Photo: Dsmspence, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Stroll 4.4 downtown acres of large outdoor sculpture, including Jaume Plensa's 27-foot figure made of letters.
1330 Grand Ave · Des Moines, IA
Opened in 2009 in Western Gateway Park, this 4.4-acre downtown lawn displays works by more than two dozen artists, a gift from John and Mary Pappajohn. You walk concrete paths over gently rolling hills past pieces by Louise Bourgeois, Ai Weiwei and Barry Flanagan. A standout is Nomade by Jaume Plensa, a 27-foot crouching figure of white steel letters that you can step inside. Picnics and photography are welcome and an audio tour is available, but most sculptures are not for touching.
The closest stops to Pappajohn Sculpture Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
Step inside an 80-foot geodesic dome conservatory, then stroll 12 acres of indoor and outdoor gardens on the Des Moines River next to downtown.
Transit: reachable by public transit
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Tour a five-domed statehouse topped in 23-karat gold, with 29 kinds of marble and a law library ringed by four stories of balconies.
Transit: reachable by public transit
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A free museum, art school, and sculpture park in Iowa's capital city.
Transit: reachable by public transit
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Feed giraffes, see red pandas and great cats, and ride the carousel at Iowa's accredited zoo on old Fort Des Moines land.
Transit: reachable by public transit
4.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Iowa county famous for its historic covered bridges, made famous by The Bridges of Madison County.
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Walk through the 1883 covered bridge over the Middle River made famous by The Bridges of Madison County.
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