Rock climbing, boat races, wildlife and more kid-friendly summer adventures in Des Moines
The 80/35 Music Festival, the Des Moines Arts Festival and the Iowa State Fair are just some of the hallmarks of family-friendly fun in Des Moines, but these events are short-lived.
Fill your calendar with these 15 kid-friendly adventures ready to be had in the Des Moines metro so that this summer never feels boring.
Free things to do with kids in the Des Moines metro
Plenty of events are available this summer that won't break the budget. Check out these suggestions for free events.
Attend events all summer with Des Moines Performing Arts
Des Moines Performing Arts presents a series of free outdoor events through August. That includes "Ants" in June, an interactive performance that invites children to explore their landscape, to morning time dancing at Cowles Commons in June and August and music-making in a “visual extravaganza” with Squonk Brouhaha in August.
Where: See desmoinesperformingarts.org/outdoor for a full list of events and locations
Spot wildlife at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge
Go wildlife watching or enjoy a hike through Iowa’s prairie at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Here, visitors can watch for bison, elk, deer, birds and other animals in a refuge that protects 6,000 acres of land. Pack a picnic for an afternoon spent in nature or tour the refuge from your car for convenience.
Where: 9981 Pacific St., Prairie City
Go park-hopping in Des Moines
Take advantage of what the dozens of parks in the Des Moines metro have to offer and make a day out of it. Go swimming at Raccoon River Park, and visit on June 8 for the annual Raccoon River Palooza for live music, local food trucks, cardboard boat races and more.
Athene North Shore Recreation Area at Easter Lake Park is the perfect recreational spot to make sure everyone in your group can have fun, including people with limited mobility, sensory input conditions and low vision.
Or visit Riverview Park, which calls back to an amusement park of decades past for a retro-appearing playground perched near the water.
Where: Raccoon River Park, 2500 Grand Ave., West Des Moines; Easter Lake Park, 2830 Easter Lake Drive, Des Moines; Riverview Park, 710 Corning Ave., Des Moines
Snap new family photos at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park
Wander around the nearly four-and-a-half acre downtown Des Moines park, home to sculptures of renowned artists all year. One popular selfie spot is the Jaume Plensa’s sculpture “Nomade,” a grand figure made of letters that lights up at night.
Where: 1330 Grand Ave., Des Moines
Indoor kid-friendly activities in the Des Moines metro
Weather driving the family inside? Try these ideas.
Fun soars to new heights with Climb Iowa, trampoline parks
Embrace your adventurous side at Climb Iowa, which offers an indoor climbing experience at two locations that are open to first-timers. I
f climbing sounds a bit too grueling, then let loose by bouncing around with trampoline parks in the Des Moines metro, including Sky Zone in Grimes and Urban Air in Ankeny.
Where: Climb Iowa 3605 S.E. Miehe Drive, Grimes and 150 E. Fourth St., Des Moines; Sky Zone, 1300 S.E. Gateway Drive, Suite 103, Grimes; Urban Air, 2829 S. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny
Visit a planetarium with the Science Center of Iowa
The Science Center of Iowa offers visitors plenty to do. Visit the 50-foot, 360-degree domed screen of the night sky in the planetarium or marvel at structures of Legos while you test your aptitude for engineering at the museum.
Des Moines Public Library cardholders can check out an Adventure Pass with their card, which allows up to two adults and two children entrance to the Blank Park Zoo, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, the Science Center of Iowa and the Des Moines Children’s Museum.
Where: 401 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Des Moines
Compete in games at Smash Park
Though Smash Park has outdoor offerings, there’s still plenty of fun to be had inside, including an arcade, pickleball courts and plenty of weekly events like trivia to keep your visit from ever feeling routine.
Where: 6625 Coachlight Drive, West Des Moines
Outdoor kid-friendly activities in Des Moines
When the weather is great and you need to get out of the house, these ideas are prefect for a family outing.
Go on roller coasters and water rides at Adventureland Resort and Lost Island
Celebrate 50 years with Adventureland this season and ride the reopened indoor wooden roller coaster, the Underground, and grab a bite at the new Oink’s restaurant and bar.
In Waterloo, Lost Island Themepark transports guests into five realms of spirit, air, water, earth and fire for an immersive amusement park experience with rides for thrill seekers and little ones.
Looking to cool off this summer? Adventure Bay and Lost Island Water Park offer waterslides, lazy rivers and other aquatic attractions.
Where: Adventureland, 3200 Adventureland Drive, Altoona; Lost Island Themepark, 2600 E. Shaulis Road, Waterloo
Meet new friends at Blank Park Zoo
See wildlife of all sizes at Blank Park Zoo, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Rhinoceroses, giraffes, lions and tortoises are just of the animals visitors can see. Parents may also want to sign their little ones up for Ruby’s Readers Book Club, in which Ruby the Reading Red Panda hosts story times and activities once a month.
Where: 7401 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines
Bring a piece of a farm back home during you-pick events
Across Iowa are flower farms that will soon host you-pick events for families to take home vibrant blooms. Some flower farms in Des Moines include Rose Farm in Norwalk, Jester Hill Farm in Madrid and Bochner Farms in Indianola.
Where: Visit the websites of Iowa flower farms for address information
See a movie outside with drive-in theaters
Load up your car with your loved ones for a movie night under the stars with Iowa’s remaining drive-in theaters. The state’s oldest, Valle Drive-In in Newton, reopened the first weekend of May. Other drive-in theaters are the Voy 61 Drive In Theater in Delmar, Superior 71 Drive-In Theater in Spirit Lake and Blue Grass Drive-In in Blue Grass.
Where: Valle Drive-In, 4074 Highway F48, Newton; Voy 61 Drive In Theater, 1228 U.S. Highway 61, Delmar; Superior 71 Drive-In Theater, 1482 300th Avenue, Spirit Lake; Blue Grass Drive-In, 774 W. Mayne St., Blue Grass
Root for the Iowa Cubs
Catch an Iowa Cubs home game at Principal Park. There are several I-Cubs promotions and events all season that families may want to know about, including that on Sundays, kids can run the bases. On June 9, the I-Cubs will host their first sensory-friendly game, making it the perfect opportunity for people of all abilities to attend a game.
Where: 1 Line Drive, Des Moines
Paddle across Iowa’s lakes and rivers
Go canoeing at Saylorville Lake in Des Moines or kayaking at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines for an afternoon out on the water. Do practice these safety tips if you plan to get out on the water, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. That includes always wearing a life jacket.
Where: polkcountyiowa.gov has a list of places you can paddle at
Take a ride on the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad
Book a roundtrip through the Des Moines River Valley with the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad. Visitors can purchase which train service they’d like, including the Fraser train, which is a nearly two-hour trip that takes you across the 156-foot-tall Bass Point Creek High Bridge. If you’re looking for something a bit more thrill-seeking, book your family for Rail Explorers’ Scenic Valley Trail. This experience allows people to pedal down the tracks on a four-wheeled, motor-assisted rail bike.
Where: 225 10th St., Boone
Go back in time at Living History Farms
Learn about what Midwestern rural life was at Living History Farms, the outdoor museum that features depictions of farms from several hundred years ago and a 19th-century town to explore for an educational, and immersive, family trip.
Where: 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale
Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 15 things to do with kids in Des Moines for summer 2024
