The epicenter of porcine bliss is truly the BRBF! 2012's festival boasted 4700+ visitors, 20+…read morerestaurants, 9 beers, two breweries and 10 bacon exhibitors. Bacon shirts were the norm and you discover the brilliance that is the combination of libation and dry cured magic. The building at the fairgrounds is a great location with plenty of vendor space around the periphery and mingling space in the middle. Three lecture rooms hosted talks ranging from how to make your own bacon to how bacon will help you survive the apocalypse. Helpful stuff! Unlimited samples of bacon and bacon themed entrees, bacon shirts, koozies, bacon eating contests and live music await you when you come across this glimpse of heaven! This festival is a must try for those who appreciate any and everything bacon. Great samples of meat, local fare and tons of new pork loving friends! Worth the trip every time!

This studio is AMAZING! Nicole and her team provide a well rounded, complete, and elite dancing…read moreexperience for your child. She has created a supportive environment for your dancer to learn, grow, and thrive in a positive space. Our family LOVES the studio dance family and hopes you will too!

We go here for their comic-con. it's huge, thus useful for such…read more Parking is reasonable. Keeping in mind that many, many people will attend such events, expect to walk a distance. Or roll, or be rolled. Etc. We've enjoyed the location and will return.

The event center is a convenient location and is used for a variety of events through the year…read more Today we attended the home and garden show. Events usually have paid parking options but it's definitely worth cruising around to see if you can find street parking. If you're adventurous, you can try to navigate the skywalk to get here.

The Iowa Stage Theatre was a merger between to incredible local production companies The Repertory…read moreTheatre of Iowa and StageWest Theatre Co. They put on intimate productions at the Kum And Go Theater at the Des Moines Social Club. This past year they won multiple Cloris Awards, including Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress! They do everything from Shakespear to Tony Award winning more modern productions! Our city has a vast group of local theater talent, and this is a fantastic company if you are looking to catch a show!

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.

Let me first start by saying, everyone is so nice in Iowa. Having said that, Margie takes the cake…read moreon sweet. In fact, I think after meeting her my wife and I have to see the dentist because we might have cavities. When we walked in, we explained we just wanted to make a penny from the penny machine. Margie asked if we had a shiny enough penny for our collection. We told her no. Margie then dug through all the pennies in the drawer to find my wife and I's future penny. Margie found the chosen one and gave it to us. We made our penny. On top of which, the museum was going to close shortly, so Margie allowed us to just check out the museum. Iowa takes great pride in their state and people. My wife and I were in and out in 10 minutes, but we left with a life time of memories. Thank you very much again Margie.

I was able to stop in to this unique and very nice museum of local High School sports and…read moreactivities features. There are interactive exibits along with a lot of items to read and become immersed in. There is a nice meeting space for presentations, etc. The staff were quite friendly and they support the community well. Features all the regular sports like basketball, football, baseball, etc. but also sports and activities such as dance, bowling, agriculture and more. So many of the things that make the state of Iowa a great place. Worth a stop in to see it all. Take your time and enjoy.

MACY IS AS OUTSTANDING!! She treated all of my military friends with nothing but kindness!!! This…read morewas our second time and we will be back! THANK YOU MACY AND AMELIA!!! Godbless you guys

Could've sold food. The games were fun and over all a good vibe. Bartenders were very friendly.read more

Want to learn more about this amazing state? Then plan your trip to take a tour of the exhibits at…read morethe Historical Building. Conveniently located near a free parking ramp and the State Capitol building (while you're at it, take a tour there too!). This building also hosts events. I have attended a roof top wedding reception and a day long symposium is the auditorium.

There are an excellent array of exhibits here! Ranging from early Iowa settler history, to civil…read morerights war, and everything in between until present day! It's free, and there's a good amount of info in short blurbs so it's all easy to read. There's interactive exhibits and it's all very clean. Definitely check this out to learn a lot about Iowa and US history in the context of Iowa. It's very kid friendly as well.