Ames is a university town in central Iowa, home to Iowa State University of Science and Technology. With around 50,000 residents, roughly half of whom are students, the city has the energy and amenities you'd expect — good restaurants, live music, and a pedestrian-friendly downtown centred on Main Street and the nearby campus.
Iowa State's campus is itself worth a visit. The Cyclone sport teams are a source of civic pride, and the university's agricultural and engineering research gives the town an unusually applied, practical character for an academic community. Reiman Gardens on campus has a notable butterfly wing and the gloriously oversized concrete gnome Elwood. The city hosts a popular farmers market on Main Street and is a reasonable base for exploring central Iowa.