Go shopping and walk through the East Village! There are a lot of local shops, some great coffee and food options, and even some mainstream places like a West Elm! Check out: Scenic Route Bakery, Dirt Burger, Railroad Bills, Mars Cafe (with Thelma’s ice cream sandwiches inside - yum!), Zombie Burger, Raygun, Lauren’s favorite card shop - Ephemera, and a LOT of other little boutiques. For brewery options check out Peace Tree, 1717 Brewing and the Iowa Tap Room.
Venture over to West Des Moines (where Lauren and Travis will live) to the Jordan Creek Mall (Lauren’s other home!). Great shopping and food options!
Head over to Smash Park and challenge a friends to a game of bags, shuffleboard, or even pickleball if you make and pay for a reservation in advance! Plenty of games are free and there isn’t an entry fee!
Grays Lake is a beautiful lake with a 3 mile walking path if you need to stretch your legs. It’s close to downtown and has a very cool colored bridge you can see light up in the evening! Kayak and paddle boats are available for rent if the weather is nice!
Arcade bar in the East Village with two floors of arcade games! Open from early afternoon to late in the evening.
One of our favorite coffee shops offering some of the best coffee and alternative coffee drinks!
One of the best restaurants in Des Moines that is reasonably priced and great for lunch or dinner! It’s owned by one of Lauren’s cousins so we’re a little biased but the reviews speak for themselves!
Another great park that’s closer to West Des Moines. It has a 3 mile trail with a beautiful lake, a beach, and plenty of open areas to sit and relax! Lauren & Travis frequent here.
About 30 minutes from Des Moines there are covered bridges all throughout Madison County. The same bridges where Meryl Streep filmed the movie Bridges of Madison County, Oprah hosted one of her shows, and (drum roll please) - Travis & Lauren got engaged!! Check out the website for tour options. You’ll want to allow several hours.
Trav’s (Mr. Des Moines) Other Hot Spots: Food Django, Americana (favorite brunch spot), Malo, Centro, Bubba’s, Eatery A, Manhattan Deli, La Mie Bakery, The Cheese Bar, St Kilda’s, B&B Grocery, Kue’d (favorite bbq), Smokey D’s BBQ Drink Lua Brewery (current favorite in DSM), Exile Brewery, Confluence Brewery, El Bait Shop (most beers on tap in US), 300 rooftop, Hello Marjorie, Bellhop, Ernies Boondock, The Hall at the Foundry Activities State Capitol (the Law Library is a must-see), Botanical Garden, Papajohn Sculpture Park, Principal Riverwalk, West End Salvage, Science Center, Living History Farms, Outlets of Des Moines shopping, High Trestle Trail, Great Escape