Des Moines is the capital of Iowa and its largest city, sitting where the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers meet. It is more interesting than its reputation as a flyover-country capital might suggest.
The gold-domed Iowa State Capitol dominates the skyline from the east side. Downtown has reinvented itself around Western Gateway Park and the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, a free outdoor collection of major contemporary works. The Des Moines Art Center, designed in three stages by Eliel Saarinen, I.M. Pei, and Richard Meier, is one of the best small art museums in the Midwest.
The East Village neighbourhood has the best concentration of independent restaurants and bars; the Court Avenue District handles the late-night crowd. The downtown Farmers' Market, running Saturday mornings from May to October, draws huge crowds and is genuinely worth the early start. Living History Farms, on the western edge of the metro, recreates Iowa life from the 1700s to the 1900s across several working farmsteads.
Des Moines gets bitterly cold in winter and hot and humid in summer. The Iowa State Fair in August is the real cultural event — one of the largest and oldest state fairs in the country.