East Central Iowa Freedom Rock Tour

One of our family's favorite ways to explore the state of Iowa is by visiting the different county Iowa Freedom Rocks. All 99 counties in the state have a uniquely painted mural, showcasing local heroes and stories honoring area veterans painted by Iowa artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II. Here is a look at all of the county Freedom Rocks located in Eastern Iowa.

#sleepwiththecows at New Day Dairy Guestbarn in Clarksville, Iowa

Our family is always up for an adventure and we were excited to head east from our farm to our friend's Dan & Lynn's farm to experience a one-of-a-kind overnight stay at their vacation rental Guestbarn that overlooks their dairy farm. From 24 hour cow gazing, to helping Dan with chores, to eating lots of delicious dairy products, and making friends with lots of cows, this is a road trip our family will always remember!

Central Iowa Freedom Rock Tour

One of our family's favorite ways to explore the state of Iowa is by visiting the different county Iowa Freedom Rocks. All 99 counties in the state have a uniquely painted mural, showcasing local heroes and stories honoring area veterans painted by Iowa artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II. Here is a look at all of the county Freedom Rocks located in Central Iowa.

5 Family Friendly Iowa State Park Trails

One of our family's favorite ways to explore and enjoy the outdoors is by going on trails at different state parks in our home state of Iowa. With 83 state parks and recreation areas, you're never too far away from creating your own adventure.

There is No Place Like Kansas for a Family Vacation

When we told everyone that our family was going on a vacation through Kansas we were often met with the questions: Why? or What is there to do in Kansas? (I have to think this may be the same thing someone might hear if they chose to vacation in Iowa.)

Well let me tell you, there is so much to do in Kansas that we didn't get to do it all and our kids are already planning our next visit! From learning about the Wild West, to traveling on Route 66, to going on a salt mine tour 650' underground, to traveling through the Land of Oz, we had a great time!

Camping at Sheffield, Iowa's SafeT Home

* I received a complimentary stay provided by the City of Sheffield, Iowa.

All views and opinions shared are my own. *

If you are looking for a unique, camping experience in the Midwest, you should check out Galvin Memorial Park's SafeT Home, a grain bin esque structure built by Sheffield, Iowa business Sukup Manufacturing.

How to Create Your Own Family Adventure

From camping in the backyard, to hiking at different state parks, to exploring our "backyard", our family is always up for an adventure and this summer has made a point of planning an adventure each week.  Here are some tips and ideas to help you and your family to make your own fun and go on an adventure of your own: 

North Central Iowa Freedom Rock Tour

Our family loves a good road trip and one of our family's traditions is to visit the different county Iowa Freedom Rocks across the state.  By the end of 2020, all 99 counties will have unique painted murals, showcasing local heroes and stories honoring area veterans painted by Iowa artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II.  Here is a look at all of the county Freedom Rocks located in North Central Iowa.

Explore a Century of Iowa Farming at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library

Last weekend my family and I traveled to West Branch, Iowa to check out the opening of the "Tall Grass to Knee High" exhibit at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.  This new special exhibit shares the stories of Iowa farmers through the last 100 years and the changes and innovations seen throughout the Iowa country-side.

The exhibit is broken down into scores (twenty years) and each score highlights farm life, people, livestock, crops, conservation, machinery and buildings of that time.  Over the last two years a team of four to five Hoover staff members have been researching, interviewing and building the exhibit.  They got a lot of historical information from both the Iowa Women's Archives in Iowa City and the Grout Museum in Waterloo.  

I appreciated seeing the voice of women in farming throughout the exhibit.  Journals from Clara Steen Skott and Alma Erickson Swanson, copies of Evelyn Birkby's "Up a Country Lane" newspaper column and copies of my "Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids" blog posts are seen through the scores to share about the people and farm life of our times.  It is an honor to be included the exhibit and to be apart of the large artifacts collection displayed in the exhibit.  (You can find my posts and pictures in both the 1990-2010 and 2010-today scores.)

My kids loved the children's area in the center of the exhibit.  The space included farm toys, games, farm books and a life sized milking cow.  The location and set up of the kids zone makes it very friendly for parents to look around the perimeter at the artifacts and displays, while the kids are close by keeping entertained with the children's activities.

Other popular spots in the exhibit that we weren't able to check out as much as we would have liked were the video boards and digital displays, along with the Farmer's Markets section which includes recipes from the Hoover Family, Iowa Girl Eats, Becky's Mindful Kitchen and my blog!  You can grab a copy of my Apple Bacon Jam, Farmers Market Quiche, Easy Pecan Sticky Buns, and Harvest Brats with Apple Slaw recipes in that section.  Luckily for us, through October 28, 2018, the end of the special exhibit, Iowa Farm Bureau members get to visit the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum for free!  Based off our experience, I would recommend planning two to three hours to be able to visit not only the Tall Grass to Knee High exhibit, but the rest of museum that shares about Hoover's life, as well as his birthplace cottage, grave-site and outdoor exhibits.

It can be so hard to get a good family photo 😉

Our family enjoyed the opportunity to go to the opening of the "Tall Grass to Knee High" exhibit and meet other people that were interviewed for the exhibit.  It was also special to sit just a few seats down from a couple members of Herbert Hoover's family that were in attendance for the opening.  The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum is worth a day trip for all Iowa families and if you're traveling across Iowa on I-80 the site is just north of the interstate.

Have you ever been to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library?  Have you been to any other Presidential libraries?  What do you enjoy checking out at a museum?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!