A community center for all!!! I love Valley Community Center…read morefor its beautiful center, all the activities they offer, and for a wonderful meeting place. For professionals and casual meeting. Been coming here for most of the summer and I can't believe we haven't taken advantage of this center as much as we have before. Parking lot is plenty and spacious. Out front is an outdoor playground with even wheelchair accessibility. My kids LOVE this park. Going inside, guests are welcomed by the sweet smell of complementary coffee! There is an open gym with scheduled events going on. Restrooms are always clean and plenty. Mini cafe that serves espresso and coffee drinks with a variety of easy snacks and drinks for kids. Prices are nice! A small drink with espresso (latte) is $3.65. I've seen Richard (the barista) there every time and he's very personable. We sees regular customers a lot and still remembers us! There is an indoor playground as well!! Parents can work and sip on coffee while kids are playing inside. I LOVE THAT! Legos, books, and blocks are outside of the indoor playground. Glass windows separate the lounge and playground. We have been here on different days and they always have something fun to do! This Monday was a free kid movie and popcorn day! Two fridays ago was free creamsicle day! I love this community center and highly recommend anyone to visit and make connections here. Great place for play dates and meetings.

This is a really nice community center. Great playground…read moreand tons of room outside and inside. Really beautiful building. I bring the kids here every year for the Fall (Halloween) party. It's connected with the valley church across the street, but they don't push religion on you at all and I like that. It's very welcoming and inclusive to everyone. My kiddos absolutely love it! We've come for the last 4 or 5 years. For this specific event they get: *to dress in their Halloween costumes *have pony rides *big blow ups for the kids to play on *face painting *root beer floats *popcorn *candy *photo booth pics *tons of carnival games *balloon animals *and more And get this... it's all absolutely FREE! For this event alone this community center gets 5 stars from me. It's become a Halloween tradition for us :)

As a fitness professional, I have high expectations for gyms and I like this one! They have a large…read morelap swim pool/diving area, leisure pool, therapy pool, basketball courts, racquetball courts, 2 group fit rooms, and childcare area downstairs. Upstairs, they have a lot of cardio machines, racks, weight machines, free weights, a cycle studio, and room to stretch. They offer many group fitness classes which I hope to try soon. I've heard great things about their childcare and how nice it is for families. The facility is kept clean and everyone is friendly. It's not quite as fancy as some gyms, but it gets the job done and isn't too expensive. Definitely the gym to join in Ankeny.

Best family facility in the region. You can't go wrong with all the amenities they offer. From the…read morefitness equipment, to the lap track, 4 basketball courts. the abundance of kids activities, an expansive child, watch, to the kid pool, you can't beat the price!

Amazing place for three years! Till we had to move Everyone including the staff is so nice and…read morehelpful! Also it's affordable! Best dance and cheer center I have ever been to!

From the owner: The UAS philosophy is to make young athletes proud of themselves and give them a sense of…read moreself-esteem, respect and discipline all while having fun!

I've been going here since I've retired and it's a great place for seniors. I would recommend…read morejoining if you have interest in social activities with other adults they have some wonderful pool tables a small computer room and a large multi-purpose room which has activities like bridge in other card games plus a wonderful nutritious daily lunch. They also have a craft room and do crafts and they also have a small workout area. they also have a small TV and movie watching area. They also have some exercise classes designed for seniors and some services for Seniors like tax help. They have a really nice caring stsff and lots of choices for people who want to remain active in their senior years. The centers large multi-purpose room for some community meetings in evening I know that the Audubon society meets there the local Sierra club meets there, and several other community groups meet there. If you live in the Beaverdale area or the nearby Merle Hay area is very convenient to come to and has bus transportation in the front. It's also right next to the Franklin library which is a plus.

Is Carr's Pool still open? I do not think so. Man....what a rush of memories! Was open long, long…read moreago and was state of the art at the time. Later on Ames High had a nice swimming pool....but it was not Carrs. Do a search on Google as Facebook has a memory page for Carrs Pool, and the historical society has photos of it, too. My little sister decided it was a good idea to ride her plastic caterpillar down the hill at Carrs Pool. She survived....but without 'breaks'.

Furman Aquatic Center is possibly one of my favorite places, ever. Considering the rules of other…read moreplaces I've been to in the past, they are pretty relaxed and kind. Lifeguards are there to ensure everyone is safe and has an enjoyable time. I'd rather a lifeguard be overly cautious with a child not swimming the best in the deep end, than that some terrible accident happen. The facilities are beautiful, and they have a lot of amenities like food concessions, locker rooms, changing rooms, and full showers. While they don't let you bring food in the facilities, you're allowed a bottle of water. Pros: An amazing place for taking swimming lessons or for exercising with water walking or doing lap swim. There are lawn chairs, and a picnic table area. The place is the most relaxing place ever. Relax, enjoy, cool off, and make new friends. I love it. Like any place, there's a lot of good, and some little bad -- but it's mostly not the place's fault. Cons: People can sometimes get territorial over their preferred spot in the pool during the 11-1pm exercise time. Sometimes, people sneak in to just open-swim and not exercise, getting in the way of others who are, so perhaps a little more screening during the 11-1 timeslot would be best so people know they can't just goof around when others are there to exercise. There can be unruly teenagers sometimes that might ruin the lazy river experience if what you want is to relax, etc. Little things like that. On super, super hot days, the place might be way too full. But come back on a cloudy, hot day, and you'll find the place pretty decent. I really have no serious complaints about it other than I wish we had no winters and could enjoy it year round. heh I have high praise for all staff. I learned to swim with them this summer, and I will never forget the experience. I am eternally thankful and grateful.

I brought my two grandkids to the Aquatic Center this afternoon. While I'm in pretty decent…read moreshape, I foolishly decided to go down the large high water slide. I quickly got into "trouble" in the 13' deep water. Thankfully Emma came to my rescue and may well have saved my life. Sincere thanks to Emma and the other Lifeguards who assisted me. Cannot thank you enough! Ron McKenzie Stanhope Iowa 6/25/2025

This is one of the greatest areas right at the tip of Saylorville Lake, offering a visitor's…read morecenter, playgrounds, walking and hiking trails, and easy access to the Neal Smith trail. Usually, we park the car over at the visitor center, and walk to wherever we're planning to visit throughout the lake and park area. Our dogs are small and get tired fast, so it's nice to have a centralized area with a lot to do, when they need a break. The visitor center provides access to beverage machines, maps, guides, and rules for the park areas. Off the back of the visitor center is a balcony that overlooks the lake, providing a pretty awesome view through the trees out into the water. Just a short walk northeast from the center is a butterfly garden, which actually lives up to its purpose, and just behind the garden is a heavily wooded area that leads to the beach. There are a ton of benches to sit on along the Neal Smith trail, which leads to more campgrounds, boating, and recreational sites. To the opposite direction is the actual dam, which despite its sometimes foul smell, is a sight to see. You're likely to see a few people fishing off of the dam, or just walking around the many secluded trails to view all parts of the park. Definitely recommend starting your next trip to Saylorville off on this side of the lake.

This is a beautiful camping, fishing, and hiking spot off of Saylorville lake…read more There are plenty of benches and picnic areas to enjoy the scenery and take in the great outdoors!!! There is also great fishing right off of the Dam spillway! With lookout areas if you don't feel like fishing. Beautiful grown trees and winding paths all right outside of Des Moines!!

Great little park with plenty of room to spread out, have a picnic or just play on the playground…read moreequipment! Nice little shelter you can rent for get togethers with grills. Quite a few picnic tables, and no sand.. I like that! It's just a hop and a jump over to Gateway Market perfect for quick picnic treats and you can get to the park all on side walks if you are walking! Clean and well maintained no complaints here!

Nice little park off of Woodland Ave! I like to take the 8th month old I babysit on walks and this…read moreis generally a great stop for us. He's still too little to really get going on the bigger structure and slides but the swings are great! Fun for all ages! There is a shelter and drinking fountain, a nice trail going by. At the moment there is some construction so its kind of an eye sore and can get noisy if youre there when they are working. But if youre looking for a little outdoor fun and looking for a sweet little spot not too far from the highway -Chamberlain Park is the place to go!

Its no longer the church, it's now a building that the church (now called CrossRoad Baptist Church)…read moreuses for its different ministries! Its called the Lighthouse. We have an American college ministry called Lighthouse Campus Fellowship that meets in the building on Thursdays at 7:30pm for fellowship, worship, and a sermon. We also have an international college ministry called Lighthouse international fellowship that meets on Saturdays at I believe 6/6:30pm, and an international adult group that meets on Fridays at 6:30pm.