We spent a few days in the Des Moines area recently and there are definitely a lot of beautiful spaces in the area. One of my favorites was the Robert Ray Asian gardens. We spent about an hour...

What a gem in the middle of the city! Nestled along the river, this garden is easy to visit yet feels tucked away. The path winds through various areas of the garden and also offers a few...

This is a great way to spend some time in nature near the river. This garden is small and took me about 10 minutes while reading all of the signs, but you can definitely stop and sit on a bench...

The Asian Garden was a quick stop. I didn't expect to see something like this in Des Moines. The bridge leads to the 37-foot-tall Chinese pavilion. The zodiac animal boulders at the end were also...

Windy when I went but didn't affect the gorgeous views of the river and bridge. Part of a nice riverfront walking trail.