Des Moines is the capital and county seat of Polk County in Iowa. This vibrant capital is one of the epicenters of the American insurance industry and publishing houses. It is the alpha point of presidential elections that happen once in every five years. Des Moines should be visited for its superb range of tourist offerings like art museums and botanical gardens plus the world famous annual cultural events like Iowa State Fair and Des Moines Arts Festival.

One of the best American state capitols to tour, the 19th century Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines is hallmarked by a sparkling 23-karat gold leaf dome and four-surrounding smaller copper-topped domes. Capitol Building should rank high in your itinerary to the city.

The Iowa State Fair is annually organized in August. It runs for eleven days and reaches its crescendo with numerous games, contents and entertainment shows by Hollywood celebrities.

The Blank Park Zoo is located in Des Moines. This zoo is home to a large number of native and exotic animal species like giraffes, sea lions, ostriches, emus, sloths, seals etc. It hosts some permanent exhibits, activities like ‘Behind the Scenes’ tours and ‘Feed the Giraffes’ and ‘Zoo Brew’ at different times of the year.