Making travel arrangements to visit Iowa? Look at our carefully selected list of top Iowa attractions below on the best thing to do in Iowa and places to go in Iowa. Wondrous Drifter is a Web 3.0 travel startup with ambitious goals to change the world.
With heavy woods in the east and grassland and prairie running west, Iowa is one of the better-looking states in the Midwest.
Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport, Iowa’s three major cities, carry the museums, the restaurants and the landmarks between them.
If you want a state you can reach easily by road or by air, put Iowa on the list.
And once you are here, Iowa runs a longer list of things to do than its reputation suggests.
Because the landscape changes as you cross it, Iowa covers both the outdoor time and the wildlife.
Most of these places are open to visitors, and the money you spend stays where you spend it.
The state mixes rural, suburban and urban, which is what happens when a metro area grows into farmland.
Whether you came for a city or for open country, Iowa has a version of it.
Make sure to check out all of Iowa’s incredible sights and activities.
It’s worth every trip you’ll ever make in Iowa.
We have put together a list of things to do and places to see in Iowa to build the trip around.
American Gothic Barn (Eldon)
Iowa’s attractions are spread wide and almost none of them cluster together. The grotto sits out in the northwest and the caves over in the east. Winterset holds two of the entries here and the rest all stand alone. Des Moines is the only base that shortens any of those drives at all. Plan around one region rather than around the state as a whole.
A painted American Gothic Barn waits at the end of the drive, set back in the trees.
On Route 30 near Mount Vernon, Iowa, you’ll find this roadside attraction.
Artist Mark Benesh was hired to paint the barn on private land. Hence it’s so unique.
The painting itself is the one everybody knows, a farmer and his daughter or wife in 19th century Americana colonial patterns, standing in front of the American Gothic House.
The barn’s wooden exterior is painted on all four sides.
American Gothic-style farmhouse serves as the painting’s backdrop.
This parodic artwork covers the entire outer front wall of the barn.
Full-color bison move across Iowa’s prairie and farmland on the other three walls.
When the last owner, Carl Smith, died in 1991, he left the house to the State Historical Society of Iowa.
It is a good place to stop for a while, with the country around it and a piece of painting on the side of a barn.
Address: 1278 US-30, Mt Vernon, IA 52314, United States
Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad (Boone)
Located in Boone County, Iowa, the Heritage Railroad still runs freight and passenger operations.
A subsidiary of the Iowa Railroad Historical Society, the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad and Museum runs through the Des Moines River Valley and some of the finest country in the Midwest.
The organization exists to keep Iowa’s railroad heritage running, and it puts on steam locomotive tours across the countryside.
Some of the old trains that worked this line are still in service today.
The Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad and Museum is one of the few places anywhere where you can see steam, diesel and electric locomotives all working.
There are a variety of activities available for visitors to this well-liked destination.
A trip on Thomas the Train, for example, is offered on occasion by the railroad as part of a unique family event.
Comfortable bi-level commuter coaches also run on the line.
There are lunch, dinner and picnic runs as well.
This is not only a museum for adults; children take to it just as fast. Put it on the Iowa list.
Address: 225 10th St, Boone, IA 50036, United States
With 50 states in the US, it can be difficult to decide which state to visit next. Check out our USA travel guide and explore each state!
Castles of Ida Grove (Ida Grove)
The Castles of Ida Grove look like they were lifted out of the medieval world and dropped onto Iowa’s rolling plains.
The Castles of Ida Grove, near Ida Grove, Iowa, are the kind of thing you drive back to look at twice.
The castles were built by Byron LeRoy Godberson, a local multimillionaire who made his money as an inventor and businessman.
Godberson, it is fair to say, liked castles.
Thanks to his vision, his company’s buildings were constructed in a medieval style that resembles something out of Europe in the 12th century.
It was intended for these oddly positioned structures to stimulate tourism in Iowa, and they have succeeded in doing so.
The castles copy real stone construction, down to the battlements, the curtain walls, the towers and the gatehouses.
Ida Grove holds seven castles in all. Some you can only see from outside, the way you would any workplace, and others are open.
Some look like castles and are nothing of the kind, the Golf Course Bridge and Skate Palace among them, which are sports facilities.
Godberson also built an eight-acre artificial lake and named it after his wife, LaJune.
A half-scale model of HMS Bounty sits on the lake that used to be a cornfield. The Mutiny on the Bounty is where the design came from.
One man’s idea, built at full size. Put this one on the list.
Address: Highway 175, Ida Grove, IA, United States
When you explore Iowa on your road trip, do not forget to add Cedar Rapids and Davenport to your travel bucket list, check out the best things to do in Cedar Rapids and the best things to do in Davenport!
Des Moines
This city rewards the time you give it, and you come away knowing more than you did.
Des Moines, Iowa sits in Polk County and serves as both the state capital and the county seat.
The city’s more than 215,000 residents live across 52 neighborhoods with more than 4,000 acres of parkland and 81 miles of trails between them.
It also runs on solid finances and delivers city services that keep people involved in the place they live.
It is not hard to see why Des Moines, Iowa is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the Midwest.
Des Moines runs one of the shortest commutes in the country for a city its size, averaging 19.2 minutes.
The Iowa State Fairgrounds and the Capitol Building are the two anybody visiting Des Moines should take.
The Blank Park Zoo and the Pappajohn Sculpture Park both earn a stop as well.
Put the State of Iowa Historical Museum on the list of things to do in Des Moines.
Work through the best-known attractions in Des Moines while you are in town.
Address: Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Loving Iowa? When you visit Iowa’s tourist attractions, do check out the best and most fun things to do in Sioux City and things to do in Waterloo, Iowa!
Elk Horn (Iowa)
Elk Horn holds the only authentic working Danish windmill in the United States.
Elk Horn sits in Shelby County.
The town takes its name from Elkhorn Creek, which runs through it, and was formed in 1901.
In town you can take the Museum of Danish America.
Iowa’s Elk Horn and Kimballton Danish Villages are the country’s biggest rural Danish communities.
A mill has been at the Danish Villages in Iowa for the last 40 years.
It has become one of the places in this state that visitors actually make the drive for.
After the Museum of Danish America and a walk around downtown, take a tour of the Danish Windmill Museum.
For a pint and something solid to eat, stop into Larsen’s Pub.
Tivoli Inn & Suites is where you stay if you want to drop out of contact for a while.
There is more here than the size of Elk Korn suggests. Add it to the list.
Address: Elk Horn Iowa 51531, USA
When you travel to Iowa for vacation, do not miss out on what Des Moines has to offer. Visit our travel guide – the best things to do in Des Moines, Iowa.
Fenelon Place Elevator (Dubuque)
It calls itself the shortest, steepest and most scenic train anywhere.
The Fenelon Place Elevator in Dubuque, Iowa is a three-foot-wide funicular said to be the world’s shortest and steepest elevator.
Built in 1882 by the industrialist J.K. Graves, the elevator is a vintage cable car running on a very short railway.
At 296 feet long, it lifts you from Fourth Street up to Fenelon Place, which sits on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.
It’s a breathtaking view from Fenelon Place in downtown Dubuque, along with the Mississippi River and three more states in the area.
On the other hand, partially mitigated cables are used to move a train up and down the cliff.
As the place caught on, locals took to playing cards in a small apartment built above the operator’s house.
If you want to see this part of the state today or over the weekend, the Fenelon Place Elevator is how you get above Iowa City and everything around it.
Riding it, you can picture yourself as an 18th-century socialite moving between one century and another.
This is the quick stop in Iowa that everybody remembers afterwards.
Address: 512 Fenelon Pl, Dubuque, IA 52001, United States
Grotto of the Redemption (West Bend)
One of the world’s largest man-made grottos, it is a must-see for anybody visiting Iowa.
The phrase “eighth wonder of the world” is frequently used to refer to this sequence of nine grottos depicting scenes from Jesus’ life.
To this day, the grotto exists as a testament in stone, a priceless piece of art.
A total of nine distinct grottoes were created, and the collection of valuable stones and jewels inside is the world’s greatest.
As a matter of fact, in 2001, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and has since appeared in films including Roadside America and Disney’s The Straight Story.
Minerals and rocks totaling $4 million were used to build this beautiful attraction, which draws more than 100,000 people each year.
The Grotto of Redemption is a man-made wonder that few would expect to encounter in rural Iowa, regardless of their religious views.
In addition, there is a gift store where you may purchase mementos, as well as camping facilities with 55 RV sites and 20 tent sites.
The museum is open all year round, so feel free to stop by whenever you like!
When you visit, discover why the Grotto of the Redemption is referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
Address: 208 1st Ave NW, West Bend, IA 50597, United States
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (West Branch)
This national historic site, Herbert Hoover’s birthplace, is where the charity and the empathy that shaped him started.
As the country’s 31st president, he will be recognized for bringing about the Great Depression.
Established in 1965, the property is set on 60 acres of Iowa forest.
Herbert Hoover’s legacy is kept here across old buildings, museums and the ground they stand on.
The grounds of the park include a visitor center, a recreation of President Hoover’s childhood home, a presidential library and museum, and the resting place of the former president and his wife.
As part of the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, the Birthplace Cottage provides a focus for visitors to the West Branch area.
The site sits directly beside West Branch’s historic downtown.
There is also the Artists-in-Residence Program, where local artists read the site through their own work and show how they got there.
You can rent picnic shelters and book field trips here and across the other attractions.
If you are heading to Iowa and want a historical landmark that carries weight, this is the one.
Address: 110 Parkside Dr, West Branch, IA 52358, United States
Iowa 80 Trucking Museum (Walcott)
Bill Moon, the man behind the Iowa 80 Truckstop, wanted a trucking museum in his home state.
The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum now shows trucks that carry a story and open up the working lives behind them.
Bill has always collected antique trucks and vintage cars, and he collected a great many.
The museum runs over 100 antique trucks, more than 300 gas station signs and 24 historic gas pumps.
For those interested in vintage toy trucks, the museum has a sizable collection on hand as well.
Visitors can see short films on trucking history in a repertory theater.
Which makes this a straightforward way to come away knowing something about the vehicles in the room.
Every month the museum picks a truck of the month, tells its history and passes on whatever oddities came with it.
The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum is the stop for anybody who follows the things other people drive past.
Address: 505 Sterling Dr, Walcott, IA 52773, United States
John Wayne Birthplace and Museum (Winterset)
This museum is given over entirely to one of the defining American actors.
In 1982, some years after John Wayne’s death, the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum was built.
John Wayne was an American actor known above all for playing the hard, patriotic cowboy.
His legacy runs across the 6,100 square foot memorial built for him.
His house stands directly next door to the museum.
You get the most complete collection of John Wayne memorabilia anywhere, original movie posters, costumes, screenplays, contracts, letters and sculptures.
You can also see one of John Wayne’s last custom-built automobiles.
A short documentary on John Wayne’s life runs in the facility’s cinema theater.
And work through the gift shop’s John Wayne stock, which covers both souvenirs and the serious collector.
Whether or not John Wayne means anything to you, this museum does his career justice and it is a good hour in Iowa.
Address: 205 S John Wayne Dr, Winterset, IA 50273, United States
Corn runs out to the horizon and then something absurd appears inside of it. A castle, a funicular railway, and a grotto built from imported stone alone. Each one of them exists because one person would not let it go. The towns sitting around them stay small, flat and quiet the whole way. That contrast is the whole experience of driving right across this state.
King’s Pointe Outdoor Water Park Resort (Storm Lake)
Hot outside, and you would rather be in the water or under an umbrella?
Kings Pointe Outdoor Water Park is where you get out of the Iowa summer.
Sunrise cottages, hotel rooms and suites are among the lodging options the resort runs.
Along with the Sunrise Pointe Golf Course and Pirates’ Pointe Mini Golf, there is plenty else on the site.
Keep in mind that many of their attractions are suitable for both adults and children!
Guests may also look forward to the resort’s indoor and outdoor water parks.
There are tube slides, a lazy river, a wave pool and attractions built for the youngest.
The restaurants run breakfast, lunch and dinner across everything from fast food to the formal end.
Planning an event? The 2,750-square-foot function room at the hotel takes it.
A whole day of uninterrupted activity, excitement, and recreation awaits you at King’s Pointe Outdoor Waterpark Resort!
Address: 1520 E Lakeshore Dr, Storm Lake, IA 50588, United States
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (Sioux)
This site holds its place in history because two explorers came through it.
The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center takes its name from Lewis and Clark, who led a military expedition across the Louisiana Purchase and on to the Pacific Northwest.
The 1804 voyage is what this interactive, animated museum is built around.
The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City, Iowa runs permanent and temporary displays covering Sergeant Charles Floyd’s death and burial.
Because the whole Lewis and Clark story is too large to tell in one building, the museum concentrates on what they did in this region.
Among the exhibits at the Interpretive Center is a keelboat theater running the 15-minute video “A Visit with William Clark.”
You also get lifelike animatronics of Thomas Jefferson, both Lewis and Clark, Sergeant Charles Floyd, and Seaman with his prairie dog.
There are free picture and art exhibitions, educational programs and activities covering the region’s land, rivers and people.
The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center earns its place among the attractions worth the drive in Iowa.
If you are planning the trip, this is how you get the most out of what the center runs.
Address: 900 Larsen Park Rd, Sioux City, IA 51103, United States
Maquoketa Caves State Park (Maquoketa)
Maquoketa Caves State Park stands out even on a page of unusual places in Iowa.
Maquoketa Caverns State Park pulls the visitors it does because it holds more caves than any other state park in Iowa or the country.
One of the first state parks in Iowa, Maquoketa Caves has been where people picnic and walk since the early 1800s.
This 111-acre park, northwest of Maquoketa, is a recognized historic landmark and sits on the National Register of Historic Places.
The cliffs stand over a six-mile trail system running through geological formations and woodland with plenty moving in it.
You can camp at the refurbished campsite, or take one of the rougher walking routes instead.
Which makes the park the place for walking, looking, exploring and doing very little at all.
The campsites, picnic pavilions, bathrooms, playground and the park’s museum are all open to you while you are there.
With everything it runs, a day at this park earns itself.
Address: 9688 Caves Rd, Maquoketa, IA 52060, United States
National Hobo Museum (Britt)
For three long-time hobos and past Hobo Kings, the National Hobo Museum was years of work before it was a building.
The Hobo Foundation was founded in the 1970s by three former hoboes who wanted the heritage of the American Hobo kept.
The National Hobo Convention started in 1900, put together by hobos and local people. It has been held in Britt, Iowa ever since.
Part of what they took on was keeping the history of the American Hobo and Britt Hobo Days alive.
The three friends purchased the Chief Movie Theater in Britt, Iowa, with the help of a single box of hobo antiques and the money they had received as a present.
In addition, the museum has short documentaries, texts, audio recordings, hobo crafts, and more on show.
The collections cover a century of the National Hobo Convention along with the personal collections of well-known American hobos.
To get at what the life actually was, the museum runs a small cinema showing documentaries, a large library of written material and a substantial souvenir store.
The museum’s store sells t-shirts, postcards, walking sticks and other hobo crafts.
If you want Iowa’s hobo culture first hand, the National Hobo Museum is where it is kept.
Address: 51 Main Ave S, Britt, IA 50423, United States
Orange City, Iowa
It is no surprise Orange City, Iowa turns up among the places worth taking in this state.
Orange City, Iowa sits in Sioux County and takes its name from William of Orange, a Dutch explorer and colonist.
A group of Dutch settlers from Pella, Iowa, looking for somewhere decent and cheaper to settle, built Orange City.
Before it was renamed for Dutch nobility, the town was simply called Holland.
The Dutch Bakery and De Koffiehoek & Bistro are the two to eat at while you work the town out.
In addition, the Woudstra Meat Market and the Stitch Studio are worth a visit.
On the other hand, Orange City’s annual Tulip Festival attracts thousands of tourists worldwide.
While you are there, take the older Dutch customs the town has kept hold of.
The event is known well beyond this state, with children and adults performing in traditional Dutch costume, two parades a day, musical theater at night, a carnival midway, Dutch specialties, serious cooking and tens of thousands of tulips through the town.
Walk the Dutch-style architecture of Orange City while you are here.
Address: Orange City, Plymouth County, Iowa
Pottawattamie Squirrel Cage Jail (Bluffs)
You’ll be in awe of this tourist attraction the entire time you’re here.
The Pottawattamie Squirrel Cage Jail, situated in Council Bluffs, Iowa, was established in 1885 and is worth a trip.
When William H. Brown came up with the rotating prison in the 19th century, it was a cell design that worked like a carousel, opening one cell at a time.
The Pottawattamie Squirrel Cage Jail is one of only three prisons anywhere built this way.
The jail stayed in operation until 1969.
The Pottawattamie County Historical Society took the Pottawattamie County Jail over and made it a museum site after it closed.
You can tour the Pottawattamie Squirrel Cage Jail.
You see the cells on the tour, though the cage itself no longer turns.
Even so, the cells show you one of the stranger ideas anybody has had about how to build a jail.
This one belongs on the Iowa list, and it is worth planning around.
Address: 226 Pearl St, Council Bluffs, IA 51503, United States
Reiman Gardens (Ames)
Visiting the Reiman Gardens in Iowa is a must-do for visitors.
Reiman Gardens, named for a university president who had a passion for gardening, is a well-kept area open to the public.
Located on 17 acres of campus land, the Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University offer a magnificent view.
The garden was established in the early 1900s as part of the university’s objective to educate students in horticulture.
Reiman Gardens is one of the best and most unusual gardens in the country for students, teachers, and staff to explore, investigate, and learn.
In addition, you’ll get to see a broad range of flora, including fragrant herbs, rose gardens, towering palm trees, species unique to the prairie area, and much more.
The interior tropical paradise of the garden is also home to over 800 lovely and colorful butterflies.
The garden has been a sanctuary of natural beauty and instruction for generations of students and visitors.
Importantly, the garden is accessible to people with disabilities.
There is no better tourist destination than Reiman Gardens, which is free to enter!
Address: 1407 University Blvd, Ames, IA 50011, United States
Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption (West Bend)
If you have not made the trip to the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption, you are missing something the country has nothing else like.
There are nine separate grottos, each one taking a different part of the life of Jesus.
The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is the largest man-made grotto in the world. It also holds one of the finest collections of semi-precious stones and jewels anywhere.
A promise made to the Blessed Virgin Mary is what set Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein building the shrine, and it stands to the memory of that German immigrant.
He swore he would build a shrine in Mary’s honor if he recovered from his illness. That is how the Grotto of the Redemption Shrine came to exist.
Dobberstein was a serious artist as well as a well-read and committed priest. He kept extraordinary gems in his safe for over a decade before using them.
Under the care of Deacon Gerald Streit, this four-story, nine-grotto structure is still growing.
Group and private visits run all year.
Take the tour and work through some of the finest country Iowa has around it.
Address: 208 1st Ave NW, West Bend, IA 50597, United States
The Iowa Theatre (Winterset)
An old supermarket and butcher shop once stood on the ground it occupies.
The Iowa Theater opened to the public in 1914.
It is a non-profit, multi-purpose movie theater and entertainment venue called Iowa Theater.
As the Madisonian highlighted, “a first-class cinema show” was now possible thanks to the renovated front and raised theater floor.
The current attraction is a refurbished movie theater with beautiful balcony seats, huge oak doors to welcome guests, and a beautiful marquee sign.
In addition, the theater offers master seminars and training programs for actors and dancers.
All-inclusive theatrical experiences are what the theater is all about.
The Iowa Theater is a one-stop shop for movies, live performances, seminars, and auditions.
In addition, this museum tells the story of Iowa’s cinema history as a legendary movie theater that has lasted for a long time, changed to keep up with new technology, and changed to meet the needs of its audience.
If you’re looking for historical sites, look no farther than the Iowa Theater, one of the most enjoyable places to visit in Iowa.
Address: 121 John Wayne Dr, Winterset, IA 50273, United States
Villisca Axe Murder House (Villisca)
There is nowhere better to test whether you can actually read a crime scene than the Villisca Axe Murder House.
If you do not know the house’s history, eight people were killed here in 1912.
By the account that has come down, an axe-wielding killer murdered eight people in their sleep in June 1912.
Six members of the Moore family and two of their friends died that night.
The Villisca Axe Murder House still holds true-crime readers worldwide, and the killer was never caught.
An unsolved murder has sat on this house for close to 100 years.
If you want something genuinely unsettling, this will do it.
Visitors can now choose a weekday or a weekend depending on what suits.
A place run for adults only belongs on the list for exactly that reason.
If you are up for it, you can pay extra and stay the night in the house.
Villisca Axe Murder House belongs on the list if ghosts do not put you off and you want the real version of that.
Address: 508 E 2nd St, Villisca, IA 50864, United States
Winterset, Iowa
The city was formed in 1849 and is best known as the hometown of the actor John Wayne.
And Winterset holds six covered bridges.
You can take a show at the Winterset Stage during their annual Covered Bridge Festival.
Northside Cafe is where you sit with a coffee and get more of the John Wayne story.
Winterset City Park is the other walk, and Clark Tower in it opens up the Middle River Valley.
And if you want somewhere to drop out of contact, take Heavenly Habitat B&B.
Madison County covers it however you travel, on foot, by boat, on a bike or in the car.
You can also work with operators who build tailored itineraries and guided tours of the covered bridges, alone or in a group.
Take the detour to Winterset, because there is more waiting there than the size of it suggests.
Is there anything else holding you back from making Iowa your next vacation destination? Visit reasons to visit Iowa at least once in your lifetime here.
Address: Winterset, Iowa 50273, USA
Explore Iowa
Frequently asked questions about Iowa. #Top Attractions
Is Maquoketa Caves State Park hard walking for an average visitor?
Harder than expected. The six-mile trail system runs between cliffs and through the caves themselves, and getting into some of them means crouching, scrambling and getting both your knees dirty. The park covers 111 acres in total, so all that walking adds up quickly. Take a flashlight and shoes that you do not mind ruining. Check whether the caves are open first, because they close to protect the bats.
Is the Fenelon Place Elevator worth riding or just seeing?
Ride it, obviously. It runs 296 feet up the bluff in a car barely wider than your shoulders, and the view from the top covers three states and the Mississippi. The ride itself is over in well under a single minute. Downtown Dubuque sits right at the bottom of the whole thing. Ride up and then walk down, because those streets are worth the legs.
Is the Villisca Axe Murder House suitable for a family visit?
No, not really. Eight people were killed in that house in 1912 and the tours do not soften it, which is exactly why the operators run it as an adults-only site. You can pay more and stay the whole night inside it. The house has no heating worth speaking of at all in winter. Book well ahead of time, because the overnight slots go a long way out.
Best cities to visit in Iowa
- Our Cedar Rapids, Iowa travel guide
- Sioux City, Iowa: what to do
- Best of Des Moines, Iowa
- Things to do in Davenport, Iowa
- Waterloo, Iowa: what to do
- Our Mount Pleasant, Iowa travel guide
- Our Dubuque, Iowa travel guide
- Things to do in Decorah, Iowa
Explore all of Iowa
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