Center Grove Orchard was such a fun place to be this past fall, and in years past. There is so much…read moreto do, you really can make a full day visit. Lost of farm animals to check out, tons of kids activities, a huge pumpkin patch, an apple grove where you can pick your own apples, a train to ride, a corn maze, and a market where there are farm made jams, jellies, peanut butter, honey, baked goods and more. There were also signs up saying there will be strawberry picking in the summer, and they also have fields of flowers in the appropriate seasons. They are striving to make their farm a year-round destination.

My biggest gripe was that this is a family centered destination and there is nowhere for nursing…read moremothers to feed their babies? A worker suggested I feed my baby in a port a potty. I had to go all the way back to the car to feed her. :( A lot of the food stops are closed at the end if the season. The funnel cake place wasn't taking orders because they set the oil too low or something and couldn't give a clear time they would be ready. However! There were some cute photo stops and my kid had a blast in the big corn pool I have never seen anything like it. They also have the BEST applesauce I have ever had.

Got to check this place out during a Yelp event. Without Yelp I would never heard of this place. No…read moregeneral admission unless you want to do the maze prices are very reasonable $8 for anyone over 6, age 4-5 $1, and under is free, great for the whole. It's not a grand big pumpkin patch like the other ones around town that are pretty popular, they do have activities. They have a mini corn maze and the big one is shaped like the Super Mario characters and it's a scavenger hunt that will keep you busy. There is also a campfire. I will say this place is a little run-down, when I pulled into the parking lot I wasn't so sure, don't try to be cute or where cute shoes or dress up it's pretty muddy out there. The staff was nice and they have a kitchen where u can order snacks and some warm to drink when it's chill outside.

I love going to the Pumpkin Patch at Pumpkinville & Cornmaze in Mitchelleville, IA. It's only…read more15-20min drive outside of DSM, and the only dog friendly pumpkin patch. It's our little family tradition to go out a pick pumpkins with a snack and warm cider. This wonderful place has a cute treasure hunt in the corn maze, tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, corn kernel pit for the kiddos, and a small little snack shop. You can even have a little bonfire there while drinking warm apple cider.

It's a great summer tradition to come here. But your tickets in advance online and we recommend…read morearriving 30 minutes prior to gate opening for a decent spot. They usually play a new movie with a newer movie. They also do a new movie with an old movie. They also do themes for Halloween. They offer food in the center booth. I recommend getting your pizza ordered as soon as you can. The wait can be really long if you don't.(like a hourish) Overall it's a great experience you have to do this at least once.

Great time to be had at the only drive-in theater in Iowa!…read more Pricing per ticket is extremely reasonable, especially if you stay for the 2nd movie. If everyone parked one car between the white posts as instructed, the line of sight would have been better, but it still wasn't bad. Next time we plan to park in the front row to let the kids have more time to run around in our sight line. You can pack you our car with anything and everything, and there is plenty of room to set up chairs and coolers around your vehicle. The concession stand was a little pricey - more in line with a big city theater. But the quality of the food was stellar. And the pizzas were a big hit - one price, mix & match your toppings. And when you consider the ticket prices, these seem more manageable. They also have the cutest t-shirts! The only Cons we had were: 1. The on-site audio system (little car speakers) were all disconnected due to a past storm. (And it sounded like an epic off-season repair to fix.) So we had to rely on our car radios. But our lights wouldn't turn off if the auxiliary system was on. So we couldn't use our car radio. The concession stand offered old-school AM/FM radios to borrow (in exchange for a drivers license.) we went through 2 before finding one that would stay on tune 88.7. But we had to return it halfway through the 2nd movie when the concession stand closed. 2. There was a cell tower less than 1/2 mile away. It's too bad that there wasn't WiFi available. We had brought our own speakers, but without WiFi we couldn't used digital tuners. So, only a 1 star loss. We'll either bring our own radio next time, or figure something else out. It's an experience and our kids had a good time.

We took a weekend adventure to Pella and looked for nearby wineries while in the area. To our…read moredelight, we found Van Wijk which looked beautiful from the outside. We were excited as it was 5pm and they were open until 10 (typically on Saturday wineries are only open until 6). So, we went in, hoping to do a wine tasting and share a bottle on the patio. We were told we couldn't do a tasting since there was a wedding going on. Okay. So we tried 2-3 samples so we could order a glass we liked. The very few we tried were ok. We were at least able to pick one. Then we went to the patio. Photos of the view are attached. Beautiful view of an alley and someone's house and some cars. The best part is over our speaker we heard this couples entire wedding ceremony. We could see it through the patio doors too. Talk about uncomfortable. I'm thinking the winery should close to the public when they have a wedding ceremony going on - since we couldn't get the same service and had to listen to someone's wedding. What a strange experience. Good thing we never come through Sully, Iowa! Seemed like it could've been a cute place...if it closed for weddings.

Who would a thought??? Love this place!!! We were clueless upon walking in and the owners…read moregreeted us right away. They walked us through the tasting and gave us several options for next steps. We decided to purchase flights of various wines. The owners gave excellent recommendations and encouraged us to taste new things. Then we went to the deck to enjoy our choices. It was a beautiful atmosphere with preferred seating both inside and out . Prices are extremely reasonable and we bought some wine to go. A fabulous time!!

Hidden garden treasure. Not far off I-80, totally worth the side trip. Well designed, well cared…read morefor and has a variety of garden types. Everything is well labeled and identified. Takes about 30 minutes to stroll through the garden. Sculptures throughout add to the ambience and are very interesting. Walkways are concrete and shaded. Restrooms available. Free.

I can't resist neighborhood spots when traveling, so was stoked that I could hit Saints Rest and…read moreJay's Deli simultaneously! Getting into the fall season feels, I ordered a pumpkin latte....with almond milk (don't judge, am lactose intolerant!). It was so delish! Smooth, tasty and well balanced. This local coffee shop was cozy, casual and seemed like a great spot for Grinnellians - I would be a regular if I lived here!

Mocha was too sweet to drink. Had a few sips, added coffee to try and make it better and drank a…read morebit more but eventually gave up. Didn't have any savory breakfast food options but cookies and muffins looked good. Cute local place if you like black coffee and want to hang out. But probably not if you want espresso drinks.

Im so excited to come here!!! We have met the owner and she's the nicest person i feel like I've…read moreever met!!! I'm definitely going to do the summer classes!!

Excellent documents & books about Tama County. Jail cell is upstairs & you can go tour it during…read moretheir open hours. .There is an old wood cabin nearby that was moved there from another site. With the volunteer's help I have found numerous obits & births for my geneology research.