National Balloon Museum

The National Balloon Museum, about 40 minutes from Des Moines was an interesting place to spend about an hour. In here, you'll discover all the different types of balloons out there, and the designs are quite varied and interesting. In addition, you can learn about what goes into Ballooning and how competitions work. There's also a short movie you can watch during your visit. For us, the most interesting part was seeing balloons with various favorite cartoon characters and other designs that brought a great feeling of nostalgia to us.

National Motorcycle Museum

About 45 minutes northeast of Cedar Rapids is the National Motorcycle Museum. We spent about 1 hour in the museum and, even though we aren't motorcycle enthusiasts, we found it to be pretty interesting. You'll be able to see how the motorcycle has evolved over the years, and there's definitely more of an emphasis on American motorcycles over their Japanese counterparts. There is also a nice section on Evil Knievel.

Residence Inn by Marriott Des Moines Downtown

We had a three-night stay at the Residence Inn in Downtown Des Moines, and had a very good experience. At check-in, both front desk clerks we spoke to were friendly and processed us quickly. In addition, when we arrived, there was a "social" going on in the lobby area where there were some free glasses of wine and soup for guests. They have this each weekday night, which is a nice perk.

The room was very spacious and includes a kitchen for those who'd prefer to cook when travelling. Housekeeping did a good job cleaning up each night. Free breakfast was provided each morning, with the hot options changing daily. The WiFi speed was good for most general web browsing.

The parking was $15/night, which I thought was a bit high for Des Moines, but even with this charge, we would still stay here again.

Address: 100 Water Street, Des Moines, IA 50309
Wifi: Free
Parking: $15/Night
Restaurant: No
Bar/Lounge: No
Smoking: Non-smoking
Hidden Fees: None
Free Breakfast: Yes

Hampton Inn & Suites Cedar Rapids - North

We only had one night at the Hampton Inn & Suites Cedar Rapids - North and we got in pretty late that night after a flight, so we only spent about 10 hours at this hotel. Despite the short stay, we found it to be a pleasant experience for the most part. The staff we interacted with were pleasant. The room was comfortable and there was plenty of parking.

However, there was one issue we had. At the free breakfast in the morning, we found containers of milk that were several weeks expired. This is something that could be very dangerous to guests and the staff here needs to work to ensure only fresh milk is offered to guests.

Address: 1130 Park Place Northeast, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Wifi: Free
Parking: Free
Restaurant: No
Bar/Lounge: No
Smoking: Non-smoking
Hidden Fees: None
Free Breakfast: Yes

DoubleTree by Hilton Des Moines Airport

We had a flight cancellation at the Des Moines Airport and needed a hotel for just 1 night near the airport. We decided to go with the DoubleTree at the Des Moines Airport, and we were glad we did. As soon as we called to make a reservation, they sent the airport shuttle driver over and she was there within 5 minutes to come get us. They even offered to take us anywhere in the area with the shuttle, although we did not take advantage of that perk.

The staff was very friendly at check-in, and as always, they provided delicious cookies for us and drink coupons for the restaurant in the hotel. At check-out at 5 AM, the front desk clerk was just as friendly and we enjoyed chatting with him while we waited a few minutes for our airport shuttle, which we had scheduled the night before.

The room itself was very clean and large. The bed was very comfortable and the wi-fi connection was fast. We ate dinner at the restaurant in the hotel, Johnny's Steakhouse, that night, and it was delicious as well. We'd definitely recommend this hotel to anyone staying in the area, or who just need a quick airport hotel booking due to flight cancellations.

Address: 6800 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321
Wifi: Free
Parking: Free
Restaurant: Yes
Bar/Lounge: Yes
Smoking: Non-smoking
Hidden Fees: None
Free Breakfast: No

James T. Kirk Future Birthplace

For any true Star Trek fan, you'll know that Captain James T. Kirk will be born in Riverside, IA in the year 2228. To honor this future fictional character, the town has erected a monument in his honor, commemorating the future birthplace of the original Star Trek captain.

It can be a little bit difficult to find. The address to put into your GPS is 51 West 1st Street, Riverside, IA 52327 (Note: This is near where West 1st Street intersects with North Glasgow Street). You'll find here a barber shop painted yellow, and to the side, a stone path. Follow that path to behind that building and you'll find the monument. 

The Voyage Home Museum

The Voyage Home Museum is mostly dedicated to the world of Star Trek, although there is some history on the town of Riverside, IA as well. Here, you'll find lots of Star Trek memorabilia, which for any fan of the series, will be a great experience. In addition, you'll find a "car sized" replica of the Enterprise from the original series in the parking lot.

The museum is free of charge to walk though, and you won't spend more than 20 minutes or so here. Make sure to go into the bathroom and sit on the toilet. When doing so, look ahead of you, and it'll make you feel as if you are in the captain's seat on the Enterprise. Strange, yes. But great nonetheless! And apparently William Shatner loved it when he visited according to the woman who was working there.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site honors the former president as it is the site where he was born. Visitors can walk around the grounds here to see what life was like in this area during Herbert Hoover's years. In addition, you can visit the graves of the former president and his wife.

As this is a National Park, you can also participate in the Junior Ranger program, which is fun for kids AND adults. It helps to immerse you more in what the park has to offer, and if you complete the program (which takes about an hour or so), you'll get a badge at the end.

Also, note that there is a National Park Passport Cancellation stamp located in the Visitor's Center here.

Tour of the Bridges of Madison County

One of the most acclaimed movies of the 1990's was "The Bridges of Madison County". In this film, the main bridge is the Roseman Bridge. When coming to Madison County, you can visit the bridge yourself, which also have a gift shop located next to it. If you're a fan of the film, or covered bridges in general, this is definitely a place to come for at least a quick visit if you're in the area.

There are plenty of other covered bridges in the area as well, and an excellent map is provided here by the Madison County chamber of commerce.

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville, IA is about 50 minutes outside of Des Moines. Attached to the stadium for the race track in Knoxville, this 2 floor facility offers fans a great trip through the memorabilia of sprint cars of all different types, including midget racing. If you are a hard core fan, you'll love this place. However, if you only have a mild interest in the sport, there really isn't too much on offer for you.

Birthplace of John Wayne

For those who know their history of American Film, "The Duke", aka John Wayne, was an icon. He was born in Winterset, IA and only spent the first few years of his life here. However, the Birthplace of John Wayne is dedicated to this man's life. For fans of the actor, there is a ton of memorabilia in the house to view. However, the majority of the house is there to show more than just his films with plenty focusing on his family. Even if you are a bit too young to really know his movies, as we are, it's still an interesting experience for about 30 minutes of your time.

Jethro's BBQ

After reading a "Best of Dining" in Des Moines website, we decided we needed to try Jethro's in the Drake neighborhood. The restaurant has a very hip feel for a barbecue restaurant.

Our waitress recommended for the two of us that we order the BBQ dinner for two - the half slab of ribs and two meats dinner, which is served with four sides and corn bread. We ordered brisket and pulled pork as our two meats and for our sides, we ordered, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, green beans, and onion rings.

All of the meats were served dry with four different barbecue sauces on the table. The ribs were incredibly fall off the bone tender. They were amazing in the Jethro's original sauce and the Jethro's Hot sauce. The pork and brisket were also incredibly tender.

The creamed corn was smokey and delicious. The green beans were crisp-tender. However, the highlight of the sides were the onion rings. They are house battered and fried, making them crispy, flaky, crunchy, and perfect onion rings.