Iowa · best-of list
8 Top Things to Do in Iowa
All 8 things to do our route editors picked in Iowa, across 3 destinations, gathered in one list. 3 come with an insider tip, and 5 cost nothing to visit.
Our curated picks
8 things to do in Iowa, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Des Moines 3 picks
Des Moines Art Center
Des Moines · On our Iowa Driftless & River Towns route
Free art museum in buildings by Saarinen, Pei and Meier.
Photo: Des Moines Art Center · Google
Iowa State Capitol
Des Moines · On our Iowa Driftless & River Towns route
Gold-domed capitol with a free tour and an ornate law library.
Tip: Free guided tours run on weekdays and Saturdays.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain
Pappajohn Sculpture Park
Des Moines · On our Iowa Driftless & River Towns route
Free outdoor park with works by Jaume Plensa, Claes Oldenburg and others.
Photo: Dsmspence · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dubuque 3 picks
Fenelon Place Elevator
Dubuque · On our Iowa Driftless & River Towns route
Short 1882 cable railway up the bluff, with views over three states.
Tip: Seasonal, roughly Apr–Nov.
Photo: Dirk · CC BY 2.0
Field of Dreams Movie Site
Dubuque · On our Iowa Driftless & River Towns route
The baseball field and farmhouse from the 1989 film, 25 miles west.
Photo: Lisa Hoffman · Google
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Dubuque · On our Iowa Driftless & River Towns route
River history museum and aquarium with a historic dredge you can board.
Photo: Dirk Hansen · CC BY-SA 3.0
Decorah 2 picks
Trout Run Trail
Decorah · On our Iowa Driftless & River Towns route
11-mile paved bike loop past a trout hatchery, bluffs and farmland.
Tip: Climb the bluff section for the best views.
Photo: Paul Herold · Google
Vesterheim National Norwegian-American Museum
Decorah · On our Iowa Driftless & River Towns route
Large Norwegian-American heritage museum with folk art and historic buildings.
Photo: Jonathunder · CC BY-SA 3.0
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the things to do in Iowa?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 8 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Iowa has the most things to do on this list?
Des Moines and Dubuque lead with 3 each; the other picks are spread across 1 more destination.
Are any of these free?
5 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Iowa State Capitol, Trout Run Trail, Des Moines Art Center, Field of Dreams Movie Site and Pappajohn Sculpture Park. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
More lists for Iowa
Top things to do nearby
Destinations on this list
- Des Moines 3 on this list
- Dubuque 3 on this list
- Decorah 2 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.