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Iowa Adventure Bucket List
Caves, fairs, ziplines and odd little museums to tick off across Iowa.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
Tick the circles, tap any line to change it, drag the dots to reorder.
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One source works through the state region by region, starting in the middle and finishing in the west. Another sorts summer stops by area, from the lakes to the Driftless Area. This list keeps that spread, so a very short elevator sits near caves, ziplines and a state fair. Field Trip Iowa counts 70 state parks and 99 county parks, so nobody runs out of road. Hours and prices change, so check before you drive.
Why these items are on the list
- Ride the Fenelon Place Elevator. Billed as the world's steepest, shortest scenic elevator, with a Dubuque view at the top.
- Explore Maquoketa Caves. Oh My! Omaha counts 16 caves to explore, and says pack a flashlight and attend a brief program first.
- Visit Effigy Mounds. Oh My! Omaha says more than 200 mounds, many animal-shaped, in the Upper Mississippi River Valley.
- Eat your way through the State Fair. Des Moines. Butter cows, legendary corn dogs and Ye Olde Mill.
- Walk Snake Alley in Burlington. Ripley's called it the crookedest street in the world. The author would walk it, not bike.
- Watch the exotic animal races. Prairie Meadows, Altoona. Oh My! Omaha lists July races; word is free but crowded, so arrive early.
- Tour the Squirrel Cage Jail. Council Bluffs. Oh My! Omaha calls it one of the oldest US rotary jails, supposedly haunted.
- Stay at the Park Inn Hotel. Mason City. Oh My! Omaha calls it the only remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel.
- Book a National Balloon Classic ride. Indianola. Oh My! Omaha says late July to early August; you can reserve a balloon seat.
- See Matchstick Marvels. Gladbrook. Oh My! Omaha reports a matchstick Dodge Charger replica more than 11 feet long.
- Try Monastery Candy caramels. Nuns in Dubuque make caramels; the author plans to try the hazelnut meltaways first.
- Follow the A to Z Foodie Trail. Oh My! Omaha counts 26 stops in Marion and Mahaska counties, each with a letter selfie.
- Catch a tulip festival in May. Per Oh My! Omaha, Orange City and Pella hold one every May, with parades and a carnival.
- Ride The Monster at Adventureland. Altoona. Oh My! Omaha says it has the only negative-G loop in the Western hemisphere.
- Zip line at Sky Tours. Dubuque. One writer picks it for the longest, fastest and highest ziplines in Iowa.
- Cruise Okoboji on the Queen II. Okoboji. Travel Iowa lists the Queen II excursions under its relaxation picks.
- Spend a day at Arnolds Park. The amusement park is the thrills pick on the Iowa Great Lakes. Hold your hat.
- Catch a drive-in movie. Superior 71 Drive-In in Spirit Lake is one of several drive-ins across the sources.
- Meet the Field of Dreams ghost players. Dyersville. The Ghost Players are listed under family fun on the Travel Iowa list.
- Ride part of RAGBRAI. A huge bike ride across Iowa each year (virtual in 2020), with a new town to stop in.
- Visit Crystal Lake Cave. Dubuque, in the Driftless Area. Another cave, if Maquoketa didn't scratch the itch.
- Stop at Backbone State Park. One of the state park picks on the Field Trip Iowa list for northeast Iowa.
- Tour Grant Wood's studio. Cedar Rapids. The studio and visitor center, in the same city as Czech Village.
- See windmills in Pella and Elk Horn. Holland by way of Iowa: both towns have windmills.
On your phone, it's easy to tick one off from the passenger seat and see what's left nearby. Share it with whoever is riding along and let them veto one stop.
When to use it
Good for planning a summer road trip or a run of weekend day trips around Iowa.