Urbandale: Discover History, Parks, and Trails

Urbandale combines impressive history with expansive parks and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. The city’s unique character is evident in the 500-acre Living History Farms open-air museum as well as in its park system, which encompasses 1,000 acres of parkland. If you are looking for a vacation rental in Urbandale, you can use this to plan your stay specifically around culture, nature, and activities with children.

Experience History at Your Own Pace

Living History Farms gives Urbandale’s cultural offerings a distinctive profile. Visitors pass through historical periods spanning 300 years and set their own pace along the way. This makes the visit appealing to travelers who want to experience history not merely through individual exhibits, but as a chronologically structured experience. In addition, on-site staff offer seasonal activities and demonstrations.

The journey there can also be planned specifically. Living History Farms is accessible via Interstate 35/80 at Exit 125, Hickman. The open-air museum is also served by DART Express Route 92. These two details are helpful when comparing different ways of reaching your accommodation in Urbandale and planning your day around a museum visit.

Parks and Trails for Active Days on Vacation

Urbandale has an extensive trail network with more than 54 miles of trails. This provides a fitting complement to a culture-focused day of travel without requiring you to commit to just one type of leisure activity. A mapped 5-kilometer route in Walker Johnston Park begins at the Walker Johnston Park Shelter. If you prefer a clearly defined route, you can take this information into account when planning.

Other green destinations have their own distinctive appeal. Jackaline Baldwin Dunlap Park and Arboretum is an arboretum with trails. Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Park and Gardens features a variety of trees, flowers, and shrubs. This allows you to alternate between a longer trail, an arboretum, and a garden with different plants when selecting your daily destinations. Urbandale’s park system provides the scenic setting for this, without implying that all of the locations mentioned form one shared loop trail.

Activities for Children and Special Interests

For families with children, the All-Inclusive Playground in Northview Park is a specific option. It is designed for children of all ages and abilities, including children with disabilities. The completely level surface is intended to avoid barriers for wheelchair users and people with visual impairments. These features can play an important role when choosing destinations if different needs within a travel group are to be taken into account.

In summer, Urbandale’s Mobile Recreation program brings free games, activities, craft offerings, and sports equipment to various parks. The Miracle League of Urbandale is located at the Northview Park Little League Complex. Together with the playground, this provides additional options for a stay in which children have activities of their own while adults want to keep the daily schedule flexible.

Public Art

Urbandale also offers cultural discoveries beyond the open-air museum. The Art Park Exhibition showcases sculptures by four artists selected each year. In addition, the Urbandale Public Art Committee is working with the Otocast app on a tour of the sculptures in Urbandale Art Park.

For more travel ideas, you can also explore Des Moines, Ankeny, Clive, Johnston, Grimes, and West Des Moines.

For the broader travel overview: Polk.