Take a Des Moines Staycation

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We are a stage in life where taking a family vacation is hard. Taking a vacation with just the two of us — no kids — seems nearly impossible. When Lance and I had the opportunity to have our two kids go to grandma’s house for a long weekend, I snatched it up and started planning our Des Moines staycation.

We live in a pretty great city, right? Des Moines is FUN. We have some cool attractions, delicious restaurants, awesome festivals, and it’s easy to navigate. Planning our Des Moines staycation was a blast, and I’m going to share with you a couple tips to make your own Des Moines staycation fabulous!

Take a Des Moines Staycation | Des Moines Moms Blog

1. Make it feel like a real “vacation” and stay in a hotel or a bed and breakfast.

I stayed at Hotel Renovo for a girlfriends’ getaway earlier in the year, and it was such a great experience. They are newly renovated and just off the interstate in Urbandale (next to the Machine Shed Restaurant and near Living History Farms). The suite I stayed in with my friends was decorated in a way that I think Joanna Gaines would be proud of: clean, light, bright, and airy. 

Take a Des Moines Staycation: Hotel Renovo | Des Moines Moms Blog

2. Eat some place local and new.

Lance and I did a progressive dinner date and had the best time. We started at one spot for drinks and appetizers, went to another restaurant for our main dish, and then ended at another restaurant for dessert!

For our dinner date we started downtown on Court Avenue at RōCA for happy hour (half off flatbreads [do yourself a favor and try the mushroom and goat cheese flatbread!], select wines, and beer — every day from 3-6 p.m.). I enjoyed the fact that it was also the location for one of the scenes from Chris Soule’s season on the Bachelor. I’m super cool like that.

For our main course we moseyed over to Beaverdale for dinner at The Flying Mango. I most ardently love their Dirty Shrimp and Rice, and my husband loves their smoked Big Chop. But prepare for mouth burn — the Dirty Shrimp and Rice is spicy delicious!

We thought about just hopping on over to Snookies for my favorite Black Raspberry Ice Cream Shake, but because it was actually Lance’s birthday, I let him have the final say (I’m nice like that). Because this was our adult “staycation,” we wanted to go places we don’t normally go with our kids, and my kids love Snookies, so we chose to go back downtown to Centro for dessert. If you have never had Centro’s Toasted Marshmallow Sundae, you are missing out on one of life’s pleasures. Do me a favor and just say yes. I’m also a big fan of their Creme Brulee. You can easily say yes to that option, too. 🙂

Take a Des Moines Staycation | Des Moines Moms Blog
Roca mushroom and goat cheese flatbread

3. Do something without kids.

For us, that looks like going to the movies and seeing something that isn’t animated. What better place to see a movie in Des Moines than at Flix Brewhouse at Merle Hay Mall? PG-13 movies, comfy seats, adult beverages, and food? AWESOME!

4. Take in a local site.

This could be an Iowa Cubs baseball game, the Des Moines Botanical Center, the State of Iowa Capitol Building, etc. For our beautiful Saturday, we chose to take the short drive to Madrid and bike the High Trestle Trail Bridge. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and it was a great way to burn a few calories before our progressive dinner date!

Take a Des Moines Staycation | Des Moines Moms Blog

5. Shop local.

We had some time to kill downtown between courses and walked around the East Village to shop at some of the fun places I don’t normally get to go. Pick up a tongue-in-cheek tee from RAYGUN as a souvenir!

Take a Des Moines Staycation | Des Moines Moms Blog

Giveaway (note: the giveaway has ended)

One of you will have the chance to win an overnight stay at Hotel Renovo and a gift card to Flix Brewhouse. All you have to do is comment below with something you would like to do on your own Des Moines staycation. Good luck!

So this summer when you are bemoaning the fact that you can’t go on a cool vacation to the Galapagos Islands, look around your own great city of Des Moines and visit a few of the things that make this a great place to live, work, and raise a family!

All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them. 

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Kara Knaack
Kara originally hails from northwest Iowa where she met her husband, Lance, through a 4-H fashion show. After a decade of living in central Iowa, Kara is still figuring out which way is north. Wearing the hat of “wife, mommy, employee, chef, ribbon tie-er and family calendar organizer,” Kara knows a bit about juggling life and work. Kara became a boy-mom in June of 2011 to Lucan and a girl-mom to Gracelyn in December of 2014. Most days you can find her mixing up metaphors and oversharing life’s moments via social media. Kara enjoys yoga, reading, gardening, cooking, sewing in straight lines and singing along to musicals. A spender by nature, but thrifty by necessity, Kara is always in hunt of a bargain. She’s an active member of Northpoint Church and a resident of Grimes. Her vision for life includes “doing the best we can with what God gives us.”

73 COMMENTS

  1. Ooooh! Pick me! I would love to check out the Hotel Renovo, it looks so nice. Also, Summerset Winery on a Sunday afternoon with my hubby would be on my list.

  2. How have I not heard of Hotel Renovo? It looks amazing! Staying there for a night with my husband (and without our 14 month old son) would be awesome. Throw in an afternoon at Climb Iowa and a steak from Jesse’s Embers, and you’ve got a sweet staycation!

  3. I love the idea of a staycation! I love the idea of doing simple things that are hard with kids like the farmer’s market or an I-Cubs game.

  4. My friends and I are biking the Trestle Trail very soon. A night out at Iowa State Fair would be fun. And taking a group of friends to Jim Gaffigan’s show would be hilarious. So many events and outings to choose from!

  5. We love Up Down for a juvenile yet sans kids outing, but there’s also so many great restaurants we’d like to linger at!

  6. Jester park, Beaverdale Books or Plain Talks books and coffee, river walk, drive in movie, Mars cafe , escape chambers

  7. A progressive dinner date is such a great idea! Would love to check out some hot spots downtown and in the East Village area. And Flix Brewhouse is our go-to date!

  8. I’ve never tried a progressive dinner date–that sounds like a great idea! And I’ve been interested in Hotel Renovo. I drive by it on my way to work, and it just looks so nice.

  9. My husband and I just did a progressive dinner on a day date! Started at Eatery A, then Sakari, and ended with cupcakes at Creme! For a staycation I’d love to rent the city B-cycles and ride around Gray’s Lake Park, or get a bike taxi and hit up the local breweries! Des Moines has so many great options. And the Hotel Renovo looks like the perfect getaway! Great post, I’m always looking for ways to keep the magic alive 🙂

  10. I’d love to wander around the Art Center and sculpture garden and then try a new restaurant with my husband. We are new to the area and still have lots of exploring to do! 🙂

  11. We would definitely sleep in, and then do brunch somewhere new! I’d love to hit up Flix Brewhouse or maybe the Art Center after brunch.

  12. We love staycations! The progressive dinner is a great idea and definitely would hit up a movie. I think we’d do Gray’s Lake as well.

  13. Sitting outside on the patio of a restaurant downtown sipping on an adult beverage enjoying the relaxation with my husband!

  14. Stay-cation is a great idea! I would start the day at the DSM farmer’s Market, ride bikes on the high trestle Trail, get dinner at Eatery A and then dessert at Creme. Staying the night at the Hotel Renovo would be awesome!

  15. An adult day Adventureland riding all the rides my kids aren’t tall enough to ride on would be fun and that could be combined with some time at Prarie Meadows, dinner at Jethrow’s or maybe a movie at the new Cinemark Theater with the reclining seats!

  16. Out family had a staycation in Des Moines last week. The kiddos loved SkyZone, the zoo, and bowling. For our next staycation I would love to stay at a hotel (as our kiddos think that is pretty cool). There are so many things to do in Des Moines. I love our little big city!

  17. Staycation for me and husband? Or staycation with the kids? Hmmm…. hard choice. If kids were involved, a trip to the zoo or Living History Farms would be fun. If it was just me and husband… then dinner and dessert and a night away would be a fun change! A special breakfast would be amazing too!

  18. I would spend time exploring all the stores in the East Village. Always say I’m going to, but still haven’t done it!

  19. Shopping in the east village, sushi or Indian food and a night in a hotel with sleeping in! ! Sounds like you and Lance had a great time

  20. Sushi would be fun and a walk through the sculpture park!!! Hitting up the trails to run together and maybe a trip to the art center!! Also- trellis would be a great spot for a date!! Love Dsm!

  21. So many great stay-cation ideas!!! I would love to hit up a production at the Civic center and enjoy one of the great restaurants downtown.

  22. I LOVE the idea of a progressive dinner!
    Sounds like a great way to spend a staycation. Especially with out kids… means no getting them in and out of carseats 😉 THAT in itself is a vacation! Haha

  23. I would love to go painting. I have only lived here for a year so there’s a lot of things I would love to see or try.

  24. I want to check out Architectural Salvage, and go to Snookies – never been to either one yet. 🙂

  25. Hotel Renovo is the best for a staycation. We are from California and we stayed there for our 19th wedding anniversary and it was like we stepped into a different part of the US altogether. At least just for the right amount of time. In ref to the rest of our stay we trotted off in our new red VW Beetle to Jasper Winery for a summer concert. We had wine, cheese, laughs and well I better save the rest for your imagination! Being from the west coast it was a slice of Cali for the day!!

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