Get ready for summer fun in Des Moines!
We’ve made it easy for you to have your best summer ever by compiling over 100 of our favorite ideas for every budget, interest, and age. (Please check each event/business website for the most up to date information.)
Start planning your summer now! Simply scroll down and click on the category to jump to that list.
Print out our FREE summer planner below and you can fill in what you want to do to truly customize your summer!
Bookmark this page and start planning your best summer ever!
Festivals
Who doesn’t love a good small-town festival? Grab your calendar, because there is something to celebrate all summer around Des Moines.
- Grimes Governor’s Days June 6-8
- Des Moines Pride Festival June 7-9
- Summer Antique Jamboree June 9 Valley Junction
- Johnston Green Days June 13-16
- Vintage and Made June 22 Franklin Middle School
- Des Moines Arts Festival June 28-30
- All Iowa Bash Valley Junction July 3
- Ankeny Summerfest July 11-14
- 80/35 July 12-13
- Polk City Four Seasons Festival July 19-20
- Italian American Heritage Festival July 26-27
- National Balloon Classic in Indianola July 26-August 3
- Hinterland Music Festival August 2-4 St. Charles, IA
- Adel Sweet Corn Festival August 9-19
- 515 Alive August 16-17 Waterworks Park
- Dallas Center Fall Festival August 23-24
- Granger Days August 23-24
- Iowa Yoga Fest August 28-30
- World Food & Music Festival September 20-22
- Beaverdale Fall Festival September 20-21
- Latino Heritage Festival September 28-29 Western Gateway Park
- Oktoberfest September 27-28 Historic Court District
Family Fun
- Make a bucket list. Print off ours or check out these family-friendly ideas.
- Head to Principal Park for an I-Cubs game. If you go on a Friday night, be sure to stay for fireworks!
- Visit the new zebra and baby rhinos at the Blank Park Zoo.
- Love soccer? Go to a Des Moines Menace game.
- Kids need something to do? Check out our summer boredom busters!
- Spend a day at the Iowa State Fair.
- See how many times you can ride the newest roller coast The Phoenix at Adventureland.
- Looking for fun without spending a lot of money? Check out our favorite FREE family activities.
- Get a jump start on the holidays and schedule a family photo shoot at one of our favorite locations.
- Pack some snacks, grab a blanket and head to a free outdoor movie in the park.
- Find all the murals in downtown Des Moines and take pictures of them.
Food
- Have dinner al fresco at one of our favorite local patios.
- Check out one of Des Moines’ many delicious food trucks.
- Go berry picking and then make a pie.
- Pack a picnic and head to a local winery.
- Cool off with this super easy watermelon popsicle recipe.
- Too hot to cook? Try a snack dinner. Fill a cutting board or tray with all your family’s favorite fruit, veggies, meat, cheese, and crackers and enjoy!
- Get an ice cream cone at Snookies or visit one (or all) of our favorite spots for ice cream.
- Celebrate National Donut Day (June 7) at one of the best places for donuts in town.
- Buy fresh sweet corn from a stand.
- Stay caffeinated with cold brew or nitro coffee from DSM Brew.
We Love DSM
- Be a tourist in our great city! Spend a day exploring all the fun things to do in Des Moines with your family.
- Walk through the PappaJohn Sculpture Park downtown.
- Cool off at a splash pad.
- Check out a neighborhood Farmers Market on a weekday and get the ingredients to make a farm-fresh dinner.
- Plan a staycation. Eat at a new restaurant, shop in the East Village, and watch the sunset from the steps of the state capitol.
- Celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month in July and visit 31 parks as part of Tour DM Parks for a chance to win $1,000.
- Join a summer reading program at your local library.
- Head to the Iowa State Fair.
- Tour the State Capital. It’s free!
- Catch an outdoor concert.
- Check out the latest exhibit at the Des Moines Art Center. Daily admission is free!
Get Outside
- Want to go fishing? Check out our tips for fishing in Iowa before grabbing a pole.
- Get away from it all and sleep under the stars on a family camping trip
- Kids love to be outside and summer is a great time to explore the great outdoors. Head to Brenton Arboretum in Dallas Center, start a rock collection, or go for a hike
- See bison and tallgrass prairie at the Neil Smith Wildlife Refuge, just east of Des Moines off of I-80
- Take a hike! Walnut Woods State Park, located on the southern edge of West Des Moines has several easy trails that are perfect for young families
- Make a list of parks to visit around the Des Moines area
- Take a family bike ride.
- Sign up for a day (or the whole week) of RAGBRAI.
- Train for a road race.
- Check out a free outdoor yoga class.
- Go geocaching.
- Head to Ledges State Park and go creek stomping
- Try Standup Paddleboarding at Gray’s Lake.
- Let the kids stay up late and catch fireflies.
- Load up your bikes and ride the High Trestle Trail.
For the Kids
- Sign your kids up for a summer camp.
- Check this list of boredom busters for older kids before they say they’re bored.
- Unplug and give your kids a simple summer like we had growing up in the 1980s and 1990s.
- Find the best parks for older kids.
- Let the kids be bored. It’s good for them!
- Get a pen pal and start writing letters.
- Try our favorite sensory activity. Kids love it, and it’s cheap and easy!
- Take a Bookwalk with the Des Moines Public Library.
- Spend a morning at the DSM Children’s Museum at Valley West Mall.
Beat the Heat
- Run through the Lauridsen Fountain at Cowles Commons.
- Iowa may not have a coast, but there are some beaches. Head to Blue Heron Lake at Raccoon River Park or Big Creek State Park.
- Cool off at one of the area swimming pools.
- Need to get some wiggles out? Check out our indoor play guide for the best places to burn off some energy.
- Check out the Summer of Making at the Science Center of Iowa.
- Go roller skating. Skate West has $1 skating on Wednesday evenings.
- Have a water balloon fight. These self-sealing balloons are our favorite!
- Get out the hose, buckets, and towels and have a car or bike wash.
- Cool off at a discount movie at the theater or have a movie marathon at home.
Neighborhood Fun
- Have a lemonade or freeze pop stand.
- Got the decluttering bug? Have a garage sale!
- Plan a neighborhood block party or Fourth of July Parade around the block.
- Make s’mores.
- Have a progressive dinner. Eat appetizers at the first house, a main course at the second, and dessert at the third.
- Plant a garden and share your harvest with neighbors.
- Get creative and paint rocks to hide around your community.
- Invite friends over and grill out.
- Create a ninja warrior course in the backyard.
- Start a little free library.
Road Trip
Load up the car and hit the road! Whether you have a day, a weekend, or longer, there are plenty of places to visit that are driving distance from Des Moines.
- Discover how beautiful Decorah is.
- Head to Clear Lake for a day or a long weekend.
- Take a day trip to Kansas City
- Relax at Lake Okoboji
- Take the family to Honey Creek Resort
- Explore the Amanas
- See Pella
- Find out what families love about Ames
- Spend a day at the Omaha Zoo
- Get away for a weekend in Omaha Weekend
- Check out the Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota
- Plan a weekend in the Twin Cities
- Visit Iowa’s 99 Counties
