Iowa State Fair

A young contestant works hard while showing her steer during the Iowa State.

When in Iowa during August, taking in America’s quintessential state’s fair is a must for any road-tripper passing through Des Moines. The Iowa State Fair is an annual state fair held on the Iowa State Fairgrounds since 1886. It is one of the largest and best-known state fairs in the United States with over a million visitors each year.

State Fair Grandstand concert adjacent to the Midway at the Iowa State Fair.

The fairgrounds are spread over 450 acres with special attractions such as Heritage Village, Giant Slide, Ye Old Mill – touted as the “original tunnel of love”, State Fair Grandstand concerts, agricultural contests, and of course the variety of food, including healthy and gluten-free offerings, from more than 200 food stands. If you are visiting the fair as a road-tripper there is on-site 160-acre campground with more than 2,300 sites equipped with water and electrical hookups, including 734 sites with sewer and three large bathhouses outfitted with clean showers, toilets, and sinks. A convenient way to be close to the Fair and also be central to seeing Des Moines.

Iowa State Fair
3000 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50317

N 41° 35′ 43.7″ W 93° 33′ 07.0″

 

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