I was able to attend a small event recently at Speckled Hen Farm encompassing Speckled Hen and a…read morecouple of businesses they closely partner with. Lone Oaks Farms and Covered Bridges Winery. Until a few days ago I'd never heard of Speckled Hen Farm. Kris was our host at Speckled Hen along with Luann from Lone Oaks and Kevin from Covered Bridges winery. I guess they are kind of little hidden gems in nearby Madison country... The Speckled Hen store features a lot of fun, farm-inspired merchandise, handmade baked goods and artisan bread, farm fresh eggs, local honey, gourmet food products, and fresh seasonal produce. Kris and Luann were wonderful hosts filling us in on their history, how they select the people they bring into their businesses as vendors and for their events. And setting up an al fresco table of some small plates for us...! To Speckled Hen Farm it was a 32 min drive from where I live in Clive. A trip to the Northern part of Ankeny or to the South side can take me just as long...so it's really not far away at all and it's a nice drive. If you're like me and you enjoy a little bit of a day trip to find new things... It's worth the short drive from the metro! Check out upcoming events at Speckled Hen on their Facebook page and site (as well as those for Lone Oaks and Covered Bridges Winery on their respective pages). Everything from scratch pizza nights with dough handmade by Kris and cooked on the open pizza ovens in the patio area behind the store... Live music, prairie walks, photography workshops, etc. And if you have friends coming into town Speckled Hen also has a four bed two bath airbnb on site. The Roost! https://www.speckledhenfarmsiowa.com/ https://www.facebook.com/peacelovechickens

This property is absolutely beautiful! A hidden gem in Winterset Iowa. I got invited out through…read moreYelp & I'm so happy we went! The little farm shop had so many fun funky finds to choose from. We took home a homemade dip mix, garlic & chive! We can't wait to try it. This place has so many events to fill your summer bucket list. Be sure to check out their website! The owners were so sweet & informational. Spend an afternoon here wine tasting & you will have a weekend well spent.

I visited Rose Farm due to their partnership with the Polk County Master Gardeners. Just a short…read moredrive south of Des Moines, it's convenient to visit. I was able to get a peek at the flowers available for cut flower buckets. They have indoor meeting space including a kitchen area. I will definitely watch for events and classes.

What a charming place. I had never been out here before. I went for a cooking class. There was…read morea cute shopping area when you entered the building. The coffee that were for sale smelled delicious. I wish I had planned on being home that week, if so I would have purchased one of the beautiful flower bouquets. The woman that greeted us offered us her family lemonade, which was a family recipe (OMG! It was amazing!) I took a quick walk around the property before the cooking class. There was a chicken coup as well as chickens roaming around. A beautiful dog was hanging around outside as well a friendly cat. I definitely will come back out for another event

So much fun. We took Ana here. we all enjoyed it so much. it went the day before memorial day. it…read morewas free admission. a cup of food to feed them. there's a little shop. the staff/owners are wonderful, full of information and glad to share it. Abigail was glad to give information about the alpacas. Thanks for the great adventure for our Spanish daughter.

Since moving to Iowa last summer, one of the most fun things we have done is visiting Rusty Stars…read moreAlpaca. It's more than a half-hour from Ankeny but well worth the drive. Led by owners Kari and Aron, this place has such a good vibe. Their availability on the property makes the whole visit memorable, regardless of your age, your awareness of alpacas, or your experience with farm life. They have 42 alpacas and a llama on the property, and it is a unique experience to wander among them. Each of the alpacas has a name, looks different, and is interactive. As Kari described, they are "food-centric. " Being able to feed them from your hand was fun for this city boy. The alpacas have their own personalities, too. They have walking trips, too, but we refrained due to the snow and ice on a February day. We loved their gift shop, which was loaded with fun items and alpaca-themed apparel. I'm glad I bought a warm pair of valuable socks, which came in handy just a few days later! There is no paid admission to the property, just a suggested donation. The owners accept Venmo and cash. We were happy to contribute at the end. Aside from the obvious fun to mingle with alpacas, the owners elevate the entire experience, adding kindness, knowledge, and a great tone throughout. I wish everyone were as nice as Kari and Aron! Check out their social sites for fun photos and videos.

The best sweet corn! Locally grown and available usually starting by July 4th. They also sell jams…read moreand may have tomatoes and melons. This is one of several trucks that are located around the metro

Came here for the Friday at Farm and had a great time! The music was not too loud and enjoyable,…read morethere is plenty of room for seating and shade leaves. There was a nice little farmers market and a few food vendors to choose from. I will definitely be going back. Relaxing and fun for all ages

We went there for Fridays at the Farm. But unfortunately out of the 150 people there none of the…read morevendors and 145 of the patrons did not wear masks. We will not be back to this COVID-19 petri dish. Because I would prefer to stay alive.

Gayle and I returned to the Iowa State fair yesterday. It was a hot Tuesday (even in the morning)…read moreand we spend maybe 3 hours on the grounds. I'm sure I've been here since my last review was posted, but the years do seem to flow and run together. High Points: - The Butter Cow! - Chair Lift ride over part of the Fair Grounds. - Varied Industry, Walnut Center, and Arts Building Exhibits - Seeing Governor Reynolds walk down the main thoroughfare. - Visiting the University of Iowa Booth and touching the trophies. - Watching Families Groom Their Steers for Competition in the Barn. - Enjoying the Pig competition in one of the arenas. - Having a nice Lunch at Stockman's. We also walked around a lot and just watched the diversity of our fellow attendees. There were also a lot of huge baby strollers on one end life's spectrum and many senior scooters on the other. We also appreciated the DART park-and-ride option from the State Capital. It was only $1 each for folks like us that are over 65.

Always a fun time when the weather is behaving itself. Got an early start to avoid long lines and…read moregiant crowds. It was a little sprinkly at first but that stopped and it was decent most of the day. Little clouds and a light breeze. Had a decent breakfast at the Methodist Church. Nothing to write home about. Just a start to our day. Then off to the Beer Tent for hydration. Lots of new sips to be sipping. Nerds beer. Cotton candy beer. Lots of ciders and my all time favorite the spiked fair lemonade. Tried the 3 Little Pigs from Whatcha Smokin and was very let down. Little flavor other than the sauce and super dense for a meatball. The jalapeno dog on a stick was much better but it had the Waukee meat. Tried the bacon chicken ranch egg roll and it was great. One of the best new foods in the history of new foods. We even had a group cut in line lol Enjoyed seeing the doll houses and various crafts. The paintings. The photography. The livestock. Going back a 2nd time because you can't see everything in one day. Recommend for anyone to go at least once a year.

I won a gift card from a local business and came here on a Sunday morning with my family. My sister…read moreand hubby had fun going through the maze, even though they were rebels and didn't go through in the correct numbered order. There was a scavenger hunt that you could do as you went along as well. There was a small shop that had cider, cocoa, popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, and sweets. It was really a nice feature because sadly I didn't get the make it through the maze due to a recent injury. We had fun watching them feed bad pumpkins to the cows, which are right by the store and we picked out a few pumpkins to take home. There are a few other activities that are scattered throughout the property to do.

Great trip for a day with kids. Our group had four boys ranging from 2 to 7, and they all enjoyed…read moreit. There were about 5 different areas to play in focused on different themes: nature, physics, space, etc. There was a planetarium with regular shows. Nice for a sweltering hot day.

Nice, family friendly museum located in downtown Des Moines, but there are way too many screaming…read morekids running around. Why do people bring children under 8 to these types of places? It's not like they will even know or comprehend any of these things, much less be able to sit still during demonstrations or when viewing exhibits. It was nice to see that all science demonstrations and shows in the planetarium are included in your ticket price. If you check out a few of those, then it is well worth the admission even as an adult!