Monday, January 15, 2007

100 Places to Visit in Iowa before you die

Looking for Summer Vacaion Ideas.. 
Take a look at this list..  Then you can also visit Montrose..  free lodging while you tour the area..  Bonaparte, Iowa  and Lacey- Keosaqua State Park are nearby..  Then there is the Great River Road and the Avenue of the Saints .. to St. Louis      
 

100 places in Iowa to visit before you die
Crawford Erin
Staff

By ERIN CRAWFORD
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

Adventurers and Iowans, lend us your spare weekend. We have assembled 100 places so unique or wonderful - and occasionally both - they demand a visit.

At some of these sites, you'll learn about Iowa's past; at others you'll experience the latest in culture. Some are simply beautiful places to walk or to enjoy one of the state's many scenic rivers.

This list is similar to a list we published last summer, featuring 100 Iowa dishes everyone should eat.

The response to that list was overwhelming. Readers visited restaurants, tried our choices and sent us reviews. They e-mailed furious arguments as to why their favorites should have made the list.

A few readers even started clubs, planning to eat each and every one of the items we listed.

So take a look at our list of notable places, arranged alphabetically by location. Then visit DesMoinesRegister.com/iowalife and let us know what we missed. Happy trails.

___1.Town square, rich in architecture and retail with a chateau-inspired courthouse, Adel

___2. POW-built Nativity scene, hand-carved by German prisoners during World War II and displayed each December, Algona

___3. Yellow River State Forest, Allamakee County

___4. Amana Colonies, seven historical villages, Amana

___5. Campanile, Iowa State University campus, Ames

___6. Reiman Gardens, 14-acre public garden featuring a conservatory and butterfly wing, Ames

___7. Stephens Auditorium, rated "building of the century" by Iowa architects, Ames

___8. Hilton Coliseum, home of the Cyclones, Iowa State University, Ames

___9. M-Shop, classic nightclub at Iowa State University, Ames

___10. Arnolds Park, century-old amusement park, Arnolds Park

___11. Albert the Bull, bovine landmark, Audubon

___12. Park Farm Winery & Vineyard, one of several wineries on Iowa's Wine Trail, Bankston

___13. Davis County Courthouse, built in the Second Empire style, Bloomfield

___14. Chimney Rock, Upper Iowa River, among the most scenic stretches of river in Iowa, near Bluffton

___15. Downtown commercial district, historic river village, Bonaparte

___16. Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, historic rail line, Boone

___17. Snake Alley, claims to be "crookedest street in the world," Burlington

___18. UNI-Dome, Iowa's largest arena, Cedar Falls

___19. Black Hawk Hotel, historic lodging, Cedar Falls

___20. Brucemore, historic mansion, Cedar Rapids

___21. Grant Wood Studio and Visitor Center, workplace of the famous Iowa painter, Cedar Rapids

___22. African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa, featuring exhibits about African-American history in the United States and Iowa, Cedar Rapids

___23. Pikes Peak State Park, with suspension bridges and majestic river views, Clayton County

___24. Surf Ballroom, club turned icon as the final show site for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, Clear Lake

___25. Swinging bridge, Columbus Junction

___26. White Rock Conservancy, protected woodlands, prairie and wetlands in the Middle Raccoon River valley, Coon Rapids

___27. Western Historic Trails Center, introduction to four important trails that meet in the city - Mormon, California, Lewis and Clark, and Oregon trails, Council Bluffs

___28. Historic General Dodge House, Victorian home built by a railroad tycoon, Council Bluffs

___29. Howell's Dried Floral & Greenhouse, 15 acres of flowers, pumpkins, plus a charming barn gift shop with a staggering array of dried foliage and flowers in the hayloft, Cumming

___30. John O'Donnell Stadium, baseball park, Davenport

___31. Figge Art Museum and River Music Experience, Davenport

___32. Village of East Davenport, historic area with antique and art stores, Davenport

___33. Seed Savers, gardens featuring heritage varieties, Decorah

___34. Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 16 buildings housing 24,000 artifacts, Decorah

___35. Backbone State Park, a steep ridge of bedrock with scenic overlooks above the Maquoketa River, Delaware County

___36. Des Moines Art Center, designed by three famous architects with an important collection of contemporary art, Des Moines

___37. State Capitol, magnificent example of 19th-century architecture topped by a 23-karat gold-leaf dome, Des Moines

___38. Salisbury House, historic home modeled after an English mansion, Des Moines

___39. Drake Stadium, recently renovated home of the Drake Relays, Des Moines

___40. 801 Grand, tallest building in the state, Des Moines

___41. Temple for Performing Arts, masterfully renovated Masonic temple housing a theater, restaurants and other retail, Des Moines

___42. Neal Smith recreation trail, paved route from Des Moines to Saylorville Lake, Des Moines

___43. Principal Park, stadium home of the Iowa Cubs, Des Moines

___44. Science Center of Iowa, state-of-the-art museum with interactive exhibits and IMAX theater, Des Moines

___45. Iowa State Fair, Des Moines

___46. Fenelon Place Elevator, claims to be "the world's shortest, steepest scenic railway" with views of the Mississippi River and downtown, Dubuque

___47. Our Lady of the Mississippi abbey, a community of Trappistine nuns famed for making caramels, Dubuque

___48. Eagle Point Park, renovated during the Depression and located on the rock outcroppings overlooking Lock and Dam No. 11 on the Mississippi River, Dubuque

___49. Field of Dreams, baseball and cornfield where the popular movie was filmed, Dyersville

___50. National Farm Toy Museum and farm toy stores, massive collection of agriculture-related toys, Dyersville

___51. American Gothic home featured in Grant Wood's famous portrait, Eldon

___52. Danish windmill, Elk Horn

___53. Maharishi University of Management campus and meditation domes, where buildings face east and have golden roof ornaments and central silent spaces called ''Brahmasthans,'' Fairfield

___54. St. Anthony of Padua Chapel, said to be the smallest church in the world with only eight seats, Festina

___55. Merchants National Bank, the "jewel box" bank designed by Louis Sullivan, Grinnell

___56. The Landing, three-story stone warehouse converted into hotel, Guttenberg

___57. Kinnick Stadium, home of the Hawkeyes, University of Iowa campus, Iowa City

___58. Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratory, futuristic Frank Gehry-designed building partially covered in stainless steel, Iowa City

___59. Pedestrian Mall, shopping district paved in brick and decorated with arts and a fountain, Iowa City

___60. Corn mazes, D and D Farms, elaborate patterns in a cornfield, Knoxville and Ames

___61. Hitchcock House, once a stop on the Underground Railroad, Lewis

___62. Gitchie Manitou State Preserve, featuring the oldest bedrock in the state, Lyon County

___63. Covered bridges, made legendary by Robert James Waller's book "The Bridges of Madison County" and a subsequent movie, Madison County

___64. Ledges State Park, with sandstone bluffs and arresting views of the Des Moines River valley, Madrid

___65. Authentic German Hausbarn, constructed in 1660 in Germany and moved to Iowa in 1996, Manning

___66. Decker Hotel & Restaurant, restored hotel originally built in 1875, Maquoketa

___67. Charles MacNider Art Museum, displaying marionettes from "The Sound of Music," Mason City

___68. Music Man Square, honors "Music Man" composer Meredith Willson, Mason City

___69. Rock Glen/Rock Crest neighborhoods, cluster of homes built in the Prairie style, Mason City

___70. The Three Sons, funky clothing store and official retailer of the "University of Okoboji" line, Milford

___71. DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, flyway for spring and fall migrations of ducks and geese since the end of the last ice age, Missouri Valley

___72. Ramsey Farm at Lesanville, 180-acre historic working farm and village depicting rural American life between the late 1800s and the early 1950s, Mount Ayr

___73. Pearl Button Museum, preserves the era when mussels were harvested for pearls to make buttons, Muscatine

___74. The Little Brown Church in the Vale, small church made famous in song, Nashua

___75. Handsaker barn or "Fernald barn," a striking square barn built in 1880, Nevada

___76. Iowa Speedway, new racetrack designed by illustrious NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace, Newton

___77. St. Boniface Church, magnificently ornate Catholic church, New Vienna

___78. West Lake Okoboji, a clear blue spring-fed lake in Iowa's Great Lakes chain, Okoboji

___79. Dutch-inspired downtown business district, with canals, windmills and a spring tulip festival, Pella

___80. Hotel Pattee, restored hotel filled with art and artifacts from around the state and Mission-style architecture, Perry

___81. Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, 8,000-acre prairie where the buffalo still roam, Prairie City

___82. Cedar Rock, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home, Quasqueton

___83. Sidney Iowa Rodeo Championship, calls itself Iowa's oldest, continually running outdoor rodeo, Sidney

___84. Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, educational center in the Loess Hills, Sioux City

___85. Grandview Park, outdoor band shell and rose garden dating from 1937, Sioux City

___86. Orpheum Theatre, opulent vaudeville and motion picture house originally built in 1927 and since restored for contemporary performances, Sioux City

___87. Clay County Fair, calls itself the largest county fair in the state since 1917, Spencer

___88. St. Wenceslaus Church, oldest Czech Catholic church in America built in 1860, Spillville

___89. Gehlen House Bed and Breakfast, historic guest house in the historic limestone village built by Luxembourg emigrants, St. Donatus

___90. Toolesboro Indian Mounds, Hopewellian mounds dating from 200 B.C. to 300 A.D., Toolesboro

___91. Living History Farms, rich preservation of the agricultural and domestic history of Iowa, Urbandale

___92. Villages of Van Buren, 12 historic villages located in a single county, Van Buren County

___93. Maharishi Vedic Observatory, an open-air observatory of masonry sundials, Vedic City

___94. Iowa 80 Truckstop, world's largest, Walcott

___95. Galleria de Paco, coffee shop, gallery and club opening within a month featuring a Sistine Chapel reproduction, Waterloo

___96. John Deere operations, offering factory tours of the agricultural equipment manufacturer, Waterloo

___97. Lost Island Adventure Park, largest water park in the state, Waterloo

___98. Grotto of the Redemption, religious monument constructed from stone and gemstones by a German cleric over 42 years, West Bend

___99. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, birthplace of the 31st U.S. president, West Branch

___100. Valley Junction, historic retail district, West Des Moines

Reporter Erin Crawford can be reached at (515) 284-8438 or ecrawford@dmreg.com

Favorite place?

We asked some well-known Iowans about their own favorite place to go in the state.

Kevin Cooney, anchor, KCCI

University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls

"I know it doesn't sound like a tourist spot - does any campus? - but when you think about it, campuses can be incredible places to visit. This weekend I'm looking forward to visiting the UNI Museum, the Marshall Center schoolhouse, as well as learning more about the history of the university and getting some insight from those who live and work there about some of the other things."

Gregory L. Geoffroy, Iowa State University president

Great Ape Trust of Iowa, Des Moines

"Although it is not generally open to the broad public, I highly recommend the Great Ape Trust. It is incredible to experience the intelligence of the bonobos and orangutan residents and to see the special interaction between the great apes and the scientists who work there. The experience causes one to think very differently about the great apes, their intelligence and social structure, and their long term survival prospects. It is truly one of the two or three top great ape research centers in the world, and it is a real Iowa treasure."

Christie Vilsack, first lady of Iowa

American Gothic house, Eldon

"I can't (drive through Eldon) without stopping at the American Gothic house. I've been a great fan of Grant Wood and had a copy of American Gothic in my dorm room through college.

For my 50th birthday, Tom gave me a lithograph of "American Gothic," which is one of my favorite possessions. There will be a visitor center there and I helped the people of Eldon raise the money and raise attention.

I always have to have a picture taken outside ... It's such a humble abode, but so interesting in the art history of America and one of the most known homes in America."

Lisa Bluder, head women's basketball coach at University of Iowa

Carver Hawkeye Arena on game night

Kinnick Stadium on a football Saturday.

A burger and fries on Sutliff Bridge in Sutliff, Ia.

Herbert Hoover presidential library, birthplace and park in West Branch, Ia. (stop and get a pizza at Herb and Lou's to enjoy at the park).

The Brucemore mansion in Cedar Rapids.

Hiking and picnicking at Stone City, Ia.

Any high school gym in Iowa during a girls basketball game!

Sarah Grant, founder of Sticks

Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Prairie City

"I go there to think and the place inspires my paintings. You see, I love living in Iowa."

Did we miss anything?

If one of your favorite places in Iowa is not on the list, let us know. Go to DesMoinesRegister.com/iowalife and add to our list.


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Eagle point park is not where you say it is. Its in Clinton,ia. we take great pride in ouur one of a kind park and request the information be fixed. thank you