Iowa Travel Guides (Updated September 2026)

This fulfilled a 20-year bucket list trip. It was amazing and so worth it. Francesca & Robert Forever❤️ Cheryl was fabulous!!!!

Diane was very knowledgeable about the movie and had interesting tidbits about the general area. She allowed time for stops and pictures also.

Great experience Worth the try

Amazing experience at Farrar School. The guides were incredible, and I loved all the amazing equipment, history, and stories they shared. A truly memorable and unique experience.

I am a teacher who sponsors a Paranormal Club, and we wanted to experience the investigations at Farrar Elementary. We booked with Ivy for a 6 pm experience. First of all, Ivy is an absolute delight! Our group had 8 students and 4 adults; we had a blast! From the boiler room to the auditorium, we experienced activity and all things only the Farrar team could show us. I give this experience a 10/10. We would love to go back and try this out again. Thank you Ivy for being so awesome!

Great experience‼️. The attendant even gave us an extra 30 minutes since we’d never kayaked before. Loved it, not even sore the next day.

My roomates and I set out from sioux city to Des Moines for 2 appts and we had time in between, so we looked up things to do and found Alley kat scavenger Hunts and booked it! It was a 2 hr game where we went to different stores and sites and in playing we made new friends, performed an act of kindness helping a gentleman at the historical building stack chairs after learning things about iowa in the museum! We loved playing! Its a must do if you are in the Des Moines area! We are headed to Minneapolis Mn in a week and hope tovdo this again there! Love love loved it!

So much fun. Found fun places to explore. Wish we could have seen the other teams. Got us outside even in the rain. Thank you all for the fun

The views were beautiful, so peaceful, and convenient. Will def be back to do this again next time I am coming through the area.

Des Moines, the city of walkways between buildings. We went to Farmer Market, it's Saturday, delicious food, crafts and live show.

Will was fantastic. This was my first time riding the trolley and I'll absolutely do this again. Will made the trip so much fun and was very accommodating. Can't sing enough praises

We found a great VRBO right by the river, close to bike trail. Place was bike friendly renovated industrial building with concrete floors. Really cool atmosphere. Private kitchen. Shared rooftop deck with beautiful views. Close to a couple of train tracks, so it can get loud. I find the sound of the trains relaxing. My husband wore ear plugs and that worked out well. High industrial ceilings and good space. We want to come back and would highly recommend.

Private tours are usually out of reach, an expensive and extravagant indulgence. Not in Iowa.... booked it for $39 through Cool Destinations, met our local, expert guide at the county seat's Chamber of Commerce, and I drove our rental car, while Cheryl navigated from the back seat and regaled us with her vast knowledge and commentary on all things Covered Briges of Madison County. A bit of Americana charm, a throwback to the good old days that we celebrated this 4th of July, and my wife's Big 70 on our Nation's 250th yesterday. Not without a bit of common sense, I had to provide my driver's license to the CC volunteer, as a deterrent to my possibly absconding with our guide, LOL. Cheryl was a wonderful source of information, local lore and history, while putting up with my frequent photo stops - the perfect recipe for a little vacation photojournalism.

This personal tour with a guide is worthwhile and very interesting. Cheryl was fantastic and made the tour very enjoyable!

This was a delightful little trip. I am a novice kayaker, but felt totally safe. I love that they provide life vests, and the shore is always within view. I saw a lot of fish jumping, turtles sunning themselves on logs, birds and flowers. I had a great time, it was very peaceful. I spent about an hour and a half, and did not fully explore the whole area. I would definitely return!

What a wonderful and amazing experience. Greg, offered excellent service with kayaks and life jackets ready to go for the 6 of us and we used the double kayaks. Greg has the best and most comfortable kayaks to experience the most serene and tranquil trip kayaking around the lakes/quarry.