5 Incredible Day Trips from Des Moines

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Des Moines, Iowa is a wonderful community with plenty of activities for families. However, once in a while it is exciting to embark on a little adventure and take a day trip to explore nearby towns or cities.

If you are visiting Des Moines for a long weekend, an extended stay, or while on an Iowa road trip, these nearby towns and cities are excellent places to experience all that Central Iowa has to offer.

My list of 5 incredible day trips from Des Moines include Winterset, Pella, Ames, Boone, and Ledges State Park.

Each of these places offer unique activities and sights for visitors to see.

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Day Trips from Des Moines

Winterset

Winterset is an easy 40-minute drive from Des Moines and is absolutely gorgeous. The rolling hills and countryside that you will see as you make your way to Winterset is so stunning.

Winterset, located in Madison County, is known for being the filming location of much of the movie, Bridges of Madison County. 

Another fun fact about Winterset is that it is the birthplace of John Wayne. 

On your day trip visit to Winterset, you may first want to stop by the Madison County Chamber and Welcome Center. At this Welcome Center, you can pick up a map of the Bridges of Madison County or you can download one here.

While at the Welcome Center, you can take this opportunity to explore the quaint downtown of Winterset or come back to it later to have some lunch. 

Next, you may want to visit at least a couple of Madison County’s famous bridges or if you came to see ALL of them, you can definitely do that too.

I recommend taking a drive to visit the Roseman Covered Bridge as it is a famous bridge in the Bridges of Madison County movie and is also considered to be haunted. 

Additionally, it is a must to visit Winterset City Park. This park is home to the Cutler-Donahoe Bridge.

Winterset City Park also has a cool hedge maze, an incredible all-inclusive playground, and is home to Clark Tower which looks like part of a castle.

DISCOVER WINTERSET: Best Things to do in Winterset

If you have time, you may want to check out the John Wayne Birthplace Museum. 

Finally, if you are looking for a sweet treat, stop at Frostee’s Ice Cream Shop.

Winterset makes for such an amazing day trip from Des Moines.

Pella

Pella is another unique day trip from Des Moines. The drive to Pella from Des Moines will take you about 50 minutes. 

Pella is most known for its Tulip Festival that occurs in early May. Thousands flock to Pella for this festival and to view these precious flowers.

Fortunately, Pella is a wonderful community to visit at other times of the year as well!

Downtown Pella is super quaint and feels like you left Iowa and entered Holland. 

On your visit to Pella, make sure to visit Pella’s Historic Village as well as the Veneer Windmill which is the tallest working windmill in the country.  

You can take a self guided tour of the Historical Village which may take you about an hour or so to see everything. The kids will enjoy seeing all of the different buildings and artifacts in this village.

The Windmill Tour is a guided tour and is only at certain times during the day. I highly suggest taking a tour and seeing the inner workings of this windmill. It is super cool!

While in Pella, also make sure to check out the Klokkenspel which is a musical clock with dancing figures. You do not want to miss this either!

Additionally, make sure to visit Molengracht Plaza which is meant to resemble a Dutch canal with a drawbridge. This area is so charming!

Also, see the Sunken Garden which has a windmill and a pond shaped like a wooden shoe.

Even more, downtown Pella also has many great restaurants and shops to check out.

Make sure to try a Dutch letter at the Vander Ploeg Bakery. 

Check out my post on on things to do in Pella for even MORE fantastic ideas and details!

Ledges State Park

Ledges State Park is another awesome day trip from Des Moines. 

We love to go to Ledges both in the summer and in the fall. It is just a 45 minute drive from Des Moines.

In the summer, the kids LOVE creek walking in Pea’s Creek. If there is a lot of water, a popular activity that the kids get a kick out of is standing on the side of Canyon Drive and getting splashed by the water from the cars that drive past. 

During the fall, we enjoy hiking among all of the changing leaves. The canyon views are absolutely stunning.

There are so many great hikes that are perfect for families. The hikes are short and interesting enough that the kids will enjoy them too!

Ledges State Park is a great place to have a picnic during your visit so plan on packing a lunch!

Make sure to wear some good shoes for hiking and maybe a change of clothes, towels, and extra shoes in case the kids get wet in the creek.

Also, bring plenty of water with you.

 

This bridge goes across the Des Moines River, and the views from it are amazing. To find the closest parking spot to the bridge, put in 2335 QF Lane, Madrid, Iowa into your GPS.

You will have to walk about 3/4 of a mile to get to the bridge but it is totally worth it!

Ames

Ames, home to Iowa State University, is another fantastic day trip from Des Moines. It is just a quick 45 minute drive up Interstate 35. 

Iowa State University is a gorgeous college campus to explore. 

Additionally, make sure to visit Reiman Gardens which has spectacular plants both inside and out as well as a butterfly wing. 

Make sure to visit Elwood the Gnome on your visit to Reiman Gardens as well as the Children’s Garden.

Additionally, downtown Ames has many cute shops to check out.

If you are looking for something special to eat, many people love the Filling Station or Hickory Park. 

Boone

We love taking a little day trip up to Boone to visit the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad. 

You can plan on taking a train ride across the amazing Des Moines Scenic River Valley.

There are a number of different unique train rides to choose from.

They even have special holiday train rides throughout the year including the Pumpkin Express train ride which takes you out to the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad Pumpkin Patch as well as the Santa Express train that takes you to the North Pole and back.

I would make sure to check the schedule on their website and purchase tickets ahead of time. 

With your train ticket, you can also visit the Railroad Museum. It is a neat museum to see as well! The kids will LOVE seeing all of the model trains and the train artifacts.

Another fun activity is the Rail Explorers which is a 2 hour rail bike experience. You will want to book this ahead of time on the website as these are popular and fill up very quickly. 

I highly recommend booking a rail bike experience. It is one of the coolest things I have ever done.

5 Perfect Day Trips from Des Moines

I really think these five day trips from Des Moines are excellent options for your family or friends. 

The drive to each of these places is less than an hour so driving won’t take up the entire day.

Even more, each of the day trips are very unique and have fun things for your group to see or experience. 

Looking for more to do in Des Moines? Check out my list of free things to do in Des Moines and the best museums in Des Moines.

SAVE and PIN this post to refer to it when you plan your Des Moines getaway or vacation.

Also, download my free travel itinerary planner to help you plan your visit to the Des Moines area or wherever your adventures take you!

May you love your adventure! KW