This guide is sponsored by Children’s Dental Center of Central Iowa.
Get ready for summer fun in Des Moines!
We’ve made it easy for you to have your best summer ever by compiling over 125 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!
Thank you to Children’s Dental Center of Central Iowa, PLC, for partnering with us and making the production of this guide possible for Des Moines families!
Children’s Dental Center of Central Iowa is proud to serve the little smiles of Iowa. With high-quality care, a compassionate dental team, and an office designed with kids in mind, we’re focused on making going to the dentist fun. Parents, you’ll feel just as at home in our office as your child! A healthy smile is a happy smile, and we’re here to help your child achieve great dental health for a lifetime.
Bookmark this page and start planning your best summer ever!
Explore all Des Moines and Central Iowa has to offer this summer, and enjoy the customizable FREE printable below to hang on the fridge!
We Love DSM
- Check out the Lauridsen Skate Park. Be sure to bring your scooters, rollerblades, or skateboards!
- The Iowa State Fair is a must! Here are our tips for making the most of your trip.
- Be a tourist in our great city! Spend a day exploring all the fun things to do in Des Moines with your family.
- Cheer on the Iowa Cubs. Go to a Friday night game and enjoy the fireworks show after the game.
- Walk through the PappaJohn Sculpture Park downtown.
- Head to a Farmers Market on a weekday and get the ingredients to make a farm-fresh dinner.
- Support small businesses and pick up a summer read from a local bookstore. We recommend Beaverdale Books or Storyhouse BookPub in the East Village.
- Shop at Raygun for a snarky t-shirt.
- Grab some chairs or a blanket and enjoy an outdoor concert. There are plenty to choose from!
- Take a tour of the state capitol building. It’s free!
- Love Ted Lasso? Cheer on the Des Moines Menace soccer team at Valley Stadium.
- Experience fine art at the Des Moines Art Center. Be sure to check out the gardens while you’re there.
Des Moines Summer Family Fun
- Celebrate culture, listen to music, or experience small-town traditions at a local festival.
- Find as many murals as you can around Des Moines and take pictures of them.
- Take a walk on the wild side at the Blank Park Zoo.
- Book a weekend of camping fun at The Ledges State Park.
- Kids need something to do? Check out our summer boredom busters!
- Spend a day riding the rides at Adventureland and relaxing at the waterpark!
- Get a jump start on the holidays and schedule a family photo shoot at one of our favorite locations.
- Plant a garden with your kiddos!
- Geek out at the Science Center of Iowa
- Hit the rails with a ride on the Boone Scenic Railroad
- Hold a family meeting and come up with some summer family goals
- Set up your own tent and fire pit for a fun backyard family campout
- Join the fight against hunger and pack meals with Meals from the Heartland annual hunger fight.
- Step back in time and explore 300 years of farming history at Living History Farms.
Des Moines Summer Eats + Drinks
- Celebrate Donut Day, June 3, (or any day) with a sweet treat from these local bake shops.
- Go out for brunch at one of our favorite spots!
- Check out one of Des Moines’ many tasty food trucks.
- Head out to Bondurant and grab a to-go growler of Root Beer at Reclaimed Rails to share with the family
- Go berry picking and then make a pie.
- Help your kids in a grill off competition using these tips!
- Pack a picnic and head to a local winery.
- Get an ice cream cone or malt at Snookies in Beaverdale or visit one (or all) of our favorite spots for ice cream.
- Buy fresh sweet corn from a stand and grill it with this easy recipe.
- ‘Tis the season for iced coffee. Check out our Coffee Shop Guide for the spots to get caffeinated.
- Pick up a to-go charcuterie board at The Cheese Shop for a fun date night.
- Food tastes better outside. Enjoy dinner and drinks at one of our favorite patios.
- What’s better than pizza night? Pizza on the Prairie! Enjoy brick oven pizza topped with farm-fresh veggies and local meats at the Wallace Centers of Iowa on Friday nights.
- Make BLTs. The combination of a juicy homegrown tomato with crunchy lettuce and crispy bacon can’t be beat.
Des Moines Summer Outside Adventures
- Go to a new park: Johnston Commons Park by the library, Barrett Boesen Natural Playscape in Urbandale, and Triumph Park in Waukee is scheduled to open later in June.
- Rent a boat at Easter Lake. They have canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and motorboats.
- Go fishing! Check out our tips for fishing in Iowa before grabbing a pole.
- 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. Check out this guide to more good hikes in central Iowa.
- Make a list of parks to visit around the Des Moines area
- Take a family bike ride.
- Go geocaching.
- Let the kids stay up late and catch fireflies.
- Load up your bikes and ride the High Trestle Trail.
- Enjoy a free outdoor movie at a local park. Pack blankets and snacks and enjoy a family-friendly flick.
- Hit up the Jester Park Outdoor Recreation & Wellness Center and check out their bouldering room, indoor archery, and watercraft rentals.
- Try the bike trails at the Ewing Park BMX trails.
- Get lost in the hedge maze and check out the views from Clark Tower in Winterset.
Des Moines Summer Kids Activities
- Let your kids learn something new at a summer camp.
- Join a summer reading program at your local library.
- Play outside! Here are 20 ideas to get you started.
- Sign up for Kids Bowl Free and get 2 free games a day at Warrior Lanes.
- Bookmark 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.
- Check out the best parks for older kids.
- Get a pen pal and start writing letters.
- Try our favorite sensory activity. Kids love it, and it’s cheap and easy!
- Visit the alpacas at Rusty Stars Alpacas in Winterset. Check their website for times.
- Moms of littles, if you’re stuck at home with nap schedules and little kids, check out these fun driveway activities.
- The skater scene in Des Moines is pretty rad. Grab a scooter or skateboard and check out all the skate parks around the metro.
- Review these water safety tips and take the Safer Swimmer Pledge with Goldfish Swim School.
- Spend a morning getting your wiggles out at the DSM Children’s Museum at Valley West Mall.
- Visit the Clive Greenbelt Goats, located next to Clive City Hall.
Beat the Heat
- Head to a sprayground or wading pool. They are FREE and open May 1 through September 30.
- 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.
- Need to get some wiggles out? Check out our indoor play guide for the best places to burn off some energy.
- Spend an afternoon at one of the local swimming pools.
- 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 with a movie marathon at home.
- Make these super easy and delicious watermelon popsicles.
- Too hot to play outside? Check out 50 fun indoor activities.
- Get off the beaten path and explore the best places for creek walking. Ledges State Park in Madrid is our favorite!
- Run through the Lauridsen Fountain at Cowles Commons.
Neighborhood Fun
- Pick up items to help other families in need, fill a donation box.
- Load up on graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows and make s’mores.
- Hang a large sheet and rent a projector for a “drive-in” movie experience.
- 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.
- 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.
Midwest Road Trips
- Pack up the car and go on a day trip in central Iowa.
- Eat, play, and shop in Overland Park, Kansas.
- Leave the kids at home and enjoy an adults-only weekend in Omaha.
- Discover the beauty of Decorah.
- Visit the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque.
- Take a day trip to the Omaha Zoo.
- Explore Kansas City. We love Science City!
- Head to Clear Lake for a day or a long weekend.
- Relax at Lake Okoboji
- Take the family to Honey Creek Resort
- Head to the Amanas and experience German culture in the seven scenic villages.
- Learn about Dutch heritage in Pella.
- Find out what families love about Ames.
- Explore the Lewis and Art exhibit at Reiman Gardens in Ames.
- Visit Iowa’s 99 Counties.
