Center Grove Orchard was such a fun place to be this past fall, and in years past. There is so much…read moreto do, you really can make a full day visit. Lost of farm animals to check out, tons of kids activities, a huge pumpkin patch, an apple grove where you can pick your own apples, a train to ride, a corn maze, and a market where there are farm made jams, jellies, peanut butter, honey, baked goods and more. There were also signs up saying there will be strawberry picking in the summer, and they also have fields of flowers in the appropriate seasons. They are striving to make their farm a year-round destination.

My biggest gripe was that this is a family centered destination and there is nowhere for nursing…read moremothers to feed their babies? A worker suggested I feed my baby in a port a potty. I had to go all the way back to the car to feed her. :( A lot of the food stops are closed at the end if the season. The funnel cake place wasn't taking orders because they set the oil too low or something and couldn't give a clear time they would be ready. However! There were some cute photo stops and my kid had a blast in the big corn pool I have never seen anything like it. They also have the BEST applesauce I have ever had.

Stumbled across this shop next door to the Frontier cafe on Main Street in downtown Grinnell. Wide…read moreranging selection of vintage clothing wonderfully displayed in a cozy atmosphere. The couple that owns it could not have been more friendly and hospitable. They were getting ready for a pop-up event that evening and had an even greater selection for that night. My wife found a unique ring, a hand made dress from the 1930's and a really cool blouse. Highly recommend you check it out if you are in Grinnell.

This place transforms me to Brooklyn (NY not IA). Curated local(ish) vintage where you can tell…read moreeach piece has been thoughtfully selected by one of the two co-owners. Opened just four months ago, this place feels like a community space. Free coffee in back, a seating area, and so many delightful shelves to peruse. Take your time here. Enjoy the space.

Couldn't have asked for a more immersive experience. Not sure if the noises I made upset him or…read moremaybe he's got something against Japanese cars being that he's American and all. Either way, he had a great time rocking our car back and forth and leaving his signature behind. Definitely one for the memory books.

We traveled a half-hour southeast from Ankeny to visit the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and…read moreenjoyed an hour on the property. Some gravel roads are within the journey, and the main building has been closed due to recent floods. I'm looking forward to seeing that main building when they reopen. Open dawn to dusk, we toured the property in our car before finding the bison and elk. They were fun to observe, although our many years in Colorado calmed our enthusiasm since we had seen so many previously. When it is warmer, we plan to explore the bike and walking trails on the property ranging from a mile to 4.5 miles. The auto tour is five miles in length.

I recently spent an hour at this museum and it was absolutely delightful. The director opened the…read moremuseum for us on an appointment basis (it's apparently only open to the public on a daily basis during the summer) and what we found was an amazing, immersive collection of artifacts that painted a remarkably vivid portrait of rural farm life from the 19th century through the 1950s, along with a treasure trove of genealogical information, for those interested in such things. The people of this small town have clearly put their souls into this museum and it shows in the meticulous attention to detail in every room of every building. Much more immersive than other heritage and living history museums I've been to in the area. I couldn't possibly recommend this enough. It's the kind of place where you will notice something new every time you go, and I will be stopping by every time I find myself in Iowa.

Only open in the warmer months, the Kellogg Historical Museum is an amazing window into small town…read moreIowa life--a culture that is sadly disappearing in much of Iowa and the midwest. I highly recommend a visit. Take your family and your friends. It's donation-only and a short drive from Newton and Grinnell. The museum is in the old Simpson Hotel and is staffed by volunteers. Most of the artifacts (for lack of a better word) in the museum were donated by local families and represent daily life from the late 1800s to the 1960s. You'll get a real feel for what life was and is like Kellogg IA and Jasper County. You'll see old letters home from World War I, toys from the depression, mannequins from the 1950s, old farming implements and cash registers, tons of photo albums and vintage clothing. It really brings you back in time in a way that many of the larger, better funded museums in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Chicago don't. Seriously, if you're remotely interested in America's Heartland, go to the Kellogg Historical Museum. The staff is very friendly. If I remember right Donna works there and she's a Raider fan (don't hold it against her), and she made me feel right at home.

It's a great summer tradition to come here. But your tickets in advance online and we recommend…read morearriving 30 minutes prior to gate opening for a decent spot. They usually play a new movie with a newer movie. They also do a new movie with an old movie. They also do themes for Halloween. They offer food in the center booth. I recommend getting your pizza ordered as soon as you can. The wait can be really long if you don't.(like a hourish) Overall it's a great experience you have to do this at least once.

Great time to be had at the only drive-in theater in Iowa!…read more Pricing per ticket is extremely reasonable, especially if you stay for the 2nd movie. If everyone parked one car between the white posts as instructed, the line of sight would have been better, but it still wasn't bad. Next time we plan to park in the front row to let the kids have more time to run around in our sight line. You can pack you our car with anything and everything, and there is plenty of room to set up chairs and coolers around your vehicle. The concession stand was a little pricey - more in line with a big city theater. But the quality of the food was stellar. And the pizzas were a big hit - one price, mix & match your toppings. And when you consider the ticket prices, these seem more manageable. They also have the cutest t-shirts! The only Cons we had were: 1. The on-site audio system (little car speakers) were all disconnected due to a past storm. (And it sounded like an epic off-season repair to fix.) So we had to rely on our car radios. But our lights wouldn't turn off if the auxiliary system was on. So we couldn't use our car radio. The concession stand offered old-school AM/FM radios to borrow (in exchange for a drivers license.) we went through 2 before finding one that would stay on tune 88.7. But we had to return it halfway through the 2nd movie when the concession stand closed. 2. There was a cell tower less than 1/2 mile away. It's too bad that there wasn't WiFi available. We had brought our own speakers, but without WiFi we couldn't used digital tuners. So, only a 1 star loss. We'll either bring our own radio next time, or figure something else out. It's an experience and our kids had a good time.

I received a beautiful hydrangea plant and balloon bouquet for my 60th birthday from a long…read moredistance friend. It's a gorgeous plant and had a couple of cute butterfly picks in it.

Hidden garden treasure. Not far off I-80, totally worth the side trip. Well designed, well cared…read morefor and has a variety of garden types. Everything is well labeled and identified. Takes about 30 minutes to stroll through the garden. Sculptures throughout add to the ambience and are very interesting. Walkways are concrete and shaded. Restrooms available. Free.

Great bar supporting great charity causes. The Battle if the Bulge race brought over $2600 in…read morecharity proceeds to the Iowa Food Pantry and Ronald McDonald House.

Great local bar with good pizza the owners are great people always will to accommodate! Parkin near…read moreby on the street they have a nice outdoor patio and always a football game on ready to go! We would highly recommend this friendly neighborhood bar bikers welcome