Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines Symphony

Basilica of St. John

Designated a basilica in 1989. Northern Italian/Lombardy Romanesque style, with gold-leaf coffered ceilings and 46 stained-glass windows, including a 15-foot Munich rose window. Ornate plaster and travertine marble interior.

Des Moines Playhouse

The Playhouse presents 12-14 musicals, comedies, dramas and family shows each year.

Blank Park Zoo

Beautifully-landscaped 22-acre zoological park featuring naturalistic exhibits with more than 800 animals from five continents, including lions, tigers, sea lions, snow leopards, giraffe. Train ride, camel ride, gift shop and cafe. Discovery Center includes Iowa'

Wallace House

Restored Italianate Victorian was home of the first Henry Wallace -- national leader in agriculture and conservation, and editor of Wallaces' Farmer. Exhibits include "Uncle Henry's Des Moines, 1880-1920", the Wallace era of Wallaces'