Iowa
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Overview
The towering bluffs on the Mississippi River and the soaring Loess Hills lining the Missouri River bookend the rolling farmland of this bucolic state. In the middle you'll find the writers' town of Iowa City, the commune dwellers of the Amana Colonies, and plenty of picture-perfect rural towns, including those amid the covered bridges of Madison County.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Iowa
From the sparkling gold dome to the spiral staircases and stained glass in the law library, every detail at this bling-heavy capitol (1886) seems to try…
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Iowa
Dating back to the 1880s, this old-fashioned lakeside amusement park is pure fun. The Legend is the seventh-oldest wooden roller coaster in the world and…
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National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Iowa
Learn about life (of all sorts) along the length of the Mississippi at this impressive museum, part of a vast riverfront development. Exhibits span…
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Effigy Mounds National Monument
Iowa
Hundreds of mysterious Native American burial mounds sit in the bluffs above the Mississippi River in this gorgeous corner of far northeast Iowa. Listen…
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Iowa
The best state park locally is on the west side of West Okoboji Lake. It has a beach, lovely lakeside picnic areas and an excellent 1.3-mile long nature…
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Iowa
The original portion of Iowa State's main library was completed in 1925. In the 1930s it was decided to add some murals designed by none other than Iowa's…
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Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Iowa
Herbert Hoover, the president of the United States from 1929 to 1933, will forever be remembered for the Great Depression, the economic cataclysm that…
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Iowa
Unfortunately this large and high-concept open-air attraction dedicated to the history of farming never quite lives up to its promise. The site is…
Articles
Latest stories from Iowa
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Cycling
I spent 7 days riding my bike 468 miles across Iowa with a pack of 18,000: here's how I did itAug 11, 2022 • 10 min read
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