Camping Gems - Places to Go in Iowa

Amana Colonies
A group of German immigrants left their homeland in 1842 for the promise of religious freedom offered in southeastern Iowa. Here you'll find museums explaining the Amana lifestyle, wineries, furniture makers, woolen mills, wonderful bakeries, stores full of neat crafts, a wonderful quilting supply store, and some of the best German food you'll ever find.

Lake of Three Fires State Park
Hiking, hunting, boating, swimming -- this Taylor County park has it all.  Set in southwest Iowa, Lake of Three Fires offer excellent fishing as well as mushroom, berry, and nut harvesting.  Tour the hiking and horseback riding trails, explore the lake, or enjoy a picnic lunch with a view.

Des Moines
Iowa's destination city has plenty of family fun to offer.  Take a trip to Adventureland Park, Sleepy Hollow Sports Park, or enjoy a ride on the ponies at the Heritage Carousel of Des Moines. The city also has plenty of nightlife, live music, and fabulous restaurants.

Sylvan Runkel State Preserve
Set near Onawa in the Loess Hills Prairie, this preserve offers a fabulous taste of western Iowa.  You can hike the ridgetop, explore the prairie grasses and wildflowers, and photograph circling hawks.  The preserve also includes forest and wetland areas.

Lake MacBride State Park
If fishing is your passion, you need to stop at Lake MacBride.  This is one of the few places in Iowa where you can fish for the "other" bass variety -- Kentucky spotted bass. The park has plenty of boating opportunities (rentals are available right on the shore) and miles of multi-use trails.  Head here for hiking, biking, or wintertime cross-country skiing.

Des Moines Botanical Center
Here you will be treated to a 150 by 80-foot dome which houses 15,000 tropical and subtropical plants. Along with the plants, you'll see tiny hummingbirds and their free flying buddies flitting overhead. Outside you can explore the herb garden, the Japanese dwarf tree collection, a cactus garden, and garden style river walk landscaped to attract butterflies. (909 E River Drive, 515-242-2934)

Pine Lake State Park
With gorgeous territorial views of the forest, river, and farmlands, this state park is a terrific place to explore with the family.  Set in north-central Iowa, Pine Lake offers excellent catfish and smallmouth bass fishing, miles of hiking trails, and plenty of boat ramps.  Serious bikers will want to ride a leg of the Lake-to-Lake State Park Bike Route, a 50 mile route connecting Pine Lake and George Wyth Memorial state parks.