Overview

Introduction

One of Iowa's signature attractions exists only in the fall: Human-scale mazes made out of—what else?—corn. Dozens of corn mazes can be found throughout the state each autumn, offering an enticing blend of tourism and agriculture. (A tip: Don't try to cheat by cutting through the corn. It's like stepping into a rain forest—stalks, leaves, heat and the constant fear that you'll never find your way out again.)

For people who have never been to Iowa, the state may seem like nothing but a maze of cornfields. There certainly are a lot of farms and corn, but there's much more. In fact, there's enough to see and do in Iowa that tourism is now the fourth-largest industry in the state.

What brings in the visitors is the mixture of enjoyable attractions: historic sites, including Native American burial grounds, frontier outposts and 19th-century river towns; museums, such as the Des Moines Arts Center and one-of-a-kind collections focusing on everything from Norwegian immigrants to farm toys; and nostalgic journeys, whether by riverboat, train or country road. And the farms and corn can be attractions in their own right: Well-done sites such as Living History Farms in Des Moines offer glimpses into the way agriculture has developed in Iowa over the past 300 years.

Geography

History

Native Americans inhabited the fertile area that became Iowa for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. The remains of large settlements and great ceremonial mounds have been found in the northeastern part of the state. Archaeologists named the builders the Mississippian culture. It is thought that these settlements were constructed between 650 and 1300, though most were not occupied when Europeans arrived in the 1600s. Early explorers and settlers did find Siouan-speaking Ioway and Oto people living throughout the area. The tribes occupying the timbered valleys near the Mississippi and Missouri rivers planted crops (maize, beans, squash) and hunted on a seasonal cycle. Those living in the tall-grass prairies hunted bison (buffalo) for their livelihood.

In 1673, Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet, the first European explorers to reach Iowa, traveled down the Mississippi. Their travels, along with those of Sieur de La Salle, helped secure the area for France, and French fur traders worked the area from the late 1600s into the 1700s. With the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, Iowa became part of the U.S., and by the mid-1800s, most Native American lands in the area had been ceded to the nation. Iowa became a state in 1846.

The state's early settlers came from many areas, including New England and parts of northern and central Europe. Established as a free state because of the passage of the Missouri Compromise in the 1820s, Iowa was by and large opposed to slavery: Many residents became active in the abolitionist movement (John Brown spent some time in the area), and the state provided a large number of troops to the Union cause in the Civil War. One of the most infamous Confederate prisoner-of-war camps was at the Rock Island Arsenal, an island on the Mississippi River between Davenport and Rock Island, Illinois. Today the island is home to a well-maintained Confederate cemetery, which is decorated each Memorial Day.

When the state's agricultural economy struggled in the late 1800s, many Iowans joined the Populist Party and other political-reform movements that sought to uphold the rights of farmers. Agriculture has remained an important part of Iowa's business sector. It leads the nation in the production of pork, corn, soybeans and eggs, and nearly 90% of the state is farm land, including a growing number of organic operations.

Snapshot

Iowa's main attractions include vast acres/hectares of rolling farmland, the Mississippi River and the charming towns and cities that line its banks, the Amana Colonies, the Amish-Mennonite community of Kalona, Effigy Mounds National Monument, casino gambling, railroad memorabilia, the cultural attractions in Iowa City and Des Moines, and outdoor recreation.

Travelers who have a strong interest in Midwestern history and agriculture, curiosity about the Amana Colonies and the Amish way of life, or who just enjoy visiting with down-to-earth, friendly people, will have a great time in Iowa. Those who crave the rapid pace of big cities or dramatically beautiful scenery may find the state less to their liking.

Potpourri

The Iowa State Fair has been the inspiration for a novel, three motion pictures and a Broadway musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Each year it attracts more than a million people, making it the state's biggest event.

The University of Iowa in Iowa City is home to the nation's top-ranked program in creative writing. Graduates include Flannery O'Connor, John Irving, Jane Smiley and James Alan McPherson. The city is home to a number of fine bookstores, and many nationally known writers include Iowa City in their book tours.

The movies Field of Dreams and The Bridges of Madison County are set in Iowa and continue to draw fans to sites connected to their filmings.

With miles/kilometers of fairly level land and many uncrowded rural roads, Iowa is a great place for bicycling. Each year, some 10,000 riders participate in Iowa's biggest bike tour, RAGBRAI—the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (the Register is Des Moines' major daily newspaper). The tour covers 500 mi/805 km and draws participants from around the world.

Thanks to Wells' Blue Bunny, the town of LeMars in northwestern Iowa produces more ice cream than any other city in the world.

Famous native Iowans include William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody; Johnny Carson; Mamie Eisenhower; actors John Wayne, Ashton Kutcher, Elijah Wood and Donna Reed; opera singer Simon Estes; space physicist James Van Allen; U.S. President Herbert Hoover; and artist Grant Wood.

Iowa has more hogs than people at a ratio of about 5:1.

Overview

Introduction

Iowa City was the site of the original state Capitol. The old Greek Revival building has been restored and is now a museum offering guided tours. Today, the city is better known as the home of the University of Iowa. Two of the university's museums are worth seeing: The Museum of Art has an excellent collection of both European and African works and the Museum of Natural History offers a good introduction to the geology, flora and fauna of the state. If these two museums don't satisfy your Iowa curiosity, we suggest you head to the well-regarded Prairie Lights Bookstore, located near campus, where the helpful staff can make recommendations for further reading.

There are a couple of interesting possibilities for day trips from Iowa City. U.S. President Herbert Hoover was born 20 mi/32 km east of Iowa City in West Branch. The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site features a library, museum, lectures, walking tours and the graves of Hoover and his wife. The site also includes the Quaker meetinghouse and the school Hoover attended as a youth. There are places for picnicking and trails for cross-country skiing as well. Cedar Rapids, 25 mi/40 km north of Iowa City, was once the home of American painter Grant Wood. Several of Wood's works hang in the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. The city's Czech heritage is preserved in a museum and an old-world-style neighborhood along 16th Street. The Cedar Rapids Kernels play minor-league baseball in town during the summer. In Riverside, south of Iowa City, you can see the future birthplace of Star Trek's Captain Kirk; the TV show's creator, Gene Roddenberry, wrote that Kirk would be born in a small Iowa town in the year 2228, and Riverside claimed the right (with Roddenberry's official permission). Trekkies celebrate Kirk's future birthday the last weekend in June. Iowa City is 110 mi/180 km east of Des Moines.