Central Iowa Tourism
Central Iowa Tourism on IowaBeautiful.com. Central Iowa Tourism - your Central Iowa Travel Guide to Vacations, Attractions and Events
Hickory Grove Rural School Museum - Ogden, Iowa
Hickory Grove Rural School Museum - Ogden, Iowa 
In Ogden is this one-room school, constructed in 1889, continued in service until 1956.
Included in the museum are:
Original double desks, stage curtain, pot bellied stove, angle lamps, and pump organ.
Early text books, documents, and photographs of rural schools in Boone County.
Authentic teachers’ and children’s costumes.
Heritage Rose Garden - Gray, Iowa
Heritage Rose Garden - Gray, Iowa
Heritage Rose Garden - Gray, Iowa In this small town of Gray, Iowa with less than 100 residents is located a rose garden that boasts over 195 varieties of roses, including winter-hardy types. Four women wanted to attract visitors to the town; their idea was to plant roses on the town square and they did.
Greene County Historical Museum - Jefferson, Iowa
Greene County Historical Museum - Jefferson, Iowa
The Jefferson, Iowa Museum houses a number of different collections. Visitors can look at displays concerning early county history, Native American artifacts, Civil War memorabilia, early transportation mementos, and World War II model airplanes.
Greene County Courthouse Jefferson, Iowa
Jefferson, Iowa
This marble, three-story edifice located in Jefferson, Iowa, was built in 1917 and has a dome rotunda with a stained glass ceiling. The various county offices are accessed through archways of marble that frame murals depicting the “progress of civilization as recorded in Iowa.” The rotunda floor is a mosaic of the county seal with its theme “Home of the Horn of Plenty.”
Grant Center Country Schoolhouse - Ida Grove, Iowa
Want to see what school was like in the past? the Grant Center Country Schoolhouse has been restored to it’s original condition. Visit the building in Ida Grove, Iowa. In September of each year the school is opened for 4th graders from the area to come and experience a day from the past.
Ragbrai - Des Moines, Iowa - Des Moines Register Host
2009 route has not yet been published, check back after January 1, 2009 and maybe it will be available by then.
Ragbrai - Des Moines, Iowa - Des Moines Register Host
A fair portion of this year’s edition of the trans-Iowa ride will follow the country’s first coast-to-coast highway. The 471-mile route will also take riders along other officially designated stretches, such as the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway.
The route is virtually the same mileage as last year’s — 477 miles last year and 471 miles this year — but the amount of climb is dramatically different. Last year riders climbed 13,600 feet. This year they’ll face 22,500 feet of climb.
Riders will visit two first-time overnight towns, North Liberty and Le Claire, and eight first-time pass-through towns, Albion, South Amana, Martelle, Bennett, New Liberty, Maysville, Eldridge and Argo.
- April 1, 2008 - Deadline for online entry submission (Week Long Riders)
- May 1, 2008 - Lottery results posted
- June 1 - Anticipated day for mailing of credential packets
- July 1, 2008 - Deadline for online entry submission (Day Riders)
- July 20 - 26, 2008 - RAGBRAI XXXVI
Francesca’s House - Cummings, Iowa
Francesca’s House - Cummings, Iowa
When the movie The Bridges of Madison County was filmed in the Winterset area, this late 1800s homestead was used as Francesca’s farm. It had been abandoned for more than 35 years, and was restored for the movie.
Francesca’s House - Winterset, Iowa
Francesca’s House - Winterset, Iowa
Francesca’s House - Winterset, Iowa, actually 16 miles from Winterset is the home made famous by the movie "Bridges of Madison County." Both Cummings and Winterset give access to informtion about this house.
Fully restored for the film "Bridges of Madison County", the home’s exterior and interior remain exactly the same as they were for the shooting of the movie and was open to the public for guided tours throughout the summer months.
Saylorville Lake - Polk City, Iowa
Saylorville Lake - Polk City, Iowa
The 5400 acre Saylorville Lake features a full service marina, two public swimming beaches, over 600 campsites, 24 picnic shelters, nature gardens and a Visitor’s Center near the dam.
Wieting Theatre - Toledo, Iowa
Wieting Theatre - Toledo, Iowa 
In 1912, this $20,000 building in Toledo, Iowa, was described as the latest in opera house construction. After the decline of live performances by repertoire companies, the Wieting family installed motion picture projection equipment and operated the theater as a movie house until 1958.
