Iowa is a heartland state of rolling prairies, covered bridges, and charming small cities anchored by a surprisingly vibrant Des Moines arts and food scene. Home to the world-famous Iowa State Fair, Grant Wood country, the Field of Dreams movie site, and the historic Amana Colonies, Iowa rewards visitors who look beyond the cornfields to find genuine Midwestern character.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Amana Colonies
Highlights: Amana Woolen Mill — oldest operating woolen mill in the United States, with free weekday factory tours and a retail shop · Old Style Colony Museum — six restored historic buildings illustrating communal life from the 1850s to the Great Change of 1932 · Amana Colonies Winery — tasting room pouring house-made fruit wines including the signature rhubarb wine · Ox Yoke Inn — family-style German-American dining with sauerkraut, bratwurst, and homemade bread · Schanz and Krauss Furniture — craftsmen producing handmade cherry and walnut furniture in the Amana tradition
Madison County Covered Bridges (Winterset)
Highlights: Roseman Bridge (1883) — most-photographed covered bridge in Iowa and the filming location for The Bridges of Madison County · Holliwell Bridge — longest of the six at 122 feet, spanning Middle River with original timber construction intact · Hogback Bridge — positioned beside Pammel State Park, combining a bridge visit with accessible nature trails along the North River · John Wayne Birthplace Museum — childhood home of the film star, located in downtown Winterset near the Welcome Center · Madison County Covered Bridge Festival — annual second-weekend-of-October celebration with arts, crafts, and guided bridge tours
Field of Dreams (Dyersville)
Highlights: Original movie diamond — the actual baseball field from the 1989 film, with the cornfield still bordering left and center field · Ghost Players appearances — performers in vintage 1919 White Sox uniforms emerge from the corn on select summer days to play catch with visitors · Run the bases — visitors are allowed on the field to run bases, catch fly balls, and use the on-site batting cage · National Farm Toy Museum (Dyersville) — extensive collection documenting Dyersville's 70-year history as a farm toy manufacturing hub · Historic MLB game site — venue for Major League Baseball regular-season games played on the grounds from 2021 through 2024
Pella (Dutch Heritage & Tulip Time)
Highlights: Vermeer Windmill — at 124 feet, the tallest working windmill in North America, with interior grinding-floor tours available · Pella Historical Village — 21 restored 19th-century structures including a Dutch cottage, wagon shop, and grist mill · Tulip Time Festival — second week of May, with 150,000 tulips in bloom, Dutch costumes, klompen dancing, and street scrubbing · Jaarsma Bakery — baking Dutch Letters (almond-paste puff pastry) since 1898, one block from Molengracht Plaza · Molengracht Plaza — Dutch-canal-themed shopping district with specialty retailers and waterway views in the town center
Dubuque (Mississippi River & Caves)
Highlights: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium — river ecology center with towboat exhibits, live river animals, and a restored paddlewheel steamboat · Fenelon Place Elevator — historic cable car climbing 189 feet in two minutes to a panoramic three-state overlook over the Mississippi · Crystal Lake Cave — limestone cavern with natural amethysts, stalactites, and an underground lake, open for guided tours year-round · Eagle Point Park — bluff-top city park with a WPA pavilion and sweeping views over the Mississippi River, free to enter · Cable Car Square district — Victorian commercial streetscape on Fourth Street with independent restaurants, galleries, and the cable car terminus
Iowa City (University Town & Literary Heritage)
Highlights: Old Capitol Museum — Iowa's original state capitol (1842) with free self-guided tours through restored legislative chambers on the Pentacrest · Prairie Lights Bookstore — nationally recognized independent bookshop on Iowa Avenue, flagship of the city's UNESCO City of Literature designation · Pedestrian Mall (Ped Mall) — car-free downtown corridor with restaurants, shops, and cafes walkable from the University campus · Iowa Writers' Workshop campus — home of the most influential MFA creative writing program in the US, with a campus literary walking trail · Devonian Fossil Gorge (Coralville) — naturally exposed 375-million-year-old fossil bed revealed by the 1993 flood, free to visit
Clear Lake (Buddy Holly Memorial & Beach)
Highlights: Surf Ballroom — original rock-and-roll venue where Buddy Holly's final concert took place February 2, 1959, with historic interior preserved · Buddy Holly crash site memorial — monument in a rural cornfield marking the 1959 plane crash site, accessed via a short walk off Gull Avenue N · Clear Lake City Beach — sandy public beach on a 3,643-acre glacial lake with swimming, boat rentals, and summer recreation · Winter Dance Party (February 3) — annual Surf Ballroom tribute concert attracting national audiences to commemorate the 1959 crash · Mason City day extension — Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Park Inn Hotel and Music Man Square, 10 miles east, pair naturally with Clear Lake
Effigy Mounds National Monument
Highlights: Great Bear Mound — largest effigy mound in the monument at 137 feet, shaped as a bear and dating to the Woodland cultural tradition · Fire Point Overlook — 2.5-mile moderate trail to a panoramic Mississippi River bluff viewpoint, considered one of Iowa's finest natural vistas · 200-plus prehistoric mounds — concentration of bird and bear effigy mounds spanning approximately 2,200 years of indigenous ceremonial practice · Driftless Area scenery — rolling bluffs, spring-fed valleys, and Mississippi bottomlands untouched by the last glaciation, with a scenic IA-76 approach · Yellow River State Forest — adjacent public land with additional hiking and backcountry options, extending the visit beyond the monument boundaries
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Start early — most popular day-trip destinations get crowded by mid-morning.
Check return transport times before you leave — missing the last train or bus can be costly.
Carry water, snacks, and layers — weather and food options can be limited at smaller destinations.