Things to Do in Altoona

While touring the country in an RV, Chris and Jamie Rademacher hatched the idea to open a campground. Despite being newcomers to the business, they're off to a pretty good start—their Des Moines West KOA was recently awarded a 2011 KOA President's Award for exceptional quality and guest service. Set on rolling farmland 1.5 miles north of I-80 exit 106, the well-groomed grounds are convenient to the interstate but secluded enough to ensure peace and quiet. RV sites include full hookup and pull-through capability, and cabins allow families and groups to smooth out their experience of "roughing it" with amenities such as porch swings, working kitchens, and a staff of liveried deer to hold open their doors. During daytime hours, guests can tap into WiFi networks, cast a line into the nearby stocked fishing pond, or take a dip in the heated pool, open Memorial Day–Labor Day.

Open for just one month every autumn, The Pumpkin Ranch seems more like a scene from a child’s dream than a family-run business. But that’s the way the Handsaker family planned it, hoping to create a family-friendly hub that celebrated their love of all things autumn. They began by cultivating their 9-acre cornfield into a complex maze, incorporating 12 checkpoints that make sure guests are on the right path and offer clues to the ranch’s Farm Scene Investigation mystery. Alongside the maze, the Handsakers have built up a 10-acre patch of pumpkins and gourds, where squashy specimens wait to be carved into jack-o’-lanterns or stomped into wine.

The hayrack ride transports guests to and fro on the ranch, speeding up walks so guests can spend more time reveling in the play zone’s bounce houses, climbable straw bales, and tire towers. For more exhilarating pastimes, the ranch offers tennis-ball launchers that send the bright orbs soaring at water-based targets, exhilarating zipline courses, and fire pits to warm up chilly fall afternoons. Inside the concession stand, staffers sell steamy cups of specialty ciders and hot chocolate alongside homemade baked goods, giving guests a taste of fall, and outside, vendors serve up larger bites such as grilled and smoked meat to fuel the outdoor fun.

Started as a nonprofit club back in 1974, Des Moines Skydivers originally provided a way for its skydiving-enthusiast members to enjoy an expensive passion as cheaply as possible. After upgrading its Cessna 195 to two newer models, the group expanded its focus, welcoming members of the public to Winterset Airport for first-time jumps, tandem jumps, accelerated training courses, and varied jumps for seasoned skydivers. The group also holds an annual get-together every Labor Day weekend called Dollar Daze, during which partygoers can pay a dollar to either jump from an airplane or give a quick smooch to the pilot.