Free things to do in Des Moines

Des Moines is a genuinely easy place to have a great day without spending a dime. Some of the city's best attractions are free by design, no ticket, no catch. Here's where to go when the budget is the point.

Free art and culture

• The John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park is the crown jewel: 20-plus museum-quality sculptures spread across open downtown blocks, free and open every single day. Bring a coffee and wander.
• The Des Moines Art Center offers free admission to a nationally respected collection housed in a building that's a work of art itself.
• The Iowa State Capitol, the only five-domed capitol in the country, is free to walk through and free to tour, dome and all.
• The State Historical Museum of Iowa is free and a great rainy-day stop.

Free outdoors

The metro's parks and trails are all free and all excellent:

• Gray's Lake Park and its 1.9-mile lakeside loop, with skyline views the whole way.
• The enormous Water Works Park next door, one of the largest urban parks in the country.
• The Principal Riverwalk and the riverfront trails that connect downtown to the water.
• Hundreds of miles of paved trails across the metro for walking and biking. There's much more in our outdoor things to do in Des Moines guide.

Free to wander

Exploring the city's districts costs nothing and is half the fun: the Historic East Village, Historic Valley Junction in West Des Moines, and the shops of West Glen are all made for an afternoon stroll.

Free events

Des Moines runs a surprising number of free events all summer:

• Yankee Doodle Pops, the Des Moines Symphony's massive free concert on the Capitol grounds around the Fourth of July.
• Des Moines Performing Arts' free summer arts series, family-friendly shows in metro parks with no tickets or reservations.
• The Downtown Farmers' Market is free to walk (you'll want cash for the food).
• The Des Moines Public Library hosts free events nearly every week.

Want the whole picture? Start with our complete things-to-do-in-Des-Moines guide, and if you've got kids in tow, plenty of the family favorites are free too. For everything happening this week, check the events calendar.