Travel
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Iowa beer trends and what’s behind the Iowa Craft Brew Festival?
Iowa’s craft beer scene is experiencing a shift toward crisp, lower-alcohol beverages. Noreen Otto, the executive director of the Iowa Brewers Guild, highlights a major renaissance in craft ciders made from heritage fruits grown in local orchards. Consumers are increasingly moving away from heavily hopped IPAs and high-ABV stouts in favor of straightforward, easy-drinking lagers…
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Royalty, FAQs and Parking at The Tulip Time Festival
It’s Tulip Time in Iowa! Iowan’s are aware of the annual Tulip Time Festival in Pella, running May 7-9th this year, BUT did you know it’s a honeypot of high-brow visitors? Royalty and even musical celebrities are known to make an appearance, all for the love of Dutch heritage and culture. Jessi Galligan, Executive Director…
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Who’s behind Iowa’s iconic photos in media, the airport, and tourism magazines?
If you’ve seen a national media story featuring Iowa, visited the Des Moines airport, picked up an Iowa magazine, visited the Iowa Road Trip Facebook page or Instagram page, or have seen any Iowa tourism website, you’ve likely appreciated seen his work. Meet Brian Abeling the “Iowa Road Trip” guy. He explains the stories behind…
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Will Iowa ban autonomous cars? Rep. Megan Jones explains.
As the Iowa Legislature navigates the accelerating reality of autonomous vehicles, State Representative Megan Jones (R-Sioux Rapids) is seeking a delicate balance between technological innovation and public safety. But the current state of the bill may create a regulatory framework that inadvertently bans them entirely. Speaking on The Iowa Podcast, Jones, who chairs the House…
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Cyclists from everywhere are coming, but will the town capitalize?
20% of cyclists coming to Ankeny aren’t from Iowa. The economic potential cyclists bring is estimated to be in the billions, but currently each stay only brings $250 in economic activity. Derek Lord, Ankeny economic development director explains the retail and business opportunity accommodate the massive and untapped revenue potential. Will retailers answer the call?…
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Dubuque, Iowa: The Wall Street Journal’s Pick For Summer Travel
Audio version: Iowans love it when people from the rest of the country recognize our awesomeness. This week, the state was pleasantly surprised to see just that. A piece in The Wall Street Journal hailed Dubuque, Iowa as a top summer destination. Writer David Farley joined the show to discuss why he wrote the piece…
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DSM Airport Half-Way Point Video & Photos
The Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is stepping into a new era of air travel with a terminal project that reflects not just growth, but ambition. Now at the official halfway point of construction, DSM is no longer a quiet regional hub—it’s rapidly positioning itself as a serious Midwest transit player with carriers asking about…
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Trendsetters? Iowa farm was an agritourism destination 30 years ago
Audio version: Farms aren’t fun. Right? Someone tell Samantha (Sammy) Petersen of Bloomsbury Farm in Atkins, Iowa. As a 5th generation farmer she has helped her parents build an agritourism destination in the Eastern Iowa empire. While many Iowa farms have been jumping into the agritourism trend, Peterson says her mother jumped on the trend…
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Meet Brian Mulcahy, new Executive Director of The DSM Airport
Audio version: Update 5/29/25: The Des Moines International Airport construction project is at the half-way point. See a video tour and photos here » Kevin Foley has led the Des Moines International Airport for over a decade and this week, the first week of April he is handing off operations to Brian Mulcahy. In this…
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Des Moines Airport: structural art, robo-taxis, and expanded rental cars!
Audio version: Update 5/29/25: The Des Moines International Airport construction project is at the half-way point. See a video tour and photos here » What Des Moines Airport updates for 2025 should Iowans plan for? Kevin Foley, executive director of the Des Moines International Airport (DSM) shares parking and expanded rental car operations for 2025…