Des Moines: Recreation

Des Moines: Recreation

Sightseeing

The starting point for a tour of Des Moines is the State Capitol, one of the nation's most beautiful public buildings and one of the largest of its kind. The 275-foot main dome is covered with 23-karat gold leaf and is flanked by four smaller domes. The capitol's interior features more than 10 different wood grains mixed with 29 types of marble in detailed stone and wood carvings, ornately painted ceilings, and mosaics and murals. Another popular site is Terrace Hill, the present residence of Iowa's governor; considered to be one of the finest examples of Second Empire architecture in the country, Terrace Hill was designed by W.W. Boyington, architect of the Chicago Water Tower. Donated to the state by the Frederick M. Hubbell family, the mansion has been refurbished to its original Victorian elegance.

In both the Courthouse and Sherman Hill districts of Des Moines, residential and commercial buildings dating to 1850 reflect changing tastes and styles in architecture; especially interesting are doorway and entrance designs. The Hoyt Sherman Place, home of one of Des Moines' most successful businessmen and an example of ornate Victorian design, is now owned by the city and open for tours. The Iowa State Historical Building, completed in 1987 and housing the State Historical Library, is dedicated to Iowa's past with exhibits on natural history, Indian lore, and pioneer life. A large outdoor neon sculpture named Plains Aurora is displayed on top of the building.

The Des Moines Botanical Center cultivates plants and flowers under one of the biggest geodesic domes in the nation. The Center preserves a permanent collection of more than 1,000 different species of tropical and subtropical plants and cultivars, growing in their natural cycle; six thematic displays are presented each year. Living History Farms in nearby Urbandale is a 600-acre agricultural museum focusing on the history and future of farming in the Midwest; buildings, planting methods, and livestock are authentic to the five time periods represented. At Adventureland Park, more than 100 theme park rides and activities combine with permanent exhibits germane to Iowa. Salisbury House, a 42-room country manor, patterns itself after King's House of Salisbury, England, duplicating Renaissance luxury and splendor; it is owned by the Iowa State Education Association, which arranges tours. Temporarily closed in mid-2005 for interior renovations, the home had undergone exterior renovations two years prior. The Science Center of Iowa covers all fields of science; the center's new facility opened to the public in May 2005, featuring a 226-seat IMAX Dome Theater, a 175-seat theater for live performances, and a 50-foot Star Theater, in addition to six "experience platforms" and a changing exhibition platform. At Blank Park Zoo, where more than 1,400 animals from 104 different species inhabit 49 acres, special attractions include the Myron and Jackie Blank Discovery Center, featuring a butterfly garden and a bat cave.

Arts and Culture

One beneficiary of the city's development has been its cultural life. Funds have been invested to house the city's cultural institutions in architecturally significant facilities. The most impressive is the Des Moines Art Center, designed by international architects Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier. Housing art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in a permanent collection, the Center also sponsors international exhibits, educational programs, and film and music series. Nollen Plaza, adjacent to the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, is a block-square amphitheater and park with a tree-lined "peace garden," a waterfall, and a reflecting pool; Claes Oldenburg's sculpture The Crusoe Umbrella is on view in the plaza.

The Des Moines Symphony performs at the Civic Center. The Des Moines Playhouse produces a main stage season of drama, musicals, and light drama as well as Theatre for Young People. The Ingersoll Dinner Theater presents a ten-show season, which features local and guest artists in Broadway musicals and plays, in addition to special attractions.

Festivals and Holidays

In February the downtown skywalk is transformed into a 54-par putt-putt golf course for a tournament with more than 1,300 players competing for prizes. The Drake Relays Downtown Festival, a week-long celebration in April, pits city corporations against one another in the "Fake Relays"; other festival events include a whimsical "most beautiful bulldog" contest, mascot relays, and musical entertainment. The Des Moines Arts Festival features three days of art, entertainment, and children's activities in late June. July's Taste of Des Moines offers visitors a taste of local fare. Summer ends with the Iowa State Fair in August. The Festival of Trees raises money for a local hospital with the decorating of 100 downtown trees in November during Thanksgiving week.

Sports for the Spectator

For nearly 100 years, the Drake Relays hold the distinction of being the country's largest such event, with more than 200 colleges and universities participating from nearly every state and more than 60 countries. The relays, held in Drake Stadium at Drake University the last weekend in April, sell out each year; the competition also includes track and field events. A variety of other events are held throughout the city, making the Relays the focal point for an entire festival.

In addition to the Drake Relays, Drake University offers sporting events, including basketball, football, soccer, tennis, track, crew, softball, and golf.

The Iowa Cubs, the National League Chicago Cubs's top farm team, compete in baseball's Triple A international professional baseball league at Sec Taylor Field at Principal Park. The Des Moines Menace offer soccer action at Waukee Stadium, and the Des Moines Buccaneers, part of the United States Hockey League, play at Buccaneer Arena.

Sports for the Participant

The Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department maintains 62 city parks with a variety of facilities, including softball fields, horseshoe pits, volleyball courts, tennis courts, fitness and bicycle trails, golf courses, trails, soccer fields, play equipment, swimming pools, community centers, gardens, and an amphitheater. The city offers swimming and tennis lessons and arts and crafts programs; softball, volleyball, and tennis leagues are also sponsored by the recreation department. The Des Moines metro area offers nearly 100 public tennis courts, and many golf courses, swimming pools, and country clubs. Both indoor and outdoor sports can be enjoyed during the winter at community center gyms and ice rinks. Swimming, water skiing, fishing, and boating are popular at local rivers and lakes.

Shopping and Dining

The Des Moines downtown shopping district is 20 square blocks connected by a second-level skywalk system that encompasses 150 shops. Altogether, more than 40 shopping squares and plazas serve shoppers throughout the metropolitan area, including five major enclosed malls, one of which is located downtown. The Downtown Farmers Market runs May through October on Saturday mornings and offers shoppers fresh fruits and vegetables, home-baked breads and pastries, hand-made clothing and jewelry, specialty cheeses and wines, and music and entertainment.

Des Moines restaurants offer choices ranging from American and Midwestern fare to ethnic and continental cuisine. Prime rib and steak entrees are specialties at a number of the better restaurants. Chinese cuisine is another local favorite; barbeque, sandwich shops, cafes, vegetarian eateries, and other ethnic restaurants are popular as well. A local seafood restaurant is considered to have one of the largest selections of fresh seafood in the Midwest. Imported Italian pasta is the specialty at one of the city's oldest and most popular eateries.

Visitor Information: Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, 405 Sixth Avenue, Suite 201, Des Moines, IA 50309; toll-free (800)451-2625; email info@desmoinescvb.com