the limited selection leaves much to be desired. Staff is nice, but the limited choice doesn't…read morebring much value

Planning a fireworks show.... talk to Chris and Janet as they have a great deal of expertise and…read morehave a terrific selection of fireworks. Very cool to be able to view videos of each cake, mortar, and displays right there in their shop. Their knowledge has made me a loyal customer since they opened, and continue to look forward to visiting with them each year for our fireworks display.

Decent lake for watersports in Ames, IA area. Water isn't the clearest, but a lot of fun…read morenonetheless. Unlimited engines allowed so great for canoes to jet skis.

Raccoon River Park is a great place to recreate. It brings the beauty of the great outdoors to Des…read moreMoines. It has a huge lake, lots of streams, a dog park, softball fields, and forest trails. It's a great place to have a picnic or just enjoy a beautiful sunset (see picture). I enjoy relaxing here and enjoying the outdoors whenever in Iowa. It's great for runs or family excursions. It's well-maintained. I love this place!

This is a great multi-use park located near Valley Junction. They have a family friendly beach…read morearea, a newly installed accessible playground, dog park (permit required), walking/bike path, and boat house where you can rent kayaks and stand up paddle boards. There are also soccer fields and baseball/softball diamonds close by. Lots of parking lots near various areas.

Fun AAA ballpark WHERE I CAUGHT MY FIRST BALL EVER!!! Beyond that, we had a 250 person event and it…read morewent flawlessly. We had the entire right field bleachers to ourselves. Shade for those who wanted it, sit anywhere to watch the game. Food was in good supply pregame. Supposedly pulled with first pitch but they did what I would hope: put all the remaining food out so we can take from it. (But seriously guys, if you read this? Keep serving through the first inning or so. Please.) Also a second note: Audio didn't really carry to the outfield. No secondary video screen to supplement the one directly behind us. For that fifth star, please beef that up a bit!

2 weeks ago I was visiting Des Moines, IA for 4 days visiting a friend. When planning the trip,…read moreshe wanted me to look for things I wanted to do. I did some searching and found out Des Moines was home to Iowa Cubs, AAA affiliate, of Chicago Cubs. My friend somehow got a coupon for a buy 1 ticket get 1 ticket free. I think total was $20. It was on 3rd baseline on second tier level of seats. They don't accept cash at concession stands. You have fo get a card to load or you can use a credit card. I tried to load the card my friend had but it didn't work. So we got a new card and loaded that up. I went to one stand to get beer for myself. I also got an order of steak fries. It seemed like a small portion for the price but whatever. The stadium is definitely smaller than major league ball parks. Worcester Red Sox were playing the Iowa Cubs. 6 hits Final Score 0-1 Cubs Winning. The stadium was clean, signs easy to follow.

2026 Edition! The weather truly pulled through this year! I also tried lots of new items. Here's…read moresome of what I got at the Iowa state fair: * All-American scrambled egg roll [NEW] * Ultimate bacon-brisket Mac & cheese donut [NEW] * Ultimate minneapple pie [NEW] * Chopped Italian ham hoagie * Garlic dill cheese curds [NEW] Not pictured: bucket of cookies :) My favorite new food item was definitely the bacon brisket mac and cheese donut!

First time at the Iowa State Fair! As a typical Minnesota State Fair goer, I was trying to keep my…read moreexpectations low. Overall, I had a great day and a ton of fun!! Definitely bring a reusable water and a handheld fan. It's hot. I loved that there were so many places to refill our water bottles. We got there via the free parking ramp in Des Moines on Center and 7th then took the $3 round trip DART bus which worked like a charm. Super easy to navigate. We were dropped off at Gate 10 then worked counterclockwise around the fair. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was how many golf carts/cars would be on the roads at the fair. I kept feeling like I was going to get hit. My favorite food by far was the hot beef sundae ($10) from Cattleman's Beef Quarters. Can't go wrong with hot beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cheese. We got a delicious donut ($5) outside the swine barn then saw the biggest pig I've ever seen in my life -- 1,296 lbs! We saw a sheep sheering contest in the sheep barn, then wandered around the fair up to the agriculture building for a (FREE) hard boiled egg on a stick and the butter cow. We cooled off in the Culture Center and saw the amazing photography and fine art submissions. They have nice bathrooms in that building. Then we got the deep fried pb&j ($10 each, grape was better than strawberry) which were another favorite of the day. One of my other food highlights were the cheese curds from Brad and Harry's ($8). Same vibe as the mouth trap cheese curds in MN. Delicious and a fair food staple. Some foods that did not wow me: The corn brats ($8) which are like corn dogs but with brats instead of hotdogs. My hopes for these were too high. They were fine. Nothing beats a pronto pup. The Minneapple Pie ($14). Everyone in Iowa was raving about it. It was fine, not worth the money in my opinion. Barksdale's cup of cookies ($5). Not good. Would not get again.