#travel iowa

[badsciencejokes]

What a Weekend!

This past weekend I was invited to Pella, Iowa from the team at Visit Pella.

 Pella, IA is East, and just a touch South, of Des Moines, IA. It's home to the largest working grain windmill in the country, which you can tour!

 Dutch culture is very strong as many of the early residents of Pella were from The Netherlands. While I was sharing my walk-through town on Instagram stories (now on my highlight reel) I received so many messages from my friends in Europe thinking I was there, too! They said the large trucks gave it away that I was still in America. ;)

 What surprised me the most on my trip to Pella was how much of a foodie destination this can be! We had excellent meals and pastries originating from Europe as well as some American classics. There was not a bad meal here to be found! (And we ate enough to be able to tell if there was...) 

 The desserts over at Vander Ploeg Bakery were scrumptious. Don't forget to get a Dutch Letter when you visit! It's a puff pastry with an almond paste. 

 We had coffee over at Iris Coffee - a scientific take on coffee! Pairing what would taste best to get you the most amazing cup of coffee. 

Big Acai Bowl had loads of smoothies and yogurt options for a midday snack or paring to breakfast! 

Van Veen Chocolates had these spectacular cookie butter dark chocolates. Had to tell ourselves not to eat them all in one sitting!!!

We had some amazing beef jerky and beef sticks at In’t Veld’s Meat Market. It was some of the best we've ever tasted! 

Liberty Street Kitchen was inside our hotel, The Royal Amsterdam Hotel . We had steak and fish and they were absolutely delicious. What really knocked our socks off was the crème brûlée! (Which we ate too quickly to get a picture of.) 

We also had some of the Pella Red wine from The Wijn House . It was a perfect way to relax while at the Royal Amsterdam Hotel after walking around town all day.

 I won't lie to you, by lunchtime on our first day in Pella my husband was already discussing when we could come back with friends and family. 

 We didn't even get a chance to enjoy all the outdoor activities near Lake Red Rock. Although I am fairly certain I will go there to enjoy the next astronomical event! 

 I really could go on and on AND ON about how much my husband and I enjoyed Pella, Iowa. Whether you're visiting Iowa, traveling across the US on I-80, wanting to go to Europe without a passport, or just looking for an amazing place to visit, Pella needs to be on your vacation dream list.  

See more of my Pella trip on the @bad_science_jokes Instagram with a full walkthrough or my little synopsis video.

[captainmartin20]

OMG THEE GOAT

[spirk-trek]

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my very first Trekfest in 📍 Riverside, Iowa [future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk]

[rabbitcruiser]

Forest (No. 190)

Iowa Wetlands

[sylvanitchi]

fountain pen doodles of the iowa countryside, drawn in a moving car

[vintagecamping]

A group poses at the newly christened Backbone State Park.

Iowa

1921

[gothictravelguide]

Green: Voted "least gothic"

According to my recent poll, these are the least gothic states in the country, with 1 or 0 votes.

I've lived in two of these states - New Jersey and Iowa - and while I wouldn't call them goth havens, they definitely have some spooky stuff.

Do these results surprise you? Do you think these states are "gothic?" What are some of your favorite places in these states?

Vote for the most gothic state in the country here

[scribefindegil]

Concept: series of fics where I make characters from as many different medias as possible go to the University of Iowa and do research in the fandom archives

[found-in-nomadland]

Riverside, Iowa ✨

[lamentablequeen]

@unloneliest little hyperspecific snippet of my big driving webweave that lives in my head

Night Errand - Jeremy Miranda // Iowa - Dar Williams // Late Night And Longing - Dmitri Cavander // Making the Most of the Night - Carly Rae Jepsen // Traffic - Erika Lee Sears

[whimsispence]

first stop in iowa, Des Moines!

[ratingreststops]

Lemoni Rest Area off I-35 South IA bathroom - 8/10, very clean and nice, again with the weirdly short stalls in Iowa, though. not AS short as others I've seen, but still short. Are people from Iowa shorter than the rest of the US???? food/drink - 8.5/10, very reasonable selection, and indoors. novelty - 9/10, the pac man stuff, the mosaic on the floor, and more; gorgeous! grounds - 10/10, this is only the second 10 I have ever given on the grounds. two overlooks, several walking trails, and a courtyard, overlooking a lake and two different rivers. this is the most nature/walking friendly one i have been two! there was also a fancy spigot. 💦 overall - 9/10, not a 10 because I know Iowa has some much better rest stops, but this is still the cream of the freaking crop compared to the rest of the country. how nice it is for the location+its location on the IA border+the empty room off to the side makes me think this probably used to be a welcome center but didn't get enough visitors to keep funding that part. it would be nice if that near-empty room could be converted into a space with some seating instead of being a weird & sad liminal space, though. :)

[postcardaday]

Clayton House 227 Leclaire Davenport, Iowa

[benreyandpootisadventures]

yearning

[rabbitcruiser]

Forest (No. 193)

Warsaw, IN

[bloughjobs]

GODDAMMITILOVETHISFUCKINCAT.