When you’re looking for a day trip that includes art, history, fun, and food, plan your visit to Fort Dodge, Iowa. You’ll be surprised at the great finds in this community in Central Iowa!
Thank you to the Fort Dodge Conventions & Visitors Bureau for hosting parts of our trip! Although this occurred, all thoughts and opinions are 100% authentic and our own. Please see the disclosure tab for more information!
Day Trip Plans – Getting There
When you’re ready to head to Fort Dodge, you’ll find it conveniently located in West Central Iowa! It is also easily accessible thanks to being located right off Highway 20, which is a 4-lane road that intersects both Interstate 35 and the Avenue of the Saints (US Highway 218).
If you’re traveling by car…
- Des Moines, IA – 99 miles, 1 hour 30 minute drive time
- Minneapolis, MN – 219 miles, 3 hours 10 minutes drive time
- Kansas City, MO – 266 miles, 3 hours 50 minutes drive time
- Chicago, IL – 367 miles, 5 hours 50 minutes drive time
- Kansas City, MO – 266 miles, 3 hours 50 minutes drive time
- Minneapolis, MN – 219 miles, 3 hours 10 minutes drive time
There are so many options of great things to do once you arrive in Fort Dodge that it might be difficult to narrow it down. For your convenience I’ve grouped our ideas into historical, creative, and foods! I’m sure you’ll find something on this list that appeases to you and your trip buddies!
Historical Stops in Fort Dodge
Ringland-Smelzer House
Upon arriving at the Ringland-Smelzer House, you’ll be intrigued by it’s architecture. This beautiful, historic home was most recently owned by Ann Smelzer and her family prior to them. They were not only prominent in Iowa (the gypsum industry in Fort Dodge), but had connections throughout the state and federal level of government. She was also very well-traveled studying food in France and also had a strong interest in art!
The home signifies their simple yet elegant life! Three full stories (and over 10,00 square feet) showcase their lifestyle. Unique door knobs of smooth glass are an example of the one-of-a-kind features they could afford while the stories about their employees (maid, cook, etc) being more like family remind us they were still genuine Iowans. The stories of the family are endless and will fascinate you!
A couple things to note regarding the house. While it is open to the public for tours, it is by appointment only. They do host several events throughout the year including a Cabaret each spring and fall that features show tunes! The house is also available for rent for special occasions like showers, receptions, parties, etc.
The Fort Museum & Frontier Village
The Fort Museum & Frontier Village is the original fort established over 150 years ago by infantry. This was considered the perfect spot for a military lookout of the frontier. The fort was occupied for several years back in the 1850’s and from that Fort Dodge was born. On the grounds still exists the original log cabin that you’re free to tour!
Alongside the Fort, you can enjoy the replica of a frontier village. From a one-room school to a church, general store, livery, and more there is plenty to see. Many of the buildings hold items from that time period and the museum has several different exhibits that showcases Fort Dodge’s history.
A couple notes: There is a small fee to get into the museum and fort, but that includes access to all the buildings and exhibits. The Fort Museum is open 7 days a week. If you want to enhance your visit to The Fort, catch Frontier Days, which is their family friendly festival each June! For a small fee, you and your family can enjoy demonstrations, music, activities for the kiddos, complete access to the Fort and much more!
Creative Stops in Fort Dodge
Webster County Freedom Rock
Fnding the Freedom Rock in each county in Iowa is one of our favorite things to do! So, as I was perusing the brochures for Fort Dodge, I knew stopping at the Webster County Freedom Rock was a must-do. And of course, Bubba Sorenson didn’t disappoint. (If you’re not familiar with the Iowa Freedom Rocks, check out the story here!)
Painted Silos
Fort Dodge put itself on the map several months ago when they unveiled their plan (and subsequently the painted silos). These old grain silos are empty now, but instead of letting them go by the wayside, Fort Dodge brought in muralist Guido van Helten to paint on the 110′ tall silos that sit very near the river.
The silos feature something that Iowans know a lot about, the farmers as well as other heritages through the years. The detail of the mural on these silos is quite amazing. One of my favorite things about the painting is that the artist left the old painting of the company name in tact and in place on the silos. They are stunning in pictures, but even more so in person.
Studio Fusion
When you want to feel creative yourself, head to Studio Fusion in downtown to create your own art. Heather, the owner, has created a beautiful studio and small retail store. Here you have the opportunity to paint your pottery or even fuse glass.
During our visit, we decided to fuse glass since it was something brand new to both T & I. We selected our mold (a dish for T’s things on our dresser) and then set to work. I actually really enjoyed watching T create his dish! The instructions were easy to follow and Heather was super helpful!
We see this as a great rainy day activity, somewhere to take the grandkids over Christmas break, or as a team building event! Whatever your needs, Studio Fusion will meet them!
Food Stops in Fort Dodge
Tea Thyme
Tea Thyme is located in an adorable building slightly hidden, but worth the drive to find it! This tea room style dining room also features a few rooms full of home décor, clothes, accessories, and more to shop through!
The menu features about 6 entrees to select from and there are a variety of styles and foods! Selections offered range from entrees like French Country Chicken (boneless chicken breast, lightly breaded and baked. Served over bow tie pasta with a French country sour cream sauce and a hint of dill.) It was served with candied carrots, and home baked sweet bread!
A lighter option is the Salad Supreme, a very large salad with mixed greens, fresh garden vegetables, hard cooked egg, and mesquite grilled chicken and topped with raspberry dressing.
They also offer a wide variety of desserts including several different pies, cheesecakes, brownies, puff pastries, and more!
Dariette
Every good day trip involves ice cream for me! And once again, Fort Dodge rose to the occasion! The Dariette is an adorable stop which only features outdoor patio seating serves malts, shakes, whips (think like a Blizzard from DQ), sundaes, floats, and ice cream cones! The highlight is their homemade, flavored soft serve ice cream!
Featuring soft serve only, the options are endless! Options like Black Raspberry soft serve in a waffle cone! DELICIOUS! A great combo of sweet with just a little tartness and waffle cones always win me over! Whips of soft serve vanilla mixed with pieces of Snickers are a great treat as well!
One note, you won’t see Dariette just driving down the street as it is on the backside of a building next to an ally (because they offer drive-thru service as well), but it’s totally worth taking the time to put the address in your GPS!
Shiny Top Brewery
You can’t leave town with stopping for beer and pizza at Shiny Top Brewery! This locally owned craft brewery features 6 of their own brews on tap as well as 4 guest brews! You can buy them by the glass or enjoy a flight of four, 5oz samples!
The Brews
Options like American Amber Ale, Honey Badger, No Stoppin’ the Hoppin’, and Outta Sight Oatmeal Stout offer something for each kind of beer drinker!
The Pizza
For supper try their pizza! They offer specialty pizzas like the meaty specialty. Their crust is homemade, the perfect balance of crispy and soft, and the sauce is divine! We promise that it’ll be one of the best pizzas you’ve had in a long time!
Plan Your Trip to Fort Dodge
When you’re look for a fun day trip getaway (or even a weekend), it’s time to plan your trip to Fort Dodge, Iowa. This community full of art, fun, history, and great food is the perfect destination for a day or weekend of exploring! There’s no large crowds to compete with and you’ll leave feeling relaxed and happy!
And make sure to reach out to the Fort Dodge Convention & Visitors Bureau for help planning your trip! And make sure to tell them the Flints sent ya! 😉
Pin It For Later
More Daytrips
Looking for more fun day trips and weekend getaways? Check these out!
- 5 Ways to Have an Amazing Girlfriends Getaway in Audubon County, Iowa
- Charles City, Iowa: Restaurants, Shopping, & Culture
- Where the Locals Go in Ackley, Iowa
Tea Thyme looks so delicious! I love their home style menu. Have never been to Fort Dodge before.
It was very good! There was a little bit of everything to choose from and yet a small list! Fort Dodge was fun! We had a great day!
The frontier village looks so cool! And what a great way to wrap up the day by going to get ice cream!
It was a great day overall and that ice cream was divine!!!
This sounds like a perfect trip. I love forts and villages so would spend most of my time there. All of the food also looked amazing. The tea thyme seemed like a great place.
The fort was fun! You don’t always think about a place like that in Iowa, so it was fun to see!
So cool! Glad you made it to the Dariette! I think I’ll have to take the kids to Fort Dodge to explore more.
So much to do with the kiddos! Thanks again for the recommendation!
I’ve never been to Iowa, but this town looks picturesque! I love that they painted the silos instead of just letting them sit there. I also love the custom mosaic piece that you got to make and can’t wait to see the finished product!
Iowa is pretty great, if I must say so myself! The silos are so stunning and almost unbelievable when you see them in person!
The food options you covered all made my mouth water!
Yum!!
My mouth is watering just thinking about them too! That Black Raspberry Ice Cream was some of the best I’ve ever had!
Epworth, where I live, has the Dubuque county Freedom Rock! The beer flight holder is funny and the ice cream sounds yummy!
Fun! We’re going to have to venture over there sometime to see your freedom rock! The ice cream was one of my favorite things about the trip!
I would love to see that Fort Museum! How awesome is that!
It was fun!!!
While I am not much of a history buff, I do love interesting art sights. The murals on the silos are very interesting! And of course, all the food sounds amazing. Exactly my style….a salad followed by ice cream, pizza, and beer 🙂 Pinning for future reference. Thanks!
The silos are stunning! In person, they still almost seem unreal! And that pizza…I could go for a slice right now!
What a great spot! I would particularly love the Ringland-Smelzer House, there is an area of Paris where gypsum was mined and there are American-style homes – so interesting to see in Paris! My father’s family is from Iowa and there is so much I didn’t get to see on visits for family reunions!
Fascinating about the American style homes in Paris! The Ringland-Smelzer House is fascinating!