I used to live in Iowa, but hadn't had the opportunity to come to wayward social much. It had…read moreforest opened right before I moved. Sooo, when we came to visit this was something fun for us to check out. The staff was super friendly and helpful. They took the time to explain everything, which turned out to be super affordable. It's $25 per hour per lane plus $3 for shoes. I paid $86 for a lane for 6 bowlers for 2 hours. We ordered pizza which was really good! They have a cauliflower crust option if you're gluten free, or you just prefer it like me! Lots of toppings to choose from as well. They have other menu items besides pizzas such as nachos (huge) or sandwiches. There are cocktails and beers on tap. My daughter chose the cucumber pear Moscow mule. Very refreshing and crisp! We had a fun experience! We'll have to come back to hang out when we visit again someday!

Amazing pizza and fun location for the family. Pizza is great for takeout as well, some of my…read morefavorite I've had.

Zero star rating. Would not recommend it unless you're looking for a wedding night of hell! Owners…read moreheavily micro manage everything the entire time and even overly control the guests. Zero hospitality, picking unnecessary fights with guests. Treat guests like thieves. There is a signed contract, deposit, and insurance for these types of events to cover any possible issues that may occur for a reason. A guest had alcohol from the mansion inside the reception hall and was unaware it was not condoned. Rather than simply ask the guest to dispose or remove it, they threatened to shut the whole paid reception down, no reimbursement. The guest was very compliant, too. The owners controlled the timeframe that dinner was being served. Not all guests had a chance to eat, and they were putting the food away, which was not provided by them. When the bride and groom parents who paid for everything attempted to get the food back out, they were mistreated and argumentative. As guests arrived for the ceremony, the owner obnoxiously yelled at them as though they were going to steal things from the mansion when they were simply socializing in the mansion prior to the start of the ceremony. Making guests uncomfortable from the unexpected confrontation when there was no cause. It was a beautiful venue but definitely not worth the added stress, as they did not create a time of bliss when weddings can be stressful already.

The Conrad Mansion itself is beautiful, has multiple rooms for sleeping, huge yard for kids to run…read more& play, has a basement with a full gaming room, sauna & movie theater area. The problem was: 1- The beds are spring mattresses that killed everyone's backs 2- No TV's in most of the rooms 3- They say "Pets are welcome" but, the owner micro-manages this place & tells you where your indoor dog has to be located that's already in a kennel. ALL of the carpets are already stained & smell! 4- The Reception area he micro-managed & barked orders during decorating & during the reception time. 5- He yelled at the wedding guests when they arrived "how & where" to park instead of offering a helpful solution like "would you like me to show you where you can park"? 6- He yelled at someone about locking up the Mansion if people don't get out of it & stay out while the wedding was going on "cuz it's in the contract"! You know. If you're charging people $11k to stay at the Mansion 3 nights. Don't micro-manage, bark at the guests & definitely try to ruin the bride & grooms big day! Also, if pets are allowed in the house, your carpets are already stained, so I'd get rid of them, everyone we had stay has allergies to just about everything including myself, so allergies to pets isn't the only thing to worry about. We're all taking allergy medications! Also, for $11k your dishwasher should be working, fog kennel locks should be easier than they are & at least a washer & dryer on the main level for those with bad backs! We all voted pool over basketball court! We're all adults who can watch over our own kids! Just have everyone sign a waiver ‍

The good: At night you'll have crickets and frogs singing for you, and in the morning birds will…read moretake over. Waking up to a sun rising over the lake is wonderful. The host was friendly, and they provide pretty much everything you'll need. There is a great truck stop just a few minutes away, too. The bad: There were dead bugs everywhere. The bed wasn't the most comfortable. The road is in terrible condition, and I worried about getting out if it rained. If I'd been on the motorcycle it would have been impossible to do. Overall, the good outweighed everything else. Sitting outside sipping coffee while the birds serenade you is a wonderful way to start the day.

Recently attended Pilgrim Heights for a wedding and was totally blown away by the outdoor ceremony…read moresite - what a beautiful backdrop! The venue was down a steep gravel road from the parking lot, so a tractor pulling a wagon with benches took people to and from the ceremony. While our friends recited their vows we basked in the beautiful nature setting, complete with a huge pond (or is it a lake?) as the backdrop. A flock of probably eight pelicans swooped through the sky and landed in the water, and massive graceful hawks soared overhead. It was beautiful and probably even metaphorical in some way. The indoor reception building was large and had a nice layout - you walk through a cabin-esque lodge building with a fireplace and cross an outdoor bridge that leads you into a second building - it felt much like an oversized treehouse. There was a full kitchen, nice bathrooms, and a reception area where there was plenty of room for tables, a DJ, and dance floor (I'd guess the wedding had roughly 100 attendees). On the whole, this was a nice wedding venue, however a couple things did bug me such as the hosta beds surrounding trees at the ceremony site hadn't been weeded (an easy fix), the tractor rumbled through the woods during their vows (very distracting and massively inconsiderate), the reception building's floor had lots of chipped paint making an overall tacky vibe (another easy, fairly cheap, fix), and climbing down from the tractor's wagon meant uneven footing and didn't provide a railing which resulted in one of the elderly guests falling square on her face! I'm really surprised the venue didn't have someone riding on the tractor to help guests on and off, even if only for the sake of their own liability.

Loved the items we rented and how our event turned out. Excellent communication and customer…read moreservice, would rent from here again!

From the owner: We offer affordable rentals in Des Moines and all of Iowa for weddings, parties and events of all…read morekinds.

Great Wine! Good Food! Amazing friendly service! I try to stop passing thru Iowa every chance I get.read more

A beautiful setting with nice trees for lovely days outside. Plenty of friendly faces to help while…read moreyou're there. It would be good if they had more organization to help speed the process of sampling and ordering. There are many wine choices especially if you prefer sweeter varieties. Hopefully they get more dry and less sweet varieties.

I have used nearly every service Staging 2 Sell it provides and am equally impressed with all…read more The most recent was staging the home I had lived in for 36 years. It sold to a family that toured it the second day after it was listed and offered $2,500 over listing price! Prior to this, they assisted me in moving to my "forever home" this fall. They helped me decide what items I should move and suggested where to place them for maximum impact. They did some painting and made suggestions on the person that laid flooring and engaged the movers being there during the actual move instructing the movers where to place items. The move was flawless and almost painless! After that they went with us to help select several pieces of furniture and were here two months later when it was delivered. I was very impressed with them when customers approached them at the furniture store and asked them questions. Without hesitation they said what they believed. During the last five years and before these experiences, I had them for three consultations in addition to having them stage three "flippers". With the flippers, they looked at them in their original conditions and made suggestions on what to do to enhance their appearance, flow, and value. They always make economical suggestions and I firmly believe they have saved me more money than what their services have cost. They listen and encourage my input. I can not praise them adequately enough. I look forward to more experiences with them! Norma Walker

From the owner: Staging 2 Sell It is a mother-daughter operated home staging and design business assisting clients…read morewith a wide range of projects, including vacant & occupied staging, interior design services, real estate photography, and interior painting in and around Central Iowa. At Staging 2 Sell It, we believe that every project, big or small, at any stage, or in any neighborhood, deserves to be beautiful and functional.