Read 100 Things to do in Des Moines Before You Die before your next Des Moines Trip!

I'm so excited to tell you about Erin Huiatt's new book, 100 Things to do in Des Moines Before You Die which she sent me a free copy of for review purposes. This book is in the same series as my Siouxland travel guide, 100 Things to do in Sioux City and Siouxland Before You Die and 100 Things to do in Iowa Before You Die by Sara Broers. and I'm a huge fan of this series, which is why I wanted to write for it in the first place! Anyway, a big part of why I love this series is that our publisher, Reedy Press, does not just have a professional writer on their staff churn out travel guides about places they haven't been based on internet search results that may or may not still be accurate. Instead, they rely on local experts to write about their own areas and share the big attractions and the great little places that everyone should know about.

Who wrote 100 Things to do in Des Moines Before You Die?

Erin Huiatt is the author of and she is the best person I could think of to write this book. She runs The Des Moines Parent website and all of their affiliated social media. Through this, she has really become an expert on fun in the entire Des Moines area. She's also a mom of two and has experienced the realities of taking a family to these places, not just whether they sound ok on paper. This is Erin's first book, and I hope to read more from her in the future! 

What's in 100 Things to do in Des Moines Before You Die?

Inside 100 Things to do in Des Moines Before You Die readers will find 100 great ideas for fun in the Des Moines area, broken into five chapters:

• Food and Drink: 
• Music and Entertainment:
• Sports and Recreation
• Culture and History
• Shopping and Fashion

Each chapter had some of the best-known places in Des Moines like the Iowa State Capitol, Zombie Burger, and Jordan Creek Town Center and some lesser known "hidden gem" type places--or maybe they're just places I personally haven't been lucky enough to visit or hear about before, like Wooly's, JouJou, Rusty Star Alpacas, the Jordan House Museum, and the Union Park Heritage Carousel. 

I was really impressed, especially because we lived in Des Moines and West Des Moines for 4 years while my husband was in grad school and his first job immediately after grad school, so I thought I knew at least *most* of the best places in town. But Erin's wonderful book quickly set me straight. I am really excited to know deeper stories for some of the places I already knew about, and to have a huge number of new-to-me places to add to my bucket list for future Des Moines trips, of which I hope there are many. 

One thing's for sure: next time I go to Des Moines, I'm bringing my copy of Erin Huiatt's 100 Things to do in Des Moines Before You Die with me. 

Where to buy 100 Things to do in Des Moines Before You Die

To get your own copy, head to Erin's 100 Things Des Moines website, order from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or grab a copy in person on your next Des Moines trip--most local bookstores keep it on hand.