Family Fun Getaway to Des Moines - Day One

 Last week we took to the open highway and made the three hour drive to Des Moines, Iowa! We made a quick overnight stop last summer, on our way to Minnesota, and I knew we needed to make our way back for an extended stay. The City of Des Moines was our host for the two day family fun getaway and we had so much fun!

Des Moines is the capital of Iowa and it's gorgeous capital building is visible from most areas of downtown. There are over 200,000 residents within the 49 neighborhoods that make up the city of Des Moines. It is the fastest growing city in the Midwest, however it felt slow paced with any easy going vibe. And I loved that no matter where you were in the city, everything was less than a 20 minute drive with very little traffic. What a change of pace!

We arrived in Des Moines just after 1:00 and our number one agenda was lunch! Our amazing Des Moines guru, Alex Smith, provided us with an incredible itinerary and plenty of suggestions for things to do and places to dine. We picked Zombie Burgers and I'm so glad we did! This "post apocalyptical chic" burger joint is reminiscent of the classic roadside burger places of the 1970s. It's full of Zombie pop-art, figures for photo ops, and a seedy decor that's both dark and lively. The televisions around the restaurant play frightful shows. Think "Tales from the Crypt" but more recent. And the lunch hour rush never stopped! It's definitely a neighborhood favorite. 

We ordered their traditional cheeseburgers, but I tried their Zombie Burger. A Zombie Burger comes with their "special sauce" which is their housemade Thousand Island dressing. I got it served on the side and ended up dunking both my burger and fries in the sauce! And speaking of fries, they are so good!! Crispy with a seasoning that kept us coming back for more. Order note, get a basket for the table versus individual servings. Plenty to go around! McKinley had their mac and cheese and he said it's almost as good as his fav, Red Robin. I promise you, that's high praise! And for dessert, you must try one of their flavor packed shakes! They can be spiked as well! We went with the Chocolate Cake Shake that's made with chocolate ice cream and chocolate cake mix. Yes, you read that right, chocolate cake mix! AMAZING!!! I was interested in trying one of their cereal shakes, the Crunch Berry to be exact, but McKinley is somewhat of a purest when it comes to milkshakes. The Chocolate Cake Shake didn't disappoint!

Zombie Burger is located in the Historic East Village, a super cool spot in downtown Des Moines. The East Village offers unique shopping, local coffee shops, hip neighborhood bars, and chic downtown living spaces. We strolled along the streets, stopping in to check out Raygun, a nationally recognized name when it comes to slogan based tees. The spaced was lined with creative Iowa sayings like "Des Moines: French for The Moines". Fun stickers, postcards, drinkware, and more kept us laughing. You must go on your next visit. We walked off our lunch by checking out cool murals, window shopping, stopping to look at fun sculptures on street corners, and enjoying our time together. There's just something about a family vacation! 

After the East Village, we took the short drive over to Principal Riverwalk. The Principal Riverwalk connects the east and west sides of Des Moines offering walking paths and the connecting bridge that stands boldly over the Des Moines River. We walked this modern structure and took in the serene sounds of the rushing water below. From the bridge you can see the Lauridsen Skatepark, the Robert D. Ray Asian Garden, and the skyline of downtown Des Moines. McKinley loved that he could watch local fisherman fish from the riverbank and telling us what he only assumed they were catching. 

Back on the other side of the bridge, we walked over to Lauridsen Skatepark, the largest skatepark in the nation! This 88,000 square foot skatepark features both park and street courses, plus a skataeble WOW structure. The landscape was designed with existing topography of land and water in mind. We watched novice and skilled skaters take to the course, and during our time there, my mama angst was on overdrive! Watching some take to rails, and then losing their balance, had me gasping and flinching every single time! Some were on scooters, others on boards, and McKinley found himself "pretending" to skate by walking the rails like balance beams and getting stuck in the skate bowl. Yep, got in and couldn't get out! Removing socks and shoes made the escape possible. I just shook my head. There is also a small playground attached to the skatepark for littles, and bigs, who aren't quite ready to take on the structure. The Principal Riverwalk area is a joy!

As we headed into early evening, we needed to get checked in to our hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt Place in Altoona. This modern hotel was just 20 minutes outside the city and across the street from Adventureland, our day two adventure.... The spacious lobby offers complementary breakfast and a bar that's open until 11:00 nightly. A pool, a must for McKinley, was just down the hall. And a beautiful patio that overlooked a vast pond on the backside of the hotel. Our room also over looked the pond and another fishing vantage point for McKinley. We took some time to get our room in order before heading out again. The ballpark awaits and I can't wait!

We attended an Iowa Cubs game, a AAA team that feeds into the Chicago Cubs ball club. My husband and I love baseball so an invitation to any ballpark is a treat! We visited Wrigley when McKinley was one so to see their AAA team was a bonus years later! Side Note: my personal bucket list consists of seeing all the major league ballparks! Principal Park was not at all what I expected, but I'm not exactly sure what I expected. It has an old school ballpark feel in structure. The concourses were spacious, provided loads of various concessions, had a really cool open air gift shop (that had an indoor option as well), and I loved walking up to the ballfield versus walking down into action. 

We had awesome seats, just behind home plate, and like I mentioned earlier, an amazing view of downtown Des Moines with the capital building shining in the distance. Visible from just about everywhere. I loved that the score board was the old fashioned numbered plates! Vintage!! The bullpen was to the side of the foul ball territory, which my husband pointed out was just like Wrigley. Foul balls were plentiful that night, and the ones that go over the stadium eventually wind up in the Racoon River. McKinley and I walked the stadium and checked out the Chill Zone. It was chilly to begin with, but I bet at those hot summer games, this spot is a madhouse! We shopped the gift shop where McKinley got a new ballcap and souvenir bat. I got a beer and kept the cup. The Cubs took the win and we thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the thrill of being at the ballpark!

Who doesn't need a sweet treat to end the day? After the game, I found a spot that was open late and on the way back to the hotel. Granny's Sweet Freeze Shoppe is a local ice cream stop that is a free standing building with no indoor seating. The crew takes your order from inside, that has room enough for equipment and a handful of workers, and that's it. But the options are plentiful and the line never stopped! Once we received our order, ate in the car. The surrounding picnic tables were full. But the wait, and the ambiance, was worth it! McKinley got their hot fudge sundae, I their butterscotch sundae, and Joel their Birthday Cake Arctic Swirl. Rave reviews from all!

Back to the hotel and to finally lay down our weary heads! What an incredible first day of our family fun getaway in Des Moines! I can't wait to share all of our adventures on day two. Catch Des Moines is the best city catchphrase as we were caught up in all it's glory!

XO,

Andrea

*This was a sponsored trip, but all photos and comments are my own.