Iowa State Capitol

The Iowa State Capitol is the building that defines the Des Moines skyline. Finished in 1886, it sits on a rise east of downtown and is crowned by a large central dome covered in gold leaf, with four smaller domes at the corners. The style is Italian Renaissance, and the result is a statehouse that looks more like a European cathedral than a prairie government office. From the Pappajohn Sculpture Park, the Principal Riverwalk and half the bridges across the Des Moines River you can see the gold glinting, which makes it the easiest landmark in the city to navigate by.\n\nUnlike many landmarks that are only for show, this is a working building. The legislature meets here in winter and spring, and the offices of state government fill the wings. Visitors can walk in without a ticket, pass the security screening and explore on their own, or join a guided tour that covers the history of the building, the chambers, the grand stairways and the law library. Inside you find marble floors, painted murals, stained glass, ornate ironwork and a famous spiral staircase leading up to the library level. The scale and craftsmanship are a surprise for people who expect a plain Midwest civic building.

Tours are typically offered on weekdays, and the Capitol is generally open to wander during working hours, but hours and tour times change with the legislative calendar, so check before you go. Allow about an hour for a self-guided visit and a bit longer if you take a guided tour. If you visit while the legislature is in session, the galleries above the House and Senate chambers can be open to the public, which gives you a look at state politics in action.

Visiting in summer is quieter and gives you more room to take photographs in the rotunda.\n\nThe grounds are worth time too. The Capitol Complex includes monuments, gardens and views back toward downtown, and the lawns are a pleasant place for a picnic when the weather is good.

On a clear day the walk from the East Village up the hill takes around ten to fifteen minutes and is mostly gentle. Photographers like the angle from the west side, where the dome rises over the city. If you want a bigger picture of Iowa history, the State Historical Museum of Iowa sits close by in the same complex, so the two pair well on one morning.

\n\nAccessibility is good, with entrances and elevators that serve visitors using wheelchairs or strollers, though the older staircases and viewing points are best enjoyed by those who can manage steps.

Security screening is similar to an airport checkpoint, so leave large bags, sharp objects and anything unusual in the hotel. Photography is generally permitted in public areas. Be respectful of offices and chambers when they are in use, and keep your voice down in the galleries.\n\nFor families, the Capitol works as a short, free civics lesson with architecture to look at, and children usually enjoy the spiral stairs and the high ceilings.

For couples, it is an easy first stop on a downtown walk that continues through the East Village and over the river. For history buffs, a guided tour gives the context behind the murals, the state symbols and the building's long construction.

Because the building is free, it also makes a good rain-day option when the outdoor sights are less appealing.\n\nA simple half-day plan is to start at the Capitol in the morning, walk down the hill to the East Village for coffee and lunch, and continue across the river to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park and the Principal Riverwalk. Keep a few minutes at the end of the day for a sunset view of the dome from the bridges, when the gold leaf glows against the sky.