Iowa Museums

Iowa is filled with a number of quality museums, including many that are known internationally.   Here is some information about each, and a link to find additional information.

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Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art (CRMA), established in 1905, strives to be a thriving and dynamic art museum for our community and visitors. Includes the world’s largest collection of Grant Wood works.

[Visit the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art's Website]

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Des Moines Art Center

This internationally acclaimed museum houses impressive works by artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keefe and Henri Matisse. The center, which also offers art classes, consists of three buildings, each designed by a celebrated architect: Eliel Saarinen, I.M. Pei and Richard Meier.

[Visit the Des Moines Art Center's Website]

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Des Moines Botanical Garden

Reputed for its huge collection of the Midwest’s ornamental and native plants, this 14-acre center bordering the Des Moines River features a domed conservatory that houses over 1000 varieties of exotic plants from throughout the world. The center also has an impressive herb garden, tropical and desert plants, and one of the best bonsai collections in the U.S.

[Visit the Des Moines Botanical Garden's Website]

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International Wrestling Institute and Museum – Waterloo, Iowa

The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum is a not-for-profit organization that was established in September of 1998 in the hopes of preserving, maintaining and promoting the long and illustrious heritage of the sport of Wrestling.  

Today the museum boasts over 600 displays as it takes visitors through the history of wrestling, from ancient Greece through the present day Olympics. The Professional Wing of the museum has a half-size wrestling ring, a wall devoted to the legendary Frank Gotch, the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, and many other exciting displays.

[Visit the International Wrestling Institute and Museum's Website]

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National Balloon Museum (Ballooning Hall of Fame) – Indianola, Iowa

The National Balloon Museum dedicates itself to providing the public with a comprehensive understanding of ballooning and its history through its exhibitions and collections. The museum archives more than 200 years of ballooning, hosts 24,000 visitors a year (with 20 countries in attendance) and operates on more than 2,000 volunteer hours annually.

[Visit the National Balloon Museum's Website]

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National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium

The Dubuque County Historical Society has its roots in the Richard Herrmann Museum of Natural History, established in the 1870s. The Society was organized in 1950 as a private, non-profit organization with a focus on oral and archival history, and opened its first museum, the Mathias Ham House, in 1964. Over the past 25 years, the museum has successfully raised $54 million to establish and expand its Mississippi River Museum into the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. The Museum & Aquarium is accredited by the American Association of Museums – a distinction held by only nine percent of American Museums – and was named an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in August 2002.

[Visit the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium's Website]