15 Amazing Places to See on an Iowa Road Trip

I recently went on a summer road trip around Iowa and had so much fun! Honestly, I picked Iowa because it was one of the last states that I hadn’t visited yet, and I’m trying to visit all 50. So it was a bit of a random pick for a road trip, but I didn’t realize how many cute historic towns and ancient historic places there are around the state!

While we mostly stayed in Iowa, we did dip into Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska for a couple of stops. We mostly visited small towns, so we didn’t go to Des Moines on this trip. We also did this road trip in about 8 days, but I would add on a couple of extra days if you can!

And we got to focus on two things I love- Laura Ingalls Wilder’s homes and Scandinavian history. A bit random, I know, but just keep reading and you’ll see why these places on our Iowa road trip were so fun to visit!

15 Amazing Places to See on an Iowa Road Trip

We had too many stops for Google Maps to map out at once, but this is the rough path we took on our road trip!

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

We flew in and out of Cedar Rapids, and spent a little over a day there. We toured some historic sections, walked around the Czech area downtown, toured the Czech museum, and toured the beautiful gardens at Brucemore.

Check out my post 6 Things to Do in Cedar Rapids in One Day for more details!

Galena, Illinois

My family took road trips when I was a kid to visit presidential homes, so it wouldn’t be a road trip without visiting one! Ulysses S. Grant lived in Galena, and the house is well preserved and worth touring if you’re interested in history. The downtown area is also very historic and pretty, and you can do some shopping and eat delicious food while you’re there.

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

We just stopped by Prairie du Chien briefly on our drive, but it’s a good stopping point to see a historic mansion built by a fur trapper and walk along the water. You can even take a river boat tour if you want!

Effigy Mounds, Iowa

Effigy Mounds is a national park with walking trails where you can see over 200 Native American mounds in the shapes of different animals. The history of the area is so interesting and it was a really beautiful area with views of the river at the top of the trails!

Decorah, Iowa

Decorah is such a cute historic town! We chose to visit there because of the Norwegian-American Museum, and we just happened to visit on the dates of their annual Nordic Fest. If you’re visiting in the summer, I highly recommend going during the festival! It wasn’t too crowded, and there were lots of fun events and food stalls that kept us busy.

Get more details on my Things to Do at Nordic Fest in Decorah, Iowa post!

Burr Oak, Iowa

Burr Oak is very close to Decorah, and it’s one of the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes. If you’re not a fan of Wilder, I would skip it because there wasn’t much else to do. But if you are a fan, it’s a nice little house and museum, and our tour guide was very informative!

Get more details on my 3 Laura Ingalls Wilder Homes to Visit in the Midwest post!

Niagara Cave, Minnesota

Niagara Cave is something we just happened to see on our drive and decided to stop in for a road trip break, and it’s a pretty interesting place. It’s a huge underground cave with waterfalls and fossils, and you can experience total darkness, which I don’t think I had before. It does get pretty chilly down there, but it felt really nice to cool off in the hot summer!

West Okoboji Lake, Iowa

We just stopped by West Okoboji Lake for a quick swim, but if you like water vacations, you could stay a few days here on your Iowa road trip!

Walnut Grove, Minnesota

Walnut Grove is another spot I would skip if you’re not a fan of Wilder. It’s the site of their original dugout home (which has since collapsed), and there’s a museum with some historic buildings on site. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this museum, to be honest. It was a lot more about the TV show than about Wilder’s real life, but if you’re a big fan of the show, you might like it more than I did.

Get more details on my 3 Laura Ingalls Wilder Homes to Visit in the Midwest post!

Jeffers Petroglyphs, Minnesota

Jeffers Petroglyphs is another spot that we just happened to pass by while driving. It has thousands of carvings from Native Americans that are over 7,000 years old! Most are hard to see with the naked eye, so I definitely recommend going when they have guides there to show you everything.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

We didn’t spend a lot of time in Sioux Falls, but you could probably spend a day or two there. The waterfalls were pretty, and there are a lot of historic areas that you can tour.

De Smet, South Dakota

De Smet is another one of Wilder’s homes, but there is a little prairie town and other historic sites to see if you’re not interested in Wilder. But if you are a fan of Wilder, there’s a LOT you can see here! You can tour the museum, houses, gravesites, and homestead.

Get more details on my 3 Laura Ingalls Wilder Homes to Visit in the Midwest post!

Omaha, Nebraska

We only spent about a day in Omaha, but you could easily spend a couple of days here during your Iowa road trip. We walked on the bridge to cross into Iowa, walked around downtown, drove to see historic buildings, toured Lauritzen Gardens, and watched the sunset at Hitchcock Nature Center.

Elk Horn, Iowa

Elk Horn is the home of the Museum of Danish America, and if you’re interested in Scandinavian culture, it’s definitely worth visiting! Along with the museum, they have a park dedicated to HC Andersen, historic Danish architecture and Viking longhouses, a kringle bakery, and more. Plus, it’s in a really scenic area with lots of prairie grasses and wildflowers around.

Pella, Iowa

Pella was our last stop before heading back to Cedar Rapids, and it may have been our favorite spot! It was established by Dutch settlers, and the whole town has a lot of Dutch architecture and culture. It really feels like you’re in Europe! The windmill was imported from the Netherlands, and it’s a functioning windmill to make flour, which you can buy (and you know I did!). They also have a tulip festival in the spring, so if you can’t visit during the summer, I would recommend trying to go in the spring to see the tulips.

From ancient petroglyphs and underground caves to Scandinavian and Dutch culture, there are so many different things you can experience in Iowa! If you’re planning an Iowa road trip, which of these spots have I inspired you to visit? 🙂