Iowa, LA Road Trips

Purchased from France as part of the Louisiana purchase, Iowa officially became a state in 1846. True to form in the Midwest, settlers tended to gravitate toward rivers and established their communities there. Today, many of the State's major cities are based on rivers including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport, Dubuque, Sioux City and Council Bluffs. Agriculture used to be the primary industry of the state, but the ongoing urbanization of the state's population has resulted in a diverse mixture of industries. Agriculture, though significantly diminished as the economic driver of the state, is still a major economic component. Though Iowa has long been considered a rural state, it has a surprisingly rich cultural scene. The University of Iowa in Iowa City is home to a number of major programs including the Iowa Writers Workshop, a program that has trained a number of America's great modern writers. Iowa State University in Ames is also a major driver of culture in the central part of the State. Prominent liberal arts colleges also dot the state, including Grinnell, Cornell, Coe and Luther. Like the rest of the Midwest, Iowa has a four-season climate. Winter weather gives its first hints of what's to come around October 1st, when you can expect to see frost on windshields some mornings. What the gardeners call a killing frost – and hay fever sufferers call the best day of the year – usually follows about two weeks later. The afternoons in October can still be warm enough to wear short sleeves outdoors.

50 Most Significant Iowa Buildings of the 20th Century, Iowa. As published on the Iowa Public Television website. A complete list of the 50 buildings selected by the AIA-Iowa Chapter as the most significant Iowa buildings of the 20th century. Field of Dreams, Dyersville. Various Websites. Considered one of baseball's most-treasured landmarks. The field is the same used in the film, Field of Dreams, nominated by the Academy Awards for Best Film of the Year of 1989. The film, based upon W.P. Kinsella's book Shoeless Joe, starred Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. The field is owned by two families amid much controversy. No admission is charged to visit the field. Various events, including baseball and softball games, take place on the field at various times during the year.

RAGBRAI, the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, draws cycling enthusiasts from across the USA for this road bike event. Riders start in a different town each year. They take seven days to cross the state, dipping their wheels in the Missouri River on one side and the Mississippi River on the other. The Iowa State Fair in Des Moines is the USA's largest state fair, renowned for its music and cuisine. Many call it the best opportunity to get all that Iowa has to offer. Living History Farms in Urbandale, west of Des Moines, is an outdoor interactive agricultural museum. Historical interpreters explain and demonstrate the lifestyles of the 1700s Ioway Indians, the 1850 pioneers, the townspeople of 1875, and 1900 farmers. The Des Moines Arts Festival traces its beginnings to 1958, and takes place in the heart of Des Moines surrounding the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Western Gateway Park. Each year, the Festival features visual art, live music, performing arts and activities, along with the Interrobang Film Festival. Licensed hunters can shoot deer, ring-necked pheasant and other legal game during the designated hunting seasons. Adults and teens age 16 and up are required to have a fishing license. Trapping is allowed, mostly in November, December, and January, and requires a furharvester license. Licenses are limited, so it can be a good idea to apply in advance. Birders will find majestic bald eagles in some areas, as well as many backyard birds, including cardinals, black-capped chickadees, American goldfinches, and blue jays.

Iowans consider themselves the "breadbasket of the world", which is reflected in their cuisine. Get ready for pork chops and pork BBQ, ham steaks and baked potatoes, sweet corn on the cob and green beans, and more just-plain-good Midwestern cooking than you can possibly eat in a lifetime. Most rural towns have a fast-food restaurant or two if you're in a hurry, but the best places are the ones which take just a little more time, possibly giving you a chance to chat with friendly locals over a pie or coffee. Early morning in a rural diner might find you in the company of a bunch of farmers! A few things to try: Maid-Rite burgers, also called "tavern" or "loose meat" burgers, are similar to hamburgers, but the beef is cooked in very small pieces, without forming a patty. Pork tenderloin sandwiches tend to be breaded, deep-fried, and generously sized. The hot roast beef sandwich is available in nearly every diner. This homestyle dish is a slice of white sandwich bread, a slice of roast beef, and a scoop of mashed potatoes, all of which is then drowned in thin brown gravy. Taco pizza was invented in Bettendorf, but is available across the state now. One of the most popular sources of pizza are the convenience stores. Iowans are divided between Casey's and Kum and Go. In many smaller towns, these are the only places to buy hot pizza. You can call ahead to have a freshly baked pizza waiting for you, or buy it by the slice while you're fueling up. Pies are what's for dessert. It's not unusual for larger restaurants to offer a dozen varieties of pie.

Before Prohibition, Iowa had a healthy wine industry, which is growing once again. There are vineyards scattered throughout the state, each producing their own wines. Des Moines boasts the state's largest number and widest variety of establishments for all age groups, but the bustling college towns of Cedar Falls, Ames and Iowa City provide the most avid nightlife in the state for (mostly) younger crowds (older crowds are more popular on game days, particularly in the fall during football season). Scores of young adults pack local bars and clubs Thursday through Saturday nights. Alcohol purchases cease at 2 AM in both bars and stores. There are no separate outlets for different types of alcohol purchases, and all alcohol content in beer is the same no matter where it is purchased. Alcohol is available seven days a week and the state does not have any "dry" counties. Iowa is home to a thriving craft beer scene, with noteworthy breweries including Millstream Brewing Company, based in the Amana Colonies, and Okoboji Brewing Company from the Iowa Great Lakes area. Toppling Goliath Brewing Co., located in Decorah, is a world-renowned microbrewery that has eight different brews listed in the Beer Advocate Top 250 Beers List, including the number one beer of all time. Other notable microbreweries include the Confluence Brewing Company and Exile Brewing Company in Des Moines, Backpocket Brewing in Coralville, SingleSpeed Brewing in Cedar Falls, and more than 80 others scattered throughout the state.

The biggest airport in Iowa is centrally located, in the state capital of Des Moines (DSM IATA). The second most popular is the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID IATA) in Cedar Rapids, on the east side of the state. There are also very small airports in Dubuque (DBQ IATA), Sioux City (SUX IATA), Waterloo (ALO IATA), Burlington (BRL IATA), Fort Dodge (FOD IATA), and Mason City (MCW IATA) that support scheduled passenger service. For travellers flying their own planes, there are dozens of general aviation airports, and hundreds of flying strips. Most people enter (and leave) Iowa via I-80 if coming from the east or west, or I-35 from the north or south. Both interstates are easy to navigate, as are many Midwestern states. A couple of 50-mile-long straight sections on the former has done more to perpetuate the stereotype that Iowa is nearly flat and empty than just about anything else, but the perception is not true: Iowa wouldn't even make a top-10 list for flattest states. Its neighbor Illinois would, however; Illinois is flatter than any US state except Florida and Louisiana. If you want to see the true face of the state, get off the interstate, ignore the fast-food signs, and find one of the small towns that make the Midwest so charming. Driving US Highway 6 across the state takes about 5.5 hours; it runs parallel to I-80 through most of the state but lets you see more variety. For a north–south trip, consider US Highway 69 through Des Moines or US Highway 218 through Cedar Rapids and Waterloo.

Most people get around Iowa by car. The roads in much of Iowa – like much of the Midwest – are laid out on a grid pattern. Drive on any of the state's outer highways, and you will quickly come to realize that there is an intersection at nearly every mile. This makes figuring out where you are, and getting from there to where you need to be, a relatively simple undertaking. It also means that if you ask for directions, people are likely to give directions according to the points on a compass. If someone says to go one mile east and three miles north, and you're feeling all turned around, don't be shy about asking which way you need to go. Travelers unaccustomed to ice and snow may have trouble driving in Iowa winters. Plan ahead if you need to travel during the colder parts of the year. Special snow tires or chains aren't usually needed, but you do need to know how to drive in winter conditions. Check the weather reports and road conditions well in advance, and give yourself plenty of time. If the snowplows have been called out, you should wait until they've cleared the roads. Drive slower than normal, and triple the amount of space you leave between your vehicle and the one in front of you. Turn and brake gently, and be ready to cope with an unseen patch of ice, especially on and around bridges. Major routes in the state include: Interstate 80: The state's major east-west interstate, it services major cities including Davenport, Bettendorf, Iowa City, Des Moines and Council Bluffs.

The rural parts of Iowa are quite safe, with many people not bothering to lock their car doors. A traveler should take a more common-sense approach when visiting more populous areas, such as Council Bluffs, Davenport, or Des Moines, as these areas have crime rates resembling those of typical mid-sized American cities. For the most part, a traveler will find that most Iowans are friendly, warm, and happy to help if you have trouble. Iowa experiences all four seasons in abundance: winter, mud, road construction, and football. Football season produces few travel-related problems beyond a weekly traffic jam near each football field. The first hard frost arrives during football season, which makes things a bit slippery underfoot early in the morning, but it also releases thousands of people from the months-long grip of hay fever. However, the other three seasons can present travelers with severe weather and unexpected changes in conditions. Thunderstorms are common. Thunderstorms are possible at any time, as long as the temperature is above the freezing point. Flooding can block roads. This is mainly a problem in the spring, when the combination of melting snow and additional rain saturates the ground and fills the rivers. Iowa resides in the unofficial "tornado alley" and sees about 50 tornadoes each year. The tornadoes are mostly considered weak (which is still very strong, by everyday standards for wind) and typically damage some trees, break a few windows, and blow over signs and other things.