Dexter, Iowa—population 611—was named after the famous trotting horse Dexter. It also became somewhat infamous after a 1933 shootout with members of the Barrow gang at a nearby amusement park.
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This month I’m excited to introduce you to Sage Scott of Everyday Wanderer. Sage is based in Kansas City and blogs about travel in the U.S. and Europe.
When you tell your friends and co-workers that your weekend plans involve visiting a “murder house” in southwest Iowa, expect to receive some strange looks. Now that winter is finally over (or I least I hope it is) I’m back to weekend roadtripping and decided to kick off the season with a trip to the Villisca Ax Murder House…
If you head south of Fairfield, through Keosaqua and along rustic Route J40, you’ll find yourself in the heart of Bonaparte, Iowa. I’d be lying if I said I was expecting to be charmed by this tiny, riverfront town.
But at this point, charmed may be an understatement…
If you’re not from Iowa and not into cycling, chances are you’ve probably never heard of RAGBRAI. Each summer, thousands of (potentially crazy) cyclists embark on a week-long ride across the state of Iowa. RAGBRAI (which stands for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) began in 1973 when Des Moines Register feature writers John Karras and Donald Kaul decided to go on a bicycle ride across Iowa.
While I won’t be riding this year, I thought it might be fun to create a road trip inspired by the 2016 route, which winds through the small towns of southern Iowa.
Ever since I can remember, all of my classmates and I desperately looked forward to spring break. Not only did it mean a week off school, but spring break always seemed to signify the impending,…
A few weeks ago, after heading south in search of pie, a rainy afternoon miraculously turned into a sunny one just as we found ourselves nearing Lake Red Rock. Wanting to get out of the car to enjoy the now significantly sunnier day, we happened upon the Cordova Park Observation Tower…
If you’re planning to hit the road this year, now is the perfect time to start thinking about your road trip packing list. Whether you’re driving cross country or just heading on a weekend away,…
After touring John Wayne’s birthplace and exploring Clark Tower, our stomachs were growling so we decided to celebrate the unseasonably warm November weather with an ice cream cone at Frostee’s…
Des Moines Day Trips is a series of unexpected itineraries for one- or two-day adventures across the state of Iowa. Find ways to explore unique roadside attractions and discover local history without leaving the state! Start your…
One of the best parts of exploring the Amana Colonies during the holiday season was our visit to the Tannenbaum Forest. Located inside the Festhalle Barn across from the Amana Visitors’ Bureau, it’s pretty hard not to feel jolly when you step inside the forest lit with hundreds of warmly growing Christmas lights…
Dubuque has always been a place I’ve wanted to explore. Nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River, the northwest Iowa town is just a stones throw from the Illinois and Wisconsin borders. After some amateur spelunking at Crystal Lake Cave, we spent the better part of Saturday morning exploring Dubuque, including taking a ride on the Fenelon Place Elevator…
Even though I’ve traveled through the eastern part of Iowa on my journeys to Chicago to visit family, somehow I’d never made it south to Burlington, Iowa. So when my mom and I spent the weekend in the Villages of Van Buren we made a slight detour to tick something off my 2015 travel bucket list…
A few weeks back, I took a Friday off and hopped in the car with a friend, heading east. Our destination for the weekend? Dyersville, Iowa—home of the Field of Dreams…
As I quickly learned, there aren’t a lot of interesting stops heading west along I-80 from Chicago to Connecticut, but one sunny afternoon of our road trip we stopped in Toledo, Ohio for a bite to eat and were charmed by Tony Packo’s…
If you happen to be a Star Trek fanatic—or even if you aren’t—you probably know that Captain James T. Kirk is on the roster of proud Iowans. Granted he won’t be born for another 215 years, but the people of Riverside, Iowa hasn’t let that stop them from celebrating their (future) local celebrity…
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[…] Downtown Dexter: Every time I pass through Dexter I’m charmed by its “downtown” area. And while the Dexter Museum has never been open when I’ve visited, I can only imagine the great, historic glimpse into small town life it offers. […]
[…] Downtown Dexter: Every time I pass through Dexter I’m charmed by its “downtown” area. And while the Dexter Museum has never been open when I’ve visited, I can only imagine the great, historic glimpse into small town life it offers. […]