Adventureland

Giraffes, roller coasters and more

By Sue Smith
Iowa.com

You don’t need to go far from home to find hundreds of child-friendly attractions in Iowa. The state is home to scores of museums, parks, several zoos and every child’s dream – theme parks.

The granddaddy theme park in Iowa is Adventureland, located on the outskirts of Des Moines. The park features hundreds of rides, a hotel and campground.

Tucked in the northwest corner of Iowa is Arnold’s Park, a theme park that’s been around since 1927. It, too has rides, but also includes games, a raceway and a maritime museum.

Speaking of museums, you can’t go far without running into one in Iowa. The state features museums dedicated to the Mississippi River, science, (Cedar Rapids, Des Moines), art, wrestling and farm toys. There’s even a museum devoted to kids. The Iowa Children’s Museum, located at Coralridge Mall in Coralville, showcases interactive exhibits designed to stimulate learning for kids from birth to age 12. The Iowa Museum Association has numerous other museums to explore.

A little history goes a long way with kids during a trip to Living History Farms in Urbandale. This is actually several farms depicting life of the 1700 Ioway Indians, an 1850 and 1900 farms and an 1875 small town. See how people lived hundreds of years ago.

The zoo in Iowa is Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. With a mission to inspire an appreciation of the natural world, this zoo features more than 100 different animal species.

For more family fun, search our calendar and iGuide. Better yet, recommend a family friendly place by commenting on this page or chatting in our iTalk forums.