FARM TO TABLE TOUR - Group Travel
Iowa feeds the world! On this tour, learn where your food comes from and watch it through the stages of production all the way to your fork. Whether you’re a foodie, an agriculturalist or an interested consumer... this is for you!
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DAY 1
Start off your first day by visiting a corn, soybean or cattle farm. Learn from the farmers where your food comes from and the importance of the process. Not able to fit a farm tour in your schedule? Have the farmer come to you! Whether at a restaurant or your hotel, get the full experience. (515) 225-9242
After exploring the beautiful farmland, catch an educational tour to learn the history of the World Food Prize as well as Norman Borlaug’s lifelong passion to feed the world at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. A beautiful must see in Des Moines! (515) 245-3783
Throughout all your exploring, you’ve likely built up an appetite. Des Moines is known for delicious food, so take a stop at The Machine Shed, serving up local bites. - This farm-themed restaurant’s motto is “Dedicated to the American Farmer”. From an Iowa Chop to Maytag Blue Cheese, you won’t go hungry here! (515) 270-6818
Next, visit the Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden®. With plantings in bloom all summer long, you won't want to miss it! Adjacent to the headquarters of Better Homes & Gardens' parent company, Meredith Corporation, their Test Garden is located at the corner of Grand Avenue and 15th Street in downtown Des Moines. The Test Garden serves as a display garden, a testing ground for plants, and a photography studio for the company's publications and websites. Public visitors are welcome on Fridays from 12 - 2 p.m., from the first Friday in May through the first Friday in October. Visitors may stroll through the gardens on their own (garden staff is available to answer questions) or groups of ten or more may request a tour during the open hours. (515) 284-3994
Continue your educational afternoon by catching one of the only plants in the world producing sprayers, cotton pickers and tillage equipment for John Deere at John Deere Works in Ankeny. (515) 289-3283
DAY 2
If you are in town on a Saturday from 7 a.m. - 12 p.m., May - October, visit one of the top five farmers markets in the country! The Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market is a beloved local treasure, and Iowans gather downtown to stroll the streets. Producers from 58 counties in Iowa are represented. (515) 286-4928
Catch an outdoor interactive museum with more than 500 acres of education and fun at Living History Farms. Learn the history surrounding Midwestern rural life in period costumes. Whether you explore 1700 or 1876, there is plenty of history to explore. (515) 278-5286
While in the area, catch more than just food on your table. How about a table display of trains! Trainland U.S.A. is much more than a train museum. Hundreds of hours of labor went into this creation, and it features old toy trains and railroad memorabilia dating from 1916 to 1976. Learn the development of trains across the United States! (515) 674-3813
For more information, contact:
Chris Baker
Director of Event Experience
(515) 699-3456
chris@catchdesmoines.com