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Headed to Des Moines with kids? Let me tell you… This little hidden gem of the Midwest will not disappoint and will leave you and your kids wanting more! We originally decided to visit the area to attend the annual National Balloon Classic. I highly recommend not purchasing tickets in advance like we did. Many times you won’t know if the hot air balloons will fly up until an hour before flight time. I did not know this, so I purchased tickets two weeks in advance and it turns out the weekend we visited was too windy for flying. So, unfortunately, we didn’t witness hot air balloons this year. That didn’t stop us from enjoying our time in the state of Iowa thought! Here is a packed itinerary if you plan to visit Des Moines with kids.
Disclaimer: All opinions remain my own. However, this trip was sponsored by Surety Hotel and Catch Des Moines.
Friday
Evening
Check into your hotel. We made Surety Hotel our home base for the weekend and it was absolutely perfect. A few things we loved about this hotel:
- The elegant and modern decor of the lobby as well as the guest rooms. The building was home to Iowa Loan & Trust company in 1913, and many parts of it were well preserved. It was fun to see this charming historic touches throughout the hotel!
- The location was central to everything we needed. We actually ended up walking to most of the attractions I’ll be mentioning.
- The dining options were amazing. The outdoor Surety courtyard might be a bit more family friendly than the Mulberry Street Tavern, but we dined at both during our stay and they were very accommodating.
For your first night in Des Moines, get settled into the hotel and grab a bite and drinks at the Surety courtyard. On Friday nights there’s a live DJ, and the vibe is really fun and relaxing. If you’re a fan of mocktails you have to try the Secret Beach.
Saturday
Morning
Get an early start to the day, and head out the door around 8am just in time to spend a few hours at the downtown farmers’ market. We were able to walk just five minutes to this market from our hotel. This farmers market was rated #2 in the nation, and I can see why! The market spanned multiple blocks and just when I thought we’d reached the end it just kept on going! You’ll be able to find something for everyone here. There was live music, fresh produce, yummy food options, and (my favorite) fresh flowers galore. In my opinion, this was the highlight of our trip.
Once you’ve eaten your hearts out and decide you need some nice, cool A/C, take a five minute walk to the Science Center of Iowa. The kids had so much fun here, and if I’m being honest, I think my husband had even more fun than them. The facilities were very up-to-date and each exhibit was very hands-on, which I loved for the kids. Most museums don’t keep my one-year-old daughter’s attention for long unless there are specific things for toddlers. However, she definitely took a liking to everything at SCI, and there was enough to keep even her busy. We spent over two hours here and didn’t even make it to every exhibit. I guess we’ll just have to come back another time!
Afternoon
For lunch, take a drive to Smash Park Des Moines. If your kids aren’t tired out from the morning of fun yet they’ll definitely work off the rest of their energy here! Not only will you find an extensive menu of food and drinks but there are outdoor and indoor pickleball courts, lawn games, arcade games, jumbo TVs. There’s fun around every corner, and you could easily spend a few hours here as well just eating, drinking, and playing.
I’m sure you’ll all be tuckered out after all of this, so take a few hours to just relax at the hotel. Once you’ve all mustered up enough energy, take a slow evening stroll around Pappajohn Sculpture Park. It’s free, a good place to relax, and perfect for pictures.
Evening
For dinner, head back to the hotel’s restaurant, Mulberry Street Tavern. A little on the pricier side, but my husband raved that the Skuna Bay salmon was the best he’s ever had. The steak frites I had were great too. There aren’t many options for kids, so we snagged our kids’ favorite fast food option (Subway) before we went down for dinner. If you plan to have dinner here I recommend making reservations as this was definitely the spot to be on the weekends.
That wraps up your Saturday in Des Moines with kids! It’s a busy one! But if you’re like me, you prefer to tire your kids out while on vacation anyways.
Sunday
Morning
While you’re checking out of the hotel make sure you stop and grab a coffee or baked good in the lobby’s cafe. While you’re doing that the kids can stop and play a round of pool at the pool table located in the lobby as well. The lobby is beautiful and a great place to have a slow morning before check-out.
Before heading out of town make a quick stop at Blank Park Zoo. You’ll find animals like lions, red pandas, wallabies (they’re uncaged so you can get a nice close-up view of them!). They also have fun experiences like giraffe and parakeet feedings, which the kids loved, of course. If you have little little ones there’s a cute little petting zoo area with a playground too. This is definitely a great way to wrap up your weekend in Des Moines.
There you have it! I hope this itinerary helps if you’re headed to Des Moines with the kids. For more travel itineraries check out my other blog posts here.
Sincerely,
Savanna
