I'm so glad that a close friend encouraged me to visit this excellent venue, as it led to a…read morefantastic afternoon on Iowa State's main campus. We came on an afternoon with basketball games sandwiched on either side of our arrival and experienced zero issues. Easy parking and the venue are free with a suggested $8 donation. Their extensive collection is varied and covers many types of art. I enjoyed the Will Wilson photography on display and appreciated their "Talking Tintypes," which used iPad or Smart Phone tech to highlight Wilson's pieces. I thoroughly loved Josh Simpson's "Imaginative Journeys in Space and Sea," a phenomenal collection of complex and unique glasswork. I appreciated the accompanying video that dove into how the works were created. His "MegaPlanet" was incredible. In addition, two other works in the central portion of the museum were memorable - Yoshida's "Sacred Bridge" and Koitsu's "Lake Yamanaka." They have monthly events that I look forward to attending, and Brunnier is open 10-4 daily during the week, and 1-4 on the weekend.

From the owner: University Museums is a distinctive organization that encompasses two art museums, a National…read moreHistoric Landmark historic home museum, a sculpture garden, and one of the largest campus public art collections in the nation. University Museums brings world-class exhibitions with educational programming to Iowa State University, actively acquires works of art to add to the more than 30,000 permanent collection objects, conserves and preserves collections, conducts and publishes curatorial scholarship, and fosters student engagement.

A really nice cultural experience in the heart of Des Moines. The series of buildings includes the…read moreonly I M Pei design (same architect of the glass pyramid in the heart of the Paris Louvre). Iowa the Des Moines Art Center is a nice way to spend a few hours. Complementary admission and free parking is an added bonus and a fantastic value. And impressive selection of old world and modern art, including some more well-known artists such as Picasso, Goya, Cezanne, Miro, Lichtenstein, and an impressive selection of newer artists that definitely leave a lasting impression. I recommend that you stop, and even if only to see a few of the artists and a little bit of the architecture. Great gift shop too!

Spent an afternoon with artists Picasso, Hopper, Warhol, Matisse, Miro, Chagall, Klee, Monet, and…read moreothers...at the fabulous Des Moines Art Center! I did not expect to see some of the world's greatest artists in Des Moines. Instead, it was an elite venue at an incredible price point. Located in Ingersoll Park, 20 minutes from Ankeny and 10 minutes from the State Capitol, the Art Center is a must-see, beautiful venue with spectacular works, considerable spaces, and gorgeous grounds. Amazingly, it is free. Loved the Samantha Box "Caribbean Dreams" exhibit, a fantastic collection of photography and art. I also loved works by Stella ("Interlagos"), Kiefer ("untitled"), Francis ("Summer #2"), and Schnabel. We also liked the postcard exhibit. The building has an awesome vibe and incredible visuals throughout its spectacular architecture. There is a great gift shop and discounted items near the entrance. Sensational guidance and kindness from the museum's docents, notably Loretta, Issac, and Gabby.

Beautiful site for weddings and other celebrations. The exterior of the building itself is blocky…read moreand not that remarkable. The site is a different matter. One entrance reveals the river. Another opens to a beautiful lawn with a fountain and butterfly gardens on the borders. We saw several monarch butterflies. Inside is grand without being cold or forbidding. Note that bathrooms are in the basement and second floors. There is an elevator. Staff was very friendly.

This place is extremely beautiful. The biggest downside to here is the hours on their website are…read morenot accurate. I came here to visit the inside and the arrive to a locked door. On the door was a note saying they are only open 1 day a week. I was able to peak in the window and see all the beautiful architecture. I was also able to explore the outside grounds too. However it can be slightly frustrating if your website says it will be open but you're not actually open. Overall this place is not huge and is a walkable distance to several other things. So I recommend walk past it to see if it's open. If it's closed, visit somewhere else.

This was a wonderful experience and we will definitely be returning for the different seasons…read more Maybe even the dinner train. I'm not sure why they have you show up a hour before departure time. But we did spend the time waiting in the museum. I wish there had been a description of the cars or even pictures of the various cars when choosing on the website. We ended up in the open air on a misty cloudy day. I thought this was a car without windows or something. But after about ten minutes it stopped raining and surprisingly it was not cold. Somehow the wind is blocked. They did say we could go into the other car if we wanted. I do have to WARN anyone riding in the open air car that the soot from the train ends up landing on you and by the end of the ride you are speckled with black dots. It's been a few days and I still have a few spots that won't wash off. With all these little complaints it still was wonderful. I just have more knowledge for next time.

We had tickets for an open car on what turned out to be a hot day. The crew offered us to seat in a…read morecar with shade. The railroad is the main attraction. The view is ok with a couple of highlights. We originally wanted to be on the pedaled carts but they were sold out. They certainly looked like fun. A good attraction for kids and seniors.

This is a small children's museum located within the Valley West Mall. We visited on a Saturday…read moremorning and the shopping mall had very little foot traffic. In fact, it looked like there were several empty stores. The children's museum has play areas with different themes. There was a fishing boat, pizza company, house, ice cream parlor, farmer's market, and chicken coop. It is ideal for children under 7 years old and a good option for a rainy day.

We opted for the DSM children's museum as a road trip break a few weekends ago. It was a great spot…read moreto stop and get our wiggles out. I appreciate that they have a designated snack area where we were able to enjoy some lunches we'd packed. They had plenty of differing play spaces for the kids - a cute little ice cream truck, a parachute/wind experiment , light play, climbing areas, post office and libraries for pretend play, etc. Overall, for our 2&3 y/o it was plenty of activity and excitement for an hour or two. But I gotta say, when you hold it up against the Omaha Children's Museum, it falls a little short. For starters, it's just one large room divided up into little sections along the walls and in the middle of varying types of play. In addition, there's a decent amount of the supplies and props that just seem to be lower quality. Again, my toddlers certainly did not mind any of these changes but sure how well it would hold an older child's attention.

First off, our 8- & 10-year-olds had a blast. The whole place is hands-on and they were busy the…read moreentire time, never bored. There was some super interesting stuff in the engineering/Lego room that kept us parents engaged as well. You could bring a toddler all the way up to an early teen and they can all be engaged the whole time. The planetarium doesn't have a ton of seats & they don't lean back, and the kids were a little creeped out by the black hole presentation. The bathrooms are kind of rough, and a lot of the activities are showing age. Kind of dirty throughout, which surprised us (we're frequent flyers at museums, so we know they don't have to be this dirty). We appreciated that they took our ASTC membership - highly recommend if you travel and love science centers!

Nice, family friendly museum located in downtown Des Moines, but there are way too many screaming…read morekids running around. Why do people bring children under 8 to these types of places? It's not like they will even know or comprehend any of these things, much less be able to sit still during demonstrations or when viewing exhibits. It was nice to see that all science demonstrations and shows in the planetarium are included in your ticket price. If you check out a few of those, then it is well worth the admission even as an adult!

Wowwww This is the park of all parks!…read more Worth the drive from Des Moines to Madrid, Iowa. Great "tree museum" if that's what you want to call it but it was very educational and well worth the time and money. Visited on a Friday morning with our homeschool community and it was a busy morning. Reserved a guided tour months prior for our large group and paid extra for the tree house playground experience. The guided tour was absolutely fascinating and our group learned so much about how to identify different types of trees and plants. The gardens are awesome even in the fall. Worth a second or third trip for the different seasons we have here in Iowa. The playground was MASSIVE and newly built. All wooded and just a walk away from the arboretum. My kids and the other students really enjoyed this playground. Safe and fun. Found lots of accessibility for all to play Highly

A lovely spot in the middle of Iowa. Offering classes, initiating preservation of monarch butterfly…read morehabitat, building pollinator gardens, and quiet places for a walk. Entry fee for non-members is $10 per person with reduced rates for children. Open year-round to the public, this sanctuary has facilities for meetings, parties, weddings, etc. A number of trails allow you to walk through the different gardens and enjoy and ever changing display throughout the year. We were so pleasantly surprised at this little slice of paradise so far off the beaten path. Established in the early 1980s by an Iowa family that owned a nursery in the region. Bird watchers, gardeners, and anyone that just enjoys beautiful flowers should check out the Iowa Arboretum.

I like to squeeze in a museum when I can in a city that is unfamiliar to me. This stop was truly on…read morea whim. My main reason for dropping by Des Moines was to see an Iowa Wild game. The following day, I had to leave the city and head back to Bloomington. I wanted to do a quick touristy visit somewhere. I did a search and found Jordan House Museum. Driving over here was enjoyable. The leaves were a gorgeous deep red in the area. I had no problem finding the museum. When you are pulling into the parking lot, you do not want to come in at full force. I didn't because I was checking the house out. The lot where you park your car is all gravel. When you walk up to the museum, it is thankfully cement. If you want a tour of the museum, you do need to book online. Even if you book online, it's based on demand. If there aren't enough folks who want to do the tour, it gets cancelled. I saw the cancellation sign on the door. Since I visited because I felt like it, I still learned a lot with the signs and information presented to me. I was not disappointed. I also like self-exploration, which may not be for everyone. Jordan House was built by James Cuttingham Jordan, who was an abolitionist. This house was a station on the Underground Railroad in Iowa. It ended up being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. James Jordan was a cattle farmer from Virginia. He settled in central Iowa in 1846. He was a businessman, organizing the State Bank of Des Moines. He helped bring the railroad to Des Moines. He ultimately ended up being a civic leader, and was elected to both the Iowa Senate and the Iowa House of Representatives. He helped move the state capital from Iowa City to Des Moines. I had no idea that Iowa City was once the state capital. Cool! There is a pathway to history in front of the main entrance of this house, where you can reserve a brick and have it dedicated to a special loved one. I spent a lot of time reading the messages on this pathway. It was highly enjoyable and moving on a Fall day. My favourite saying came from the Caruthers family: Be so awesome today that tomorrow is jealous!!! Three exclamation points. Love it! There was one other woman who had pulled into the lot next to my rental car. She did not do any self-exploration. She went to the main door, saw that the tour was cancelled, headed back to her vehicle, and left. The house is well-maintained on the outside. It has a veranda with a bunch of green chairs. The lawn was recently mowed. The small shrubs around the flags at the front were perfectly trimmed. I had a nice, off-the-cuff visit to this museum. I learned a lot and hope to do a tour inside the museum whenever I'm back in Des Moines for hopefully a longer visit. (458)

Great tour. Guide was very knowledgeable. Home has several of the original articles. We took our 3…read moreteenagers, 2 girls(12&14) and a boy (15), and they all enjoyed it. Not once did they get on their phone due to boredom.

Always a fun experience m, especially for kiddos. (Note they have a fantastic summer day camp). Put…read moreon your walking shoes because there is a lot of walking, but overall it's a fun experience.

Went to the 1900 Farm Historic Dinner at Living History Farms last night. What a wonderful way to…read morespend an evening, experience some history and have a wonderful meal! The evening started with a tractor ride out to the 1900 farmhouse. Unfortunately the normal horse and wagon mode of transport was cancelled due to excessive mud. We were welcomed into the oil lamp lit house by people in period dress and served a mug of hot apple cider. We all gathered in the living room and a brief history lesson was given about life on the farm in 1900 after which we made our way to the dining room for a magnificent feast! The dinner was served family style. Stuffed Roast Pork, Apple Sauce (warmed), Baked German Potato Salad, Macaroni and Cheese, Stewed Red Cabbage, Thresher Green Beans, Bread and Butter Pickles, Yeast Rolls served with Churned Butter and Pumpkin Butter. Hot Apple Cider and Coffee was served and you are welcomed to bring a bottle of wine if you wish. There was plenty of food with lots of leftovers. (We were told that some of the leftovers were destined for the pigs.). After dinner we were given a tour of the barn and introduced to all the animals. Upon arriving back at the house we explored the various rooms before being called back to the dining room for a sumptuous desert. Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie and Chocolate Cake was served with Real Whipped Cream. I opted for the Chocolate Cake which was the best I ever had. You were offered both desserts and second portions were offered. When we all finished our cook appeared and handed out a sheet with the nights recipes. The meal and it's preparation was discussed and questions answered. We then made our way to the tractor trailer and were taken back to our cars. A wonderful evening and I would highly recommend it for anyone loving things of the past!