Being a native of Iowa. Yet moving away 12 yrs ago. I have to say…read more The Midwest has many pockets where you would least expect. The high level of customer service & genuine level of kindness. The building is honestly still absolutely beautiful In it's design. People were very helpful & friendly. Now the- Clerk of Court employees. Debbie, Marsha & Albert. These 3 are God sent Angel's. I have been dealing with a matter over the phone. Via from Las Vegas, NV. From day one. I believe starting July. I have had the pleasure speaking & working with all 3 of these lovely individuals. They all listened to me. Went above and beyond their required job duties. I couldn't thank them enough. So if you are ever needing assistance from the Clerk of Court. Make sure you get one of the mentioned 3 individuals. You are definitely in good hands. I highly recommend this court house. Even if it's just to stop by & check out nothing more then all of its beauty. From the people. To its wondrous Architectural design.

I love old historic buildings, even when they are under construction!…read more Now I guess I would have rather taken a tour of the Polk County Courthouse, instead of being called for my civic duties of Jury Duty.. But hey I also get to check out this beautiful building I have always admired from the outside but never actually went in! The building is pretty epic, with beautiful stain glassed ceiling, and cool murals, epic stair cases that would make Rocky sweat and lots of vending machines to get you through the door if you need it! I got to go in the Jury's waiting room and also visit 2 different court rooms while I was there! It's pretty cool to feel like you are in the scenes of Law and Order for an afternoon minus the great Olivia Benson! Man I wish she was there to have a coffee outside on the steps with me, and reporters were running up to us to ask us questions! Oh well real is real and fake is fake, and this building is real cool!

We visited the bridges of Madison County entirely by accident during the Covered Bridge Festival…read more That just happened to be the time that we were driving through the area and we honestly had no idea until we arrived. I honestly think the timing kind of put a damper on our experience. Instead of being able to take in the bridges quietly and enjoy this scenery, there were people everywhere including loud groups and dust was getting kicked up on us constantly. It was really difficult to find parking and there was just a general sense of disturbance of the piece and the beauty of the nature surrounding us. It was also virtually impossible to get any good photographs. I know we've come a long way and our phones can remove a person or two from a picture, but crowds of people make it much more difficult. After the first few Bridges, we figured if our visit was going to be disturbed in this way, we might as well balance things out by checking out the main festival in winterset. Unfortunately, when we arrived we realized that dogs are not allowed even though it's an outdoor fair. That made it even more frustrating because we couldn't even enjoy some kennel corn to make up for the overcrowded bridge visits. All that said, the bridges themselves are still really lovely and historical and I can see why this area is loved and that people would come from all around to celebrate the bridges. I would still recommend coming to take a look at them, but definitely to avoid the festival weekend if you're looking for a more peaceful, reflective experience.

I took a tour through the chamber of commerce and had Jewel as my tour guide. She was very…read moreinformative and fun to be around. I loved all of the history that she shared with me and all of the personal stories in between. Highly recommend!

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.

My visits to state capitols are few and far between, but after visiting the Iowa State Capitol, I…read morewant to make a point of visiting more whenever I travel to other states. My son started attending law school in Des Moines and so I was trying to see what the city has to offer. Visiting the capitol building was one of the things that kept popping up on things to do. We decided to check it out on a Saturday and luckily they do guided tours which I highly recommend. Completed in 1886, they have done a remarkable job preserving this place and showcasing it's beauty. It sits on top of a hill and offers great views of the city from every side. One of the first things you notice from the outside is the gold dome. The ornate outside facade carries inside where it is just as beautiful. You'll notice intricate wood decor as well as marble, gold and other beautiful materials. You can visit the historic supreme court chambers and see all the offices of state officials. The law library is by far my favorite part of the building. I felt like I was in some movie like Harry Potter or something. You have to see it in person to really comprehend the beauty. The wood and gold along with the spiraling staircases and law books stacked to the high ceiling was cool to see. If you aren't afraid of heights, you can take a long winding staircase at the top of the dome. We were one of the last tours so we didn't really get to really take our time and soak in all this place has to offer. I will most definitely come back next time I am in town visiting the kiddo. It was absolutely something I did not expect to see deep in the Midwest.

Dad and I recently took a daytime road trip from Ames to parts of South Central Iowa. Here in…read moreWinterset (think Bridges of Madison County), they have gorgeous town square. In the middle is a stunning County Courthouse which are surrounded by shops behind all 4 streets. I love local arcitecture! As this is a tourist area, the business district appears to be fairly robust and with various interesting shops. And the John Wayne Museum is within a short walking distance.

A great genealogy library in the heart of Montezuma, IA right across from the courthouse and…read moreSheriff's office. The ladies are fabulous, the library is beautifully done with lots of antiques and its simply a must first stop if researching family history in Poweshiek County, IA. Location is *now* smack dead center of town at: (Old Carnegie Library Bldg) 200 S 3rd St P.O. Box 280 Montezuma, IA 50171 Phone: (641) 623-3322