By Saul Schwartz
After driving about 1000 miles from the Washington, D.C. area, my wife Fern and I arrived in downtown Des Moines. Iowa was our first tourist stop on our cross-country trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Fern and I had never been in Iowa before this August trip.
We stayed in an interesting Vacation Rental by Owner right downtown on Sixth Avenue by Mercy College. The two-bedroom apartment included free parking and a nice gym. Although the capital has a population of just over 200,000, the downtown area is easily walkable on foot. We were able to park the car and travel around.
Gray’s Lake Park – This is one of the most popular parks in Des Moines metro area. We really enjoyed our walk around the lake with its two-mile trail and arty pedestrian bridge. With the city skyline as a stunning backdrop, the David and Elizabeth Kruidenier trail was full of locals walking, jogging and on bikes. Boat rental was also available. The 166-acre park sits off of Fleur Drive. A small lake was expanded to its current size in the 150s. A local couple, the Kruideniers, donated money for renovations to make the lovely park what it is today.
Walking to the State Capitol – It took about 30 minutes to walk from downtown to the State Capitol. Along the way, we crossed the Des Moines River and walked by the Asian Gardens. The well-maintained gardens are a symbol of diversity in Des Moines. The gardens feature Asian sculptures and beautiful landscaping. The highlight is a 37-foot-tall Chinese pavilion. Several pedestrian bridges cross over from downtown to the State Capitol. We crossed the beautiful Iowa Woman of Achievement Bridge which features two separate pathways. When Fern and I learned that Iowa now has its first woman governor, we then found out that this bridge honoring woman currently lists only a few Iowa women of achievement.
State Capitol – The Iowa State Capitol is located at 1007 East Grand Avenue. We really enjoyed the 90-minute free tour. With its 23-karat gold-covered central dome which rises 275 feet above the Capitol grounds, this building can be seen through much of the downtown area. Construction of the Capitol building took place from 1871 to 1884. The building’s interior is furnished with 29 types of marble and several types of Iowa wood. There are four domes in addition to the central dome on the building.
Some of the highlights included the mural painting Westward covering the entire wall above the Grand Staircase. The mural was painted by Edwin Blashfield of New York and symbolizes the pioneer’s arrival in Iowa.
The vast state law library of Iowa occupies the entire west wing of the second floor. As an attorney, I was impressed with the over 100,000 legal volumes and the circular staircases at each end of the library with four tiers of law books. The cast iron staircases were built between 1882 and 1883 by Haugh Ketchum and Company of Indianapolis for just $2107. This is one of the biggest libraries in the United States.
We spent some time in the chambers of the state House of Representatives. On the second floor, the House chamber has room for its 100 representatives during the annual legislative session. The 100-day session begins each January. A fire in 1904 destroyed portions of the House chamber, necessitating extensive renovations.
In the rotunda, there is a large glass tile floor. As we were looking up at the dome from the rotunda, we learned that the height of the Capitol is more than the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Located on the third floor, six beautiful mosaics in arched panels were made in Venice, Italy, from small pieces of color glass.
Outside the Capitol building, there is a small statue of Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad. We were told that Iowa admired Lincoln so much that he was given land in Iowa in return for his help in bringing railroads to the state.
Iowa State Fair – We purchased advanced general admission tickets online. The $16 adult admission was great value considering all the events at the fair!
Frequents shuttles were provided from several downtown locations and the Capitol Building at a nominal cost. The internationally acclaimed state fair is the state’s largest event. Indeed, the Iowa State Fair is one of the oldest and largest architectural expositions in the United States. This year the fair was 11 days long. The fair extends over the Iowa State Fairgrounds, at East Thirtieth Street and East University Avenue.
There are countless events taking place throughout the day. We particularly enjoyed watching a live news broadcast of the fair, listening to several musicians, and looking over unusual animals! There is much to see, and we had fun viewing the state’s largest pumpkin and famous butter cow sculpted out of butter that weighs about 600 pounds.
Food options – We had one meal at the area’s only Panera Bread, near the airport. The Hy-Vee supermarket provided us with a wide range of food options so we could eat a meal in the VRBO. At the Iowa State Fair, even though most of the foods appeared quite unhealthy if not odd, Fern and I were able to find a few healthy options including grilled corn and acai bowls.
Des Moines was full of surprises, and we really enjoyed our two days there. We then continued our journey west.
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