The American Gothic House has always been a favorite Iowa attraction of mine—why else would I visit three times in the past two year? So when I heard the house’s interior would now be open to the public, I knew I’d have to make another trip…
Megan Bannister
One of my favorite parts of an Iowa road trip is exploring the small, often forgotten downtowns of the towns I pass through. While exploring the White Pole Road I found myself in the heart of…
When I first started taking shorter, day trips I didn’t put a lot of thought into packing essentials for the car. It was never as big of a problem for longer trips, but especially when you’re planning to be back the same day, it’s easy to overlook some helpful essentials.
Typically it wouldn’t be until I’m in the middle of rural Iowa with no cellphone service and zero snacks that I’d realize I’d made a horrible mistake. So to keep you from being the hangry, lost roadside traveller I’ve been a few too many times, I’ve compiled a list of helpful essentials to toss into your back seat every time you hit the road, whether you’re traveling 500 miles or just 50…
Unless you spend an inordinately large amount of time along Des Moines’ southern riverfront or happen have the same running route as I do, you’ve probably never noticed the tiny log cabin just off the parking lot of Principal Park. I first happened upon it a few years back while taking advantage of the downtown trail systems training for a half marathon, and since then it’s been one of my favorite hidden gems…
A few weekends back on an abnormally warm January Sunday, a friend and I hopped in the car in search of some roadside adventure. We headed northeast of Des Moines to the stretch of the Lincoln Highway that runs through Belle Plaine to check off the first item on my 2015 bucket list…
As the wise Ron Swanson says “There has never been a sadness that can’t be cured by breakfast food.” Or really any other emotion for that matter. Whether it’s diner style breakfast or fancier brunch, it’s hard for me to find something to dislike about pancakes, eggs and everything in between…
In December I published my list of Des Moines Essentials—all of my favorite places to eat, drink, shop and explore in Iowa’s capital city. As promised, I’m expanding upon that collection with a little more detail and some recommendations from the places I love…
Since I’m not an Iowa native, I didn’t grow up visiting the State of Iowa Historical Building or the Iowa Capitol on countless school trips, and for one reason or another, I’d never gotten around to going. That is, until recently.
Before the haze of hectic holiday plans hit, I took the afternoon to explore the Historical Building and visit its temporary Hollywood in the Heartland exhibit…
Eataly Chicago has been on my food bucket list for quite some time now. And during a trip to the city to visit family for the holidays, I was finally able to check it off…
For your flannel-wearing, road trip-loving boyfriend who is always up for a spontaneous adventure and knows exactly which gas station stocks the good kind of gummy bears…