Tourist in your Hometown: Chelsea of Des Moines, Iowa

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 | Stamp in My Passport| |

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

hello all - I'm chelsea + I blog over at little lessons in a big city. I love to travel & have lived in 3 different states over the past 3 years. but thankfully because moving is terrible, I think I've found a happy home in Des Moines, IA. where I've lived for exactly one year. there is so much I am yet to discover. but what I've come across thus far, I love. when jess reached out to me for the tourist in your hometown series, I didn't even hesitate. if you were coming to visit me, these are the places I would excitedly take you. and I can promise you'd be a bit tipsy, very full, and quite happy after our adventure.

10 things you must do in Des Moines, IA. in no particular order.

[*editor's note: this barely scratches the surface of what makes this city so great].
zoo brew at blank park zoo. // where adults go to pretend they're kids, while drinking beer. you have full access to the zoo exhibits + temporary bars scattered throughout the place. [hence the 24 ounces of bud light in my hand]. who doesn't love the zoo? *every wednesday night throughout the summer.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
el bait shop bar. // 120 beers on tap. 150+ bottled beers. and bacon-wrapped tater tots. just saying.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
pappajohn sculpture park. // it makes for the prettiest of pictures.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
fong's pizza restaurant. // famous for their crab rangoon pizza. while also making tiki drinks that will transport you straight to a tropical island. and gourmet egg roll creations, like bacon mac & cheese or raspberry cheesecake.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
downtown farmer's market. // the best way to spend saturday mornings during the warmer months. I go for a large iced coffee, the best breakfast burrito, and fresh flowers.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
scratch cupcakery. // a locally-owned cupcake shop, that began in my iowa hometown, and thankfully opened in des moines recently. they make the BEST cupcakes. you will not be disappointed, I assure you. and you will not be able to leave with just one ..
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
jethro's BBQ restaurant. // because wherever you go, you need a good BBQ joint. bonus points: they serve cocktails in mason jars & have a fabulous brunch.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
iowa state fair. // one of the largest state fairs in the country. famous for the butter cow. and obviously, fried food. hello fried oreo.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
hessen haus bar + restaurant. // an old-world german bier hall. two words: das boot. or beer by the liters. must mention, it's housed in a former train station. so when a train goes by, the bar offers $3 shots, if you're into that kind of stuff.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
the iowa state capitol building. // it's just breathtaking.
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com
tourist in your hometown; des moines, IA // LLinaBC.com

come visit des moines - I'll show you around!

oh and I must mention, NBC declared des moines, IA the "wealthiest city in america". I can't make this kind of stuff up.
[thank you for having me jess - xo!!].

8 comments:

Abby Anfinson said...

I'm from Minnesota and my friends and I joke about how there is NOTHING to do in Iowa-- it's all cornfields. Thanks for proving us wrong.

#LLinaBC said...

we definitely get a bad rep here in iowa for being boring, but quite the contrary. come explore sometime. but make sure you pack your party pants!! xo - chels @ LLinaBC.com

Crystal Blin said...

You need to check out Zombie Burger downtown. One of our favorites!

Jess Elyse said...

You had me at bacon wrapped tater tots and beer. Great tour!

#LLinaBC said...

oh I absolutely love zombie burger. it was after I published these ten places, I realized just how many amazing stops I didn't even get to. I will quite possibly be spotlighting ten more real soon! :)

#LLinaBC said...

thank you jess - if it wasn't obvious before that I love beer & food ..it is now! :)

Maghan Goodsell said...

Great picks! As a Des Moines newbie, as of this past summer, this gets me so excited to continue
exploring come Spring/Summer/Fall! You're right 10 picks just isn't
enough!!

Maghan
FashionMAGable

Megan C. Stroup said...

She had me at zoo brew! What a fantastic idea haha. I could go for some Jethro's, too - that looked yummy!