Des Moines is approximately one hour from Albia, so we find ourselves going there quite a bit. We chose a day back in July as a “fun day” for us and the kids.

Following the Farmer’s Market, we headed over to Blank Park Zoo, also known as Dino Park Zoo for Summer 2025. The zoo inserted several animatronic dinosaurs, which was the highlight for our four-year old Riggs. The kids had fun looking at all the animals, dinosaurs, and exploring with their cousins.

Our final stop of the day was Artfull in Johnston, about 20 miles north of the zoo. This is a really fun place with a lot of projects from which the kids can choose and just create! Our three chose ceramic figures to paint. We were there for a little over an hour in total, which included choosing figures and paints, creating, and dry time. They also have a party room and a splatter paint room, which looked really fun.

How did we accomplish this? Number one, for a mid-July day, the temperature was not too hot. The kids also napped in the car in between the zoo and Artfull so that was a HUGE help with moods! Other things we did:

*Purchased zoo tickets with a promo code. The Catch Des Moines website had a code available so that took a decent amount off the price of our zoo tickets.

*We packed our own lunch and snacks. There’s a nice shady spot near the lions where we ate our lunch. The line for the restaurant that day was LONG so it was a win win.

*Get gift certificates. We try to make a point to encourage family members to get the kids experiences for Christmas. All three kids received certificates for Artfull this past year. Artfull is also reasonably priced so there’s enough on their certificates for a second trip.

*Set a limit. We told the kids prior to arrival that they each got to choose one treat from the Farmer’s Market. JD and I also set a clear budget on what we would spend while we were there.

Have you been to any of these places? Share your experience!