I love that we have a venue that provides opportunity to see some of the excellent work being…read morecreated by Iowa artists. Outside of galleries, such places are relatively scarce. If you enjoy such things, it is well worth planning a visit. Things to know: * The Gallery is largely volunteer-run. Kudos to the staff for giving up their time to make this happen * The gallery space is not large. If you are not there for a reception/opening, you can probably complete a visit in 30 minutes or less depending on how interesting the current work is * All parking in the area is paid. The easiest is metered street parking, but there are no coin-fed meters in this part of downtown so you will need to feed a parking kiosk (consider the ParkDSM app to make it easy), park in a city lot (one not quite a block away, or in the Polk County administrative offices lot (usually pretty full). * Nearest food and/or drink is within a one block walk * If you are traveling in to visit, it may be worth you effort to call the day before to verify gallery and./or exhibit hours. For a recent exhibit, I planned to visit on the last day of the show (per all social media, etc.), scheduled a business trip around it, took time off, etc. I arrived shortly after noon to find that the exhibit had been pulled down and the new one being installed. I have attempted other (less involved) stops over the years to find their doors closed at unexpected times. Again, consider checking in before visiting. Enjoy your visit!

This gallery gives local Iowans and other artists a place to show their work. This gallery is all…read morevolunteer-run and they are doing a damn good job with displaying art work and putting on receptions.

Ok yea I did a second chance entry on the vip club…read more Well I hit the small prize In the million dollar Christmas give away Second chance drawing Cool setup inside the building Bathroom on the right side The guy at the front welcome desk is the guy to help on the forms and cut the check. Super easy to claim the small prize Less than 20 min! And they have a deal with wells Fargo to cash the small checks. Well worth the drive up just to see the place! If I had more time I would to have asked for the grand tour.

We went to Iowa to get married. I did the application through the mail, as there is a three day…read morewaiting period. I called the recorders office several times before I left Austin to make sure I had everything together. The big day arrives. We show up, and, are greeted by a very friendly clerk who goes over the license with us, then sends us on our way to get married. After the Judge did his thing, we went back and got the official copy of the license on the spot. No waiting! The lady who took care of us was super friendly and knowledgeable. Thanks guys. BTW the fee for the license is only $35.

Well the only times I came here was for vehicle registration changes, property tax information, or…read moremarriage license application. I had no idea they had a section of the building known as the Heritage Gallery! This Gallery showcases art works for different occasions from different artists. They update the works every couple months I believe. When we visited, they had local high school art work showcased and it was cool checking them out! The Gallery is not that big, all you need is 15 minutes max to take a look at everything closely and read their descriptions. Of course, this is free admission! There is a staff member at the desk to the Gallery for you to ask any questions about regarding the artwork!

Many places to visit with lots of awesome local entertainment. Great fun for the family or even a…read moreday-date! We spent hours on the tour and didn't even hit all locations. We ended at Carl's Place (a local bar) which is listed as a "point of interest" on the tour's map. Having a cold beer was a perfect ending to my tour of the neighborhood. This was a really well-organized event. Most (if not all) of the staff were volunteers from the neighborhood. They were all welcoming and friendly. Great community outreach.

This weekend was the 41st anniversary of the Doors to the Past walking tour of the historic homes…read more Lots of volunteers at the homes-all of them were very friendly-even with the rainy/cold weather. It was so interesting to be able to tour numerous homes in the Sherwood area. Some have been renovated back to their original charm. Some are "works in progress" and some had amazing modern touches. It was amazing to see the original plaster details still present and restored tin ceilings. These home owners take great pride in these historical homes and have graciously opened them for the public to view.

Beautiful outdoor park that you spend a good 30+ minutes walking around to admire the art. It was a…read moregreat place to walk through between locations on a hot Saturday.

Whenever I travel I make it a habit to visit sculpture parks and public art installations…read morethroughout the area I'm in. Overall I really enjoy our local parks here in the Des Moines metro including the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park. I think it ranks right up there with parks in some of the major metropolitan areas throughout the United States. That being said... I have to take issue with one piece... Gymnast III. Can we stop pretending that it doesn't look like what it really looks like? Lol It's described as it "captures the basic strength of a bending and stretching athlete..." I was on a school trip with my young daughter when the guide steered our kids away from a nearby nude female bust that used to stand near the Gymnast III statue. We passed by that statue...and headed right over to this one. I whispered to one of the other chaperones... "Really? Away from that one to this one...?" She quietly asked me what I meant. I told her "Just wait... As we walk around it... Let me know when you see it." A few seconds later she grabbed my arm tightly... "Oh my God!" she said in a hushed voice. But with enough emphasis I knew she was seeing it too... We both had a good laugh as the tour guide went on with her explanation of the piece to the children in the group. Both hoping none of the kids would see "it"... I didn't need those questions that day. I'm all about art. And I'm a big fan of the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park. It's a bright spot in the middle of downtown! But I can't help but feel like this piece is part of a HUGE inside joke... I wonder if the sculptor (William Tucker) said... I'm going to create this huge bronze phallic piece! I'm not going to call it what it is though. I'm going to call it Gymnast III and attach a PC interpretation explaining it... And sell it for A LOT of money! Then after the money is in the account...I'm going to sit back and laugh my butt off... Because I know what it really is!" And maybe it's not. Could just be my imagination or my inner 13 year old... BUT from the side it sure looks like one... Tucker also described some of his works as a "prolonged anatomy lesson." Again...really? I think he knew what it looked like too. Lol A popular spot for tourists and photographers. A showpiece many festivals are centered around. Opened in 2009 the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park sits on 4.4 acres. It contains around 30 installations. The parking around it is metered. You will find the Gymnast III statue on the North side of the park. About halfway down right along Grand Ave. Circle around it... Look at it from every angle. Take it all in... And then you tell me what you think...!

Here Nice and cool…read more Quiet Easy to focus on work. Hood helpers and staff. Will be back

I went to the Johnston Public Library for the first time for a free quarterly cooking class. The…read morelibrary is newish and well maintained. They have a conference room equipped with full kitchen and a display mirror. It was the perfect location to host this class. We learned how to make 10 quick and easy holiday appetizers in less that an hour plus we were lucky enough to taste them all too. We were lucky enough to also go home with all of the recipes. The instructor was a good editor for Greydog Media. The library offers a lot of free classes for adults and children. Each class is very professional and a great use of your time. The bathrooms were exceptionally clean too.

My sister moved to Des Moines over a year ago and wanted to finally check out The Capitol on my…read morevisit. We were both very pleased. Absolutely beautiful garden area out in front with plenty of great photo ops. Inside, we did a guided tour and were in awe of the exquisite detail of the building and learning about its history. I recommend checking it out when in town and when the weather is nice because there are plenty of places within walking distance to grab a bite or a cup of coffee/tea.

WOW! The Law Library looks straight out of a fairytale. I swear it looks like the inspiration for…read moreBelle's library in Beauty and the Beast. The gorgeous murals and senate chambers were also impressive. We stopped here on a whim during a recent road trip and were pleasantly surprised by its grandeur and beauty. They offered a free tour, but we opted for a self guided tour instead so we could go on our own pace. We came on a Friday afternoon and someone who worked there told us it's the best day to visit since the place is so busy Mon-Thurs when legislators are in session, that it's often difficult to find a parking spot. But on this quiet Friday morning, we parked in the front row and had no line in front of us as we went through the security metal detector.

Gayle and I recently took my Dad out on a road trip from Ames to Winterset. He'd been here before,…read morebut we took him along anyway as he enjoys the ride. Our first stop along the Covered Bridges Scenic Byway was the Hogback Covered Bridge. You can't drive though this bridge, but you can get a good look from convenient parking on either side. The architecturally distinct Hogback spans about 100 feet over North River, four miles northwest of Winterset. While most of the covered bridges were named for nearby landowners, Hogback was named for the hogback ridge at the west end of the valley. It was designed with a Town lattice truss system and was enjoyable to walk through both inside and out. The 2 Covered Bridges featured in the Bridges of Madison County movie were Roseman and Holliwell.

I enjoyed stopping at Hogback Covered Bridge during a recent visit in Madison County. It's one of…read morethe bridges that is. It open to drive on, so it makes for a nice short walk to see the serene countryside. We took a gravel road there, I'm not sure that there is any other option.