Iowa, a mid-western state in the United States of America, is unlikely to figure in the itinerary of international tourists on a stand alone basis. But it is a very popular destination for students and by extension, their families. Iowa is home to two well known universities, namely Iowa State University(Ames) and University of Iowa(Iowa city), with a combined enrolment of over 60k, of which close to 10% are international students. There are many more private universities and one public university.
Before I arrived in Iowa, I was under the impression there would not be much to do as a visitor in a small town. And that was the reason I chose to split the two weeks equally between Ames and the capital city of Des Moines. The two towns are located ~40 miles from each other, a driving time of 45 minutes. But I was wrong.
My 2 weeks passed in a jiffy
Even a small town like Ames offered a variety of dining and shopping options, sightseeing choices, green areas, broad roads, neat pavements, street lighting, relatively clean air and what not. All for a population of ~66k, half of them students! It is the visible infrastructure in such small towns that clearly indicates how rich the USA is, as a country.
Des Moines is much bigger than Ames and is a miniature version of larger cities of US. My 2 weeks in Ames and Des Moines passed in a jiffy.
Couple of things became clear while living in Ames and Des Moines– one, a car is a necessity and two, one must have spare cash and be willing to spend!
Rental car is a must
Public transport is limited in both Ames and Des Moines. Bus routes and timings are available online and they may serve the purpose for limited point to point travel but takes away the flexibility. While Uber is not always available on demand, cabs can be called by phone but will be expensive for prolonged usage. It is best to rent a car for flexibility and to be able to go on outstation trips. I rented a car in Ames and dropped it off at Des Moines airport, without any additional charge. A one way taxi from Des Moines airport to Ames costs about USD100-120, while a rental car will cost more or less the same for the full day.
Opt for additional protection
Indian Driving Licence is normally valid for a year in USA. While renting a car(Hyundai Elantra) through Enterprise-rent-a car, I opted to include Collision Damage Waiver, roadside assistance and third party liability which increased the day rental from $73 to $118. A total of about $1263 for 11 days. Fuel cost ~$3 per gallon and I also paid for parking on several days, both together possibly adding to ~$200 in total.
Parking can be a hassle at times. I was unable to download the parking app for Iowa that would have allowed me to pay for parking via smartphone, receive alerts and extend parking time. Maybe because my SIM was not issued in US.
Google maps is essential to navigate and I opted for an International roaming plan with unlimited data. Another option is a local SIM/eSIM.
Local sightseeing
Des Moines
Des Moines is the capital of Iowa State. While its modern skyline is impressive, the building that stands out is the gold domed Iowa State Capitol that houses the chambers of Senate and House of Representatives. Built on a hill in the late 19th century, the interiors are very impressive. The original constitution of Iowa is displayed here. Because of the elevation, it also provides a panoramic view of Des Moines downtown. There is no entry fee and free guided tours are also offered. Other attractions include Pappajohn Sculpture park, Botanical garden, Iowa State Fairgrounds and Gray’s lake. As in the norm in every American town, there are few walking/cycling trails in and around Des Moines.
Ames
There is lot less to do in Ames. Driving round the University campus, Reiman gardens($12 entry fee) and Ada Hayden park lake that had a nice trail to walk around the lake. I would have loved to watch a football match at the Jack Trice stadium but no matches were scheduled while I was there.
Day trips within Iowa from Ames/Des Moines
1. Pella
Pella is known as America’s Dutch treasure and famous for its tulips, windmills and unique architecture. The local saying is that if you cannot visit Netherlands, visit Pella!
Pella is located about 70kms from Des Moines and the journey took 1 hour. From Ames, one has to drive through Des Moines to get to Pella. The journey is not scenic but Pella was very impressive even at first sight. I parked my car near the Central Park and found a tourist information office right at the edge of the park.
Attractions are close to Central Park
There is not a whole lot to do here. The Vermeer Windmill and historical village(few buildings date back to 19th century), Opera house, Central park with its tulips garden, Klokkenspet and Molengracht plaza, the lovely Scholte House….everything was located around Central Park. There are plenty of cafes, bakeries and restaurants that offered few vegetarian options as well. Shopping was interesting, and I found few unique and attractive items.
Pella has a population of little over 10k but welcomes over 200k visitors every year, particularly during the annual Tulip festival.
After lunch, I spent some time near Lake Red Rock before heading back to Des Moines. Lake Red Rock is Iowa’s largest lake which is located within 10 minutes drive from Pella.
All in all, Pella is a cute little town and worth visiting.
2. The covered bridges of Madison county, Winterset
Made famous by the Hollywood movie, the covered bridges of Madison were rated as a must visit while I was searching for day trip options out of Des Moines. The photos did not look that exciting but since Winterset, where the six bridges are located, is less than an hour’s drive(~60kms) from Des Moines, I decided to drive down. As expected, it turned out to be an over hyped destination.
Bridges were built in late 19th century
These covered wooden bridges were built between 1870-1884. I visited Cutler-Donahoe which was re-located in the city park and Holliwell(longest bridge at 110 ft.) before deciding to skip the rest as the bridges look similar. The highlight was actually the short but very scenic drive from Cutler-Donahoe to Holliwell bridge via Clark Tower. It was a forest area and I even spotted a deer amidst the thick vegetation.
Just in case you wish to visit the bridges, it may be good to visit the tourist information center first to gather latest updates. I was advised to visit Cutler-Donahoe, Holliwell and Cedar bridges as they were easily accessible by car.
Winterset is a very small town and there is nothing else to do though I found the Quilt museum quite interesting. Then there was a cute little ‘Bakery’ that served fresh coffee and yummy donuts. Seemed like a meeting place for the town’s elderly folks! I was back in Des Moines well in time for a late lunch.
3. Rail Explorer, Boone
Boone is located under 30 minutes(~25kms) drive from Ames. From Des Monies, the trip takes about an hour(~75kms). I finally found a small town in US where some of the roads reminded me of Bengaluru!
Try the Rail Bike
The key attraction in Boone are the rides/journeys on railway tracks that pass through some very scenic areas. One can opt for train journeys or electric trolley rides lasting up to 2 hours. There are options for lunch and dinner as well. I opted for Rail Bikes that are run by Rail Explorers. These Rail Bikes look very much like the open trolley’s that I have seen in India. The entire journey took about 2 hours.
The Rail Bike is pedal powered meaning I had to pedal that in turn runs a motor so the overall effort is not noticeable. To increase speed, I only had to pedal faster.
There were couple of very scenic points, with the highlight being ‘Bass Point Creek High Trestle’, an open 750 ft. long bridge at a height of 150 ft.
I found the activity to be quite interesting initially but the enthusiasm wore off towards the end! It is a round trip which meant the onward journey was more enjoyable than the return journey. But worth the experience and especially great for families to spend time together.
The rides don’t come cheap. Costs $101 for a bike that accommodates two.
4. Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend
This religious shrine of nine grottos depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ has two claims to fame – One, it the largest man made grotto in the world and second, it has one of the largest collections of precious stones and gems found in one location anywhere in the world. The Grotto was built entirely by hand. It is quite spectacular and the pictures do not do any justice to the intricacies and attention paid to the details during contruction. About 2 hours is good enough to soak in the beauty of this place. There is no entry fee but donations are welcome.
A café nearby is good for coffee but not for a vegetarian meal.
West Bend is about 170 kms from the Ames and the drive takes a little over 2 hours. While the destination was highly impressive, the drive was just the opposite. I could have dozed off but I did not as I was driving!
What else?
There are few more options including national parks and towns such as Iowa city, Cedar Rapids and Dubuque. But all in all, from what I saw, the only two attractions that truly stood out were the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption and Iowa State Capitol.
Accomodation in Iowa
Where to stay in Ames
It is easy driving in Ames but the distances are longer than what it appears while looking at the map. The town is well spread out for a population of 66k and hence can feel lonely. I stayed at Grandstay Hotel and Suites which was kind of old but the suite rooms were spacious with kitchenette. Location was excellent and it was close to few restaurants, a shopping complex as well as Walmart. The hotel cost around $150 per night for a couple, including a simple breakfast and was among the cheaper hotels for the given size of the room with kitchenette in Ames. Other nearby hotels were Courtyard and Comfort Inn.
I stepped out for a walk one late evening around 8pm and there was not a soul in sight! The area was well lit but everyone was indoors. I cut short my walk and hurried back to the hotel!
In Ames, the closer you are to the Campustown, the better it is. I am assuming the purpose of visit is to see someone settled to pursue education at ISU. Else it may not matter.
Where to stay in Des Moines
In Des Moines, it is best to stay in downtown. Plenty of choices. I stayed at a boutique hotel called Des Lux that had a public parking lot just opposite. The fee was $1 per hour with a max. of $10 for the full day. All hotels do not provide parking and those who provide normally charge for it. Check availability of parking if you have a car. The hotel cost ~$200 per night for a couple. The room was lovely and well furnished.
But yes, if you are looking for Indian food, there is a bit of a drive required, either to the northern suburbs or towards west Des Moines.
Breakfast spread was disappointing
Breakfast in both hotels was largely packaged stuff and devoid of freshly cooked items and fruits. Most of the packaged stuff had high sugar content with lot of additives such as vitamins and minerals. I spent quite some time initially to study the list of ingredients in order to decide what to eat! I had to supplement what was available with fruits and other purchases from grocery stores.
Vegetarian food in Iowa
I had most of the meals at Taco Bell and other Mexican food outlets. Indian food was largely disappointing, both in Ames and Des Moines except for one outlet in Des Moines that served south Indian fare. Surprisingly, McDonald generally did not have vegetarian burger option but Hickory Park, a famous eatery in Ames, offered few vegetarian options.
In a mid range restaurant, a meal typically cost $15-20 (with a drink) per person.
Tipping
Tips are generally expected, like the rest of the USA. I was normally tipping 10-15% depending on the occasion…lower for coffee and higher for restaurants with table service. At outlets like Taco Bell and Subway, where there is no table service, tips were not sought. In couple of restaurants, 20% service charge was included.
Weather
I visited Iowa during late August and early September when the weather was perfect with warm days and cool nights. That period also happens to be in the midst of peak season. Winters can be extremely cold.
Should one visit Iowa?
If you are travelling to USA purely for tourism, Iowa should rank quite low in order. But if you are travelling to have your son or daughter settled for studies or even employment, it would make sense to explore Iowa, instead of rushing to more popular destinations. It is a very different experience.
