhibits at the POW Museum include German artifacts, weapons, WW II uniforms as well as paintings and woodcarving.

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The Battle Hill Museum in Battle Creek features more than 4,000 natural history specimens on display as well as wildlife mounts. Other exhibits include rocks, fossils and shells.

The Heritage Hill National Historic District lines the northern sector of downtown Burlington. The Hill was a socially desirable location during the status-conscious period of 1870-1900. The more than 160 structures reflect many architectural periods and styles, including Late Victorian Greek and Gothic Revivals, Italian Villa, Queen Anne and Georgian.

In the fall of 1876 when Laura was nine years old, the family arrived in town to manage the hotel owned by their friend William Steadman. The restored 11-room building and period furniture are featured through guided tours.

The Floyd County Historical Society Museum in Charles City is housed in Dr Salsbury's former Laboratories building. Exhibits include the turn-of-the-century drug store, the country school classroom, and other period rooms with over 50,000 artifacts depicting pioneer life.

The Sanford Museum in Cherokee features exhibits on a variety of subjects including: Archaeology, Art, Astronomy, Geology, History, Natural History, and Paleontology. The Planetarium presents monthly shows and programs about the constellations.

The Lady of the Lake paddled the Missouri River for a number of years before retiring to Clear Lake. The stern wheeler ferry boat now transports passengers on a scenic cruise around Clear Lake.

Montauk was built in 1874 and is an Italianate mansion constructed of brick and native limestone for William Larrabee, Iowa's 12th governor. The home is furnished, as it was when the governor and his family lived there, including Tiffany lamps and Wedgwood china.

Trainland USA is an operating toy train museum that depicts a cross-country tour of the USA, featuring 25 Lionel "O" gauge trains running on four thousand feet of track. Displays include original railroad memorabilia from 1916 to 1976 and toy trains.

The Humboldt County Historical Museum is located in the 1879 Mill Farm House in Dakota City. The complex includes 1870's farm buildings (house, barn, etc.), an 1883 schoolhouse, a jail, a doctor's office, a post office, and a tinsmith's shop. Exhibits include American Indian artifacts, a gun collection and farm equipment.

The Brenton Arboretum features 121 acres of land that originally belonged to the home farm of Dr James Brenton. The arboretum features trees, shrubs, trails, wetlands and prairie, wildflowers, a lake, a pond and streams. A herb garden has also been added.

Geode State Park is named for the rock formations known as geodes that are found within it. The geodes have crystal formations in their hollow cavities. The park is also popular for fishing, swimming and boating.

The Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah is a 16-building complex that features an 1877 hotel, a Norwegian farmhouse, stone mill and other pioneer buildings. Artifacts include fine, decorative, and folk arts; the tools and machinery of early agriculture, lumbering, and other immigrant industries

The Bixby State Preserve was formed through the donation of 69 acres to the state of Iowa by RJ Bixby, a teacher, farmer, and legislator. The preserve includes an ice cave and flowing springs.

The Effigy Mounds National Monument contains 195 mounds of which 31 are effigies. These mounds were built from about 500 BC to 1300 AD. They are formed in the shapes of mammals, birds, or reptiles.

Noted as the famous backdrop of Grant Wood's 1930 painting American Gothic, the American Gothic House is an American icon. The American Gothic House Center provides an exhibit space for Grant Wood's work, American Gothic parodies and regional art history.

The Osborne Conservation and Welcome Center has an arboretum with a variety of trees, nature trails, a replica pioneer village and an animal exhibit of more than 50 animals.

Visitors to the Winnebago Industries Visitor Center in Forest City can tour the motor home manufacturing facility and view displays at the museum of Winnebago history.

Fort Madison (pop. 11,000) is located on the Mississippi River. The original Fort Madison was built in 1808 to protect a trading post that had been established in the area. It was named for President James Madison and abandoned after repeated American Indian attacks.

The Froelich General Store and Tractor Museum complex includes a one room schoolhouse dating from 1866; John Froelich display and monument, inventor of first gasoline traction engine that went forward and reversed; restored General Store and Post Office.

Iowa artist Patrick Acton has turned million of matchsticks into wooden works of art at Matchstick Marvels in Gladbrook. Exhibits include planes, trains, ships, and sculptures.

The Iowa Aviation Museum is home to eleven civil aircraft from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s; as well as two military aircraft, an A-7 Corsair jet and a Huey Cobra helicopter, both used in the Viet Nam War.

The Grinnell Historical Museum tells the story of the town of Grinnell including the history of the town and its residents. Housed in an 1895 Victorian house the museum exhibits feature tools and household items; Grinnell's importance to the underground railroad; the history of Grinnell aviation and a carriage house with buggies and a surrey.

The Guttenberg Fish hatchery was built in 1938 and consists of a fish hatchery, public aquarium and 40 acres of rearing ponds. The ponds were reconstructed for waterfowl in 1986. The hatchery specializes in spawning of northern pike.

The Delaware County Historical Museum Complex consists of nine buildings, centered around the former Lenox College. Clarke Hall, the dormitory for girls, was built in 1890. Doolittle Hall, constructed in 1900, contained the Library and Literary Societies. Finkbonner Hall (the gymnasium) was erected in 1916. The Reformed Presbyterian Church, with the Bavarian stained-glass windows, was dedicated in 1901.

The National Balloon Museum in Indianola chronicles more than two centuries of ballooning history. Displays include balloon envelopes, inflators, gondolas, and other instruments which demonstrate the actual equipment used in both hot air ballooning and gas ballooning.

The Iowa Gold Star Museum is located on the Camp Dodge National Guard Base. It features military memorabilia including weapons and photographs.

The Lacey-Keosauqua State Park has a series of 19 mounds, overlooking the Des Moines River. They were built by an ancient group of Woodland Culture Indians in order to bury their dead. The park is a wildlife sanctuary and offers hiking trails that allow visitors to see the many animals.

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum in Knoxville, Iowa features the history of sprint-car racing, from open-wheel racing to today's 800-horsepower machines.

Liberty Hall Historic Center is a Victorian house that was the home of the president-prophet of The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Joseph Smith III, from 1881 to 1905. Victorian period furnishings fill the eight-bedroom house and reflect the lifestyle of a family in an 1890s middle-class family.

The Buffalo Bill Museum in Le Claire is a tribute to native son William F "Buffalo Bill" Cody, as well as a museum of the Mississippi River, steamboat and pioneer history.

More ice cream is produced in Le Mars than in any other city in the world, it is made by Wells' Dairy that makes Blue Bunny ice cream. Visitors can see how the ice cream is made by viewing the simulated factory production line and try some in the old fashioned ice cream parlour.

Dolliver Memorial State Park features sandstone formations that are the "Copperas beds" which are the ancient river bed that is over 150 million years old. Boneyard Hollow is a ravine with American Indian relics and bones of elk, deer and buffaloes.

The Hitchcock House near Lewis was made a National Historic Landmark in 2006. The house was built in 1856 and used to hide slaves on the Underground Railroad.

Walnut Grove was a cross-roads settlement and stage coach stop of the 1860s. The Walnut Grove Pioneer Village has 18 historic buildings including a school, courthouse, church, general store and railroad station.

The Iowa Arboretum contains hundreds of species of trees, shrubs and flowers on 378 acres. The "Library Trail" features 19 different plant collections.

The Maquoketa Caves State Park features 13 limestone caves, a natural bridge and hiking trails.

The Fisher Community Center in Marshalltown features collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art as well as contemporary and historical ceramics.

The boyhood home of Buffalo Bill Cody was built by Isaac Cody, Buffalo Bill's father, in 1847 of native limestone. The home contains walnut floors and trim as well as mid-19th century furnishings. Visitors will find Buffalo grazing on the land surrounding the house.

Boji Bay is a family water park with four water slides, wave pool, wading pool and "Lazy River" ride.

The Midwest Old Threshers Heritage Museum houses steam traction and stationary engines, antique tractors, agricultural implements and tools. Other highlights include a farm house, barn and mill, and exhibits on the use of water and electricity.

The Muscatine Art Center maintains collections that include 19th C American and European paintings; sculpture; period furniture; Oriental rugs and decorative arts; toys; quilts and a music room. The grounds include a "Japanese Garden" with pagodas, small pools, waterfalls and native Iowa wildflowers.

The Bradford Pioneer Village features authentic cabins and buildings furnished with period pieces. Bradford was first settled in 1840 as an Indian trading post.

The Nishna Heritage Museum in Oakland features replicas of late 19th C rooms that include pioneer artifacts, American Indian implements and fossils.

The Higgins Museum in Okoboji features notes and artifacts from the National Banks history, 1863-1935. Various types and denominations of notes issued by the National Banks are displayed, as well as several notes from the States, Territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Old Fort Madison in southeast Iowa was the home to the 1st Regiment US Infantry from 1808-1813. Visitors can tour the reconstructed buildings and watch the daily duties that range from baking bread to drilling with muskets or cannon.

The Henry A Wallace Country Life Center in Greenfield includes the birthplace homestead of Henry A Wallace, art exhibits, vegetable and flower gardens, restored prairie, pond, woodland, and soil conservation practices.

Founded in 1844, the Nelson homestead in Oskaloosa provides visitors with a glimpse of what life was like for Iowans in 19th C America. There are 18 buildings on the farm including a post office, a blacksmith shop, a stagecoach stop, a boat house and a country store with early 1900s goods.

Memorabilia from Perry and Dallas County are found in the Dallas County Forest Park Museum in Perry. The museum features an historic one-room schoolhouse nearby. Exhibits include mining tools, farm equipment and early transportation.

The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge features more than 8,000 acres of tallgrass prairie and native Midwest wildlife. The refuge recreates the native plant and animal communities that greeted Iowa's earliest settlers.

Cedar Rock was the Quasqueton home of Lowell and Agnes Walter and was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright from 1948-1950. Wright designed the furniture, selected the carpets, chose the draperies and even picked out the accessories. The Walter house is an example of a style called "Usonian".

The Parker Museum was built in Spencer in 1916 for the Roy and Lola Webb family. The Parker family bought the home from the Webbs in 1929. The museum features a one-room school, 1918 fire truck, a blacksmith shop and a collection of agricultural tools.

The Bily brothers created a collection of hand-carved clocks, some with music and moveable figures. The collection is housed and displayed in the same building in Spillville where Antonin Dvorak and his family lived in 1893. Dvorak was known for his musical genius.

The Country Relics Village near Stanhope is a scaled down version of an early 1900s village. The buildings are furnished with period children's furnishings, salesman's samples, and toys. The complex is also home to the original Stanhope Chicago Northwestern Depot and a replica of the Hove and Mathre McCormick Machines dealership.

The Wilder Memorial Museum in Strawberry Point houses more than 800 heirloom dolls, 40 Victorian lamps, farm tools and toy tractors, and a collection of Myrwyn Eaton paintings.

The Tama County Historical Society Museum is located in the restored County Jail. It was built in 1870 and included living quarters for the Sherriff and his family. Displays include Indian and Pioneer artifacts, books, clothing, children's toys, tools, household items, furniture, military uniforms and memorabilia.

Living History Farms in Urbandale is a 600-acre open-air agricultural museum that presents the story of farming in the Midwest and helps to preserve pioneer farming skills. Highlights of the complex include a 1700 Ioway Indian village, an 1850 working pioneer farm, and an 1875 frontier town.

Bob Feller set major league baseball records while a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians from 1936 to 1956 and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Exhibits at the Bob Feller Hometown Exhibit in Van Meter include old uniforms, rare photographs and awards.

The Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend was started in 1912 by Father Paul Dobberstein. He worked on the Grotto for 42 years, until his death, at which time Father Louis Greving took over. Deacon Gerald Streit continues the building and maintenance. The Grotto of the Redemption is a composite of nine separate Grottos - each portraying some scene in the life of Christ.

West Branch (pop. 2,200) was established in 1850 when David Tatum staked out his claim to land on the west branch of the Wapsinonoc Creek. By 1853 eight other families had joined him. The town was the birthplace of Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States.

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site features buildings and grounds preserved in memory of the 31st President of the United States. The small cottage where Hoover was born in 1874, a blacksmith shop similar to the one owned by his father, the first West Branch schoolhouse, and the Friends Meetinghouse where the Hoover family worshipped are located on the grounds.

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum display mementos, photographs and documents that present Hoover's life as a boy in Iowa, as a mining engineer, as a statesman and as President of the United States.

The Fayette County Historical Center Museum in West Union features agricultural exhibits, medical instruments, as well as political and war memorabilia.