Most of what's worth seeing in Ames is on or beside the Iowa State University campus — Reiman Gardens with its butterfly wing, the prairie-style Brunnier Art Museum, and the Memorial Union at the heart of student life. Downtown, the Main Street Historic District is a compact stretch of late-19th-century commercial buildings, and the Octagon Center for the Arts holds the local visual-arts scene. For something completely different, head out to see Elwood, reputedly the world's tallest concrete gnome.