Okoboji with kids

Before we had kids, my husband and I spent many lazy summer weekends in Okoboji relaxing on boats or by the pool and long afternoons at some of our favorite watering holes. Looking back, we sat down a lot. Since having kids (they are 5 and nearly 2), we still enjoy visiting Iowa’s Great Lakes, but with a lot less sitting and more action.

One of our first stops is always Arnolds Park. This old-school amusement park offers rides, games, concessions, and their wooden roller coaster ranks as one of the top 10 wooden roller coasters in the country. My 5-year-old daughter loves seeing West Lake Okoboji from the top of the Ferris wheel.

We often visit the Treasure Village Theater to see the production of some classic children’s stories. It’s a nice length for little kids. They also offer face painting and a mini golf course that is made just for kids. It is easy enough that my daughter got a hole in one.

Swimming ranks high on my kids' list of favorite activities and there is certainly no shortage of places to swim in Okoboji. From nice beaches to the indoor waterpark at Bridges Bay Resort, we have tried them all and all were well received.

My daughter and I also took some time to go a little shopping. We spent over an hour in the Barn Swallow, a unique gift shop full of everything from books and shirts to decorations for the house. They also have plenty of stuff upstairs for little girls.

There are plenty of things for older kids to do as well, and I am looking forward to the many adventures that we have coming our way.

What's your favorite spot in Okoboji?

Colleen Murphy, Iowa Tourism Office

Make your Memorial Day memorable

Every year, veterans from across the country make a pilgrimage to the Freedom Rock over Memorial Day weekend and you can, too. To honor veterans, Ray “Bubba” Sorenson has painted a different war veteran’s tribute on the same huge rock every year since 1999. Sorenson paints the rock as a way to give back to our veterans, and as a reminder that “Memorial Day isn’t just a three-day weekend.”

Our family visited Freedom Rock over a Memorial Day weekend once. I anticipated stopping at the rock, glancing at the painting, hopping back into the van and heading home. What I didn’t anticipate was being truly humbled by the presence of veterans of several U.S. combats, and seeing first hand how honored veterans feel about the painting.

When we stepped out of the van, we heard motorcycles, lots of loud motorcycles. We looked towards the road and witnessed a caravan of at least 50 (and probably more) motorcycles with Vietnam Veterans pulling up to the parking lot. We watched as they lined up, dismounted their bikes and then quietly visited Freedom Rock. I realized in awe that the paintings on the Freedom Rock have an incredible power to help ease the pain of so many veterans. The sincere tribute of “Bubba” isn’t just about the art, but understanding the sacrifices our veterans have made for our country and how honored they are by the paintings.

The Freedom Rock is located south of I-80 on Hwy. 25 near Greenfield. Check out photos from previous years.

Want some other Memorial Day weekend ideas? Check out these events:

 

• Celebrate John Wayne’s birthday May 25 – 26 in Winterset.
• The North Liberty Blues & BBQ - named the Attraction of the Year by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau – is slated for Saturday, May 26, and is free to the public. 
• The first ever Bicycle Festival will take place in Jefferson on Saturday, May 26, and feature bicycle education, fashion, art and food. 
• Tivoli Fest is a Danish-American celebration held in Elk Horn May 26 – 27. Experience Danish history, hospitality and, of course, food. 
• Remember the War of 1812 at Old Fort Madison’s Bicentennial Memorial Dedication in Fort Madison. A re-enactment, memorial and interpretive sign dedication will be featured from May 26 – 28.

 

LuAnn Reinders, Iowa Tourism Office

You’ll be swept up in an Iowa adventure!

Channel your inner flying squirrel near Dubuque at historic Union Park. Sky Tours features seven ziplines that soar above treetops and ridges. The unique history and natural beauty of this century-old park combine to make for a fascinating tour as you hike from one zipline to the next. But you’ll forget all that when you strap in and step off the 45-foot tower into thin air! (Check out coverage of the course via Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Outdoors.)

Spelunkers rejoice! The famous caves of Maquoketa Caves State Park are open again. When you visit, you’ll learn about our friends the bats and how to protect them. Enjoy caves, limestone formations and rugged bluffs – visit the interpretive center to learn more about the caves. Come for a day trip or pitch a tent in wooded campground.

Iowa’s oldest state park, Backbone State Park near Strawberry Point, is named for the rugged bedrock formation that twists and turns through the area. Rock climbers enjoy steep bluffs; boaters enjoy the lazy Maquoketa River. Bring your banjo and jam at the Backbone Bluegrass Festival in late July.

Try your hand at whitewater rafting without traveling to the Rockies. It’s just a short trip to the Charles City WhiteWater at Riverfront Park, where the Cedar River flows through the middle of town and provides exciting recreation for paddlers and tubers of any experience level. Be sure to mark your calendars for the first annual Charles City Challenge: WhiteWater Weekend June 15-17, and see stand-up paddling make a splash!

One of Iowa’s longest trails, the Wabash Trace Nature Trail stretches more than 62 miles through southwest Iowa on a converted railroad bed. An annual trail pass will grant you unlimited access to this multi-use trail – see bikers, hikers, even horseback riders enjoying Iowa’s wide-open scenery and friendly little towns. Ask locally about the Taco Ride… we dare you.

Can you ride a mountain bike without a mountain? Of course! Hundreds of mountain bikers will gather June 22-24, 2012, at Scott County Park in eastern Iowa for the 2012 Midwest Mountain Bike Festival.

Look for more ideas to paddle, bike, run and swim across Iowa at http://www.traveliowa.com/.



Kathy Bowermaster, Iowa Tourism Office

Biking with a twist - and five major turns

Looking back on my childhood, I can remember every nook and cranny of our yard. I spent all the time my mother would allow gallivanting around our yard dressed as Wonder Woman and frequently rolling down the hill in our front yard. I still love to be outside and the rolling hills of southeast Iowa are a calling card for adventure seekers like me.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not named Snake Alley in Burlington the world's crookedest street. Biking enthusiasts should check out the 30th annual Snake Alley Criterium, slated for Saturday, May 26. It tests the skills of even the most seasoned of cyclists as they maneuver the five major turns while they ascend 60-feet on the 276-foot-long alley. I’m more of a runner then a biker, but every time I see Snake Alley, the kid in me imagines rolling down it.

The area has other great outdoor adventures like Starr’s Cave Park and Preserve with its massive limestone bluffs rising from the creek, and, of course, the Mighty Mississippi River. There are several great restaurants with picture perfect river views.

If you are traveling with kids, you may want to pay a visit to FunCity. The complex includes indoor/outdoor water parks, bowling, go-karts, laser tag, restaurants and a hotel all under one roof. Not far from FunCity, you can sit back and enjoy America’s favorite pastime as you watch the Burlington Bees, a Class A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Every game features a fun promotional event like Dollar Mondays to Community Basket Day, with this year’s basket including a $10,000 prize!

Want to see more in southeast Iowa? Check out these nearby destinations:

• Old Fort Madison, Fort Madison – Rebuilt in the likeness of the 1808 original, Old Fort Madison features living history demonstrations and costumed interpreters.
• George M. Verity Riverboat Museum, Keokuk – Check out a retired paddlewheel steamboat that was built in 1927 along with photos of 19th century riverboats and artifacts of the steamboat era.
• Villages of Van Buren – A unique cluster of towns offering antiques, historic lodging, bed-and-breakfast inns, wineries and specialty shops.

 Colleen Murphy, Iowa Tourism Office

Flower Power in Iowa

I've lived in Iowa virtually my entire life and have been involved in Iowa's tourism industry for almost 15 years (gasp!), but I am still amazed by what the state offers. Every year I add to my wish list of places to visit.

For instance, did you know there was a place where someone plants and tends to flowers, but you can come pick them? How incredible is that? At Miss Effie's Country Garden and Garden Stuff in Donahue, you can take your pick of more than 8,000 annuals.The flowers change with the seasons, of course, so you'll want to go more than once. Love it!

Also on my list is the Loess Hills Lavender Farm near Missouri Valley. Yes, a lavender farm in Iowa. I'm enamored by the idea of smelling two acres of lavender fields.For centuries lavender has been used to dress wounds, as perfume, and used for a sense of calm and balance. A gift shop on site offers many lavender products made right there on the farm. I sense a girls outing in store this summer.

While I have been to Reiman Gardens in Ames before, it's on my list to visit this year because of its special LEGO exhibit. I have not one, but two, LEGOmaniacs in my house so this will be perfect. The 14-acre garden includes 27 sculptures made out of more than 500,000 LEGO bricks in 14 displays inspired by gardens and nature. They range in size from six inches to nearly eight feet. The largest sculpture, a mother bison, took 45,143 bricks to construct. Reiman Gardens is the first public garden in the country to display sculptures from LEGO bricks.The exhibit is titled "Nature Connects" and is designed to show how nature in interconnected, just like the LEGO bricks used to build it.  The exhibit runs through October 28.

Taken great shots of Iowa's flower power? We'd love to see them. Tag and share your #IowaSnapshots on our Facebook and Twitter pages! Want more suggestions on gardens to visit? Check out our Flower Power Pinterest board.

Jessica O'Riley, Iowa Tourism Office

Iowa welcomes our friends to the North, South, East and West!

The Iowa Tourism Office has officially kicked off its spring marketing campaign. We’re not only reaching out to Iowans, but also to our neighbors in Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis.

The multi-faceted marketing campaign has been designed to encourage Midwesterners to visit traveliowa.com to plan their family vacation.

This year's campaign includes:

• Four, 15-second TV spots
• Digital banner ads on lifestyle and travel-related websites
• Full-color print ads in popular parents and lifestyle magazines
• Travel messages in the Mall of America in Minnesota; Stratford Square and Woodfield Malls outside of Chicago; and Oak Park Mall in Kansas City.
• Giveaways on the Tourism Office's Facebook page
• Vacation conversations on Facebook, Twitter and the Travel Iowa blog

Our goal is to showcase Iowa as an attractive, affordable, easy-to-get-to family destination. So  be sure to check out http://www.traveliowa.com/ or any of our social media channels for great vacation ideas.

Have great Iowa vacation photos? We'd love to see them! Tag and share your photos on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Flickr. Tag Travel Iowa or use the #iowasnapshots hashtag.


What Iowa destination are you looking forward to visiting this summer?