Iowa Travel Forum

My husband and me would be in Iowa for about 3 months starting from May'08.
Can anyone suggest us nearby states that we can visit during our stint here. Also, how far would be Canada from here?

That will depend on where in Iowa you are going to be located. For instance to travel from corner to corner, Burlington to Sioux City is about 6 hours and almost 400 miles.

From Des Moines, the captial near the center of the state to Winnipeg Manitoba is about 700 miles and over 10 hours. However that's not a real exciting part of Canada. It's a lot like Iowa, lots of agriculture. Farms, livestock, fields etc. The closest access to Canada is through International Falls, MN, 539 mi – about 8 hours 48 mins according to Google maps.

Places you may be interested in that are easy to get to from Iowa are Chicago, Il, St. Louis, Mo, Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., Minneapolis, MN, Rapid City, SD. Each of these cities/areas have numerous activities or interesting sites. Each is within a day's drive of Des Moines. (Not a day round trip, but a day out and a day back.)

For more detailed info, please let us know what you are interested in. Fishing, swiming, boating, visiting museums, hiking, biking, club hopping, sports (baseball), eating, culture studies, schools, etc. And where you will be staying.

Don't forget Iowa has a lot to offer too.

Jim.

When I had to visit Iowa for the first time, none of my friends could help me! and i looked up old issues of National Geographic to find some information. Like the other poster said: it is a long drive out to visit nearby places. On my first visit to Iowa, to visit a group of Native people living near Des Moines, I used to just drive around, and come across quaint towns and antique stores and rolling hills.
I would rate the towns and cities i have visited in Iowa as:
Ames university town, worth while, cosmopolitan in a way
Des Moines the capital city, things to see, eating is okay, cattle show during summer (sorry cant remember the official name for it)
( please read the humouristic description of Des Moines in Bill Bryson's: Fat girls of Des Moines)
Sioux City: boring, uninteresting people and town

There is a area on the eastern part of Iowa where there is a group of fundamental christians ( like Amish and Mennonites ) live, and it was interesting to visit their villages and buy home made jams and cheese. Amana Colonies

During August, there is the Pow Wow of the Meskwakia Indians near Des Moines. They are a traditional tribe of Indians and it is worthwhile going to their Pow Wow. They do not welcome your visit at other times,unless you have friends there, and dont ask too many questions, they told me.

Another dull town is:marshalltown, good to pass through.
Driving on the northern side of the state, the scenery is pleasing.

in the southwest, sharing the border with the state of Nebraska is the Loess Hills, an unusual formation of "mountains of sand", to my knowledge only one other place in China has this formation , ( and perhaps in Moroccan south). good to drive around, hike.

Omaha is a fair sized city on the southwestern border of Iowa, over the dull casino town of Council Bluffs
Then there is the Missouri River, delineating the border with nebraska.

Vermillion in South Dakota is a small university town worth a visit. there is that joy of being at a small university town.

Once again, recommend Bill Brysons article and book.

If you have a car you can drive via scenic route to CHicago. It is a nice drive and you will be passing many qute towns on your way. Great history lesson too.
Chicago, one of the most beautiful cities in US.