Pella: A Touch of Holland

Rural Iowa may not immediately come to mind when conjuring images of communities that embrace the arts. But Mason City, Iowa is out to prove that assumption wrong.

Other than Kirsten the American Girl Doll or my love for Pippi Longstocking, I have no real ties to Sweden. And while I do love Swedish meatballs, I don’t have any real Swedish heritage.

So it might seem a little strange that I drove a bit out of my way to visit the Swedish Heritage Museum in Swedesburg, Iowa. But Swedish or not, the trip was definitely worth it…

So why, you might ask, did I drag my travel partner 20 minutes out of our way to see what is essentially just a giant rock? Great question.

On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly and his band played the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa as part of their Winter Dance Party tour across the Midwest. Frustrated with uncomfortable travel conditions on the tour bus, Holly chartered a small plane to the band’s next venue in Moorhead, Minnesota.

I have a confession: I did a horrible job checking locations and attractions off of my 2016 bucket list. Of all the attractions I hoped to see this year, I only made it to one….

The National Balloon Classic has been on my Iowa bucket list almost since I moved here. But until this year, I never made it down to Indianola, Iowa for the annual festival. A few weeks ago, as I was heading out of town for a few days, I happened to turn a corner and find the sky speckled with colorful balloons mid-test flight, and I was practically giddy…

We’ve all been there. You need a gift for someone, but don’t know where to turn. You could head to Target or order something off of Amazon. But why not take the time to support…

A few weekends ago, during some sort of wonderful fluke, we had a rare 60 degree, early November Saturday in central Iowa. So Kristen and I took advantage of the sunshine and headed to Winterset, a tiny town just west and south of Des Moines, home to a surprising amount of roadside attractions and a whole lot of charm…

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,…

I’ve seen the sign off of I-80 countless times—Brooklyn: Community of Flags. But, for whatever reason, I’ve never been curious enough to stop. That is, until recently…

In the past few years, I’ve noticed there are a surprising number of places to enjoy a craft beer in Des Moines (and even more across Iowa). In fact, the newly opened Iowa Taproom showcases 120 taps from more than 20 Iowa breweries.

In honor of Des Moines Beer Week, I decided to compile some of my favorite local spots into an ultimate guide to breweries in Des Moines and the surrounding area.

Growing up, we spent most summers on the banks of Lake Michigan, sun kissed and sand covered as we wandered our small summer town. Stepping out of the car in Clear Lake, Iowa, I was immediately transported back to those sprawling summer days, and a visit to the Surf Ballroom and Museum seemed like the ultimate necessity.

A few months ago, we made a detour in Cedar Falls for lunch on our way back to Des Moines and stumbled across a welcome surprise: a craft brewery. Not only is SingleSpeed Brewing a great place to grab a drink it’s also home to some truly delicious brews.

It’s no secret that Iowa is full of offbeat attractions and over the years, I’ve visited quite a few. But somehow I’d always missed out on Matchstick Marvels in Gladbrook, Iowa.

One of the things I love most about Iowa is its unique neighborhoods and unexpected heritage sites located within larger cities. In Cedar Rapids, one of those cultural influences happens to be Czech.

Today the area just across the river from the thriving New Bohemia neighborhood is known as the Czech Village. Once home to many Czech and Slovak immigrants, this part of Cedar Rapids is filled with interesting architecture, cultural symbols, and restaurants and bakeries serving traditional delicacies.