Welcome to GetIowa.com, a local guide to the Hawkeye State written by people who actually live here.
I am Cheyne Reiter. I grew up in small-town Iowa, then spent the better part of a decade away working in media and broadcasting, including helping build content for our sister site in Indiana. Then I moved back. GetIowa.com is the guide I wished existed while I was gone: one that treats Iowa as the interesting place it is.
The Backstory: How We Got Here
Before Get Iowa, there was Get Indiana. The idea was simple: every state deserves a real insider guide instead of the same recycled top-ten lists. Get Indiana grew into a go-to resource for Hoosiers and travelers who wanted to know where locals actually eat, hike, and spend their weekends.
It worked because it was honest. We did not just rank the restaurants with the most reviews. We pointed people to the supper club two towns over that has packed its parking lot for forty years. That is the same approach we are bringing to Iowa.
Stay IN the Know
Get the best of Iowa delivered to your inbox every week.
Why Iowa? Why Now?
Iowa gets written off as flyover country, which says more about the writers than the state. Drive an hour in almost any direction and the landscape changes. The bluffs of the Driftless region in the northeast look nothing like the lake towns around Okoboji, which look nothing like the river valleys through the middle of the state.
The cities are changing too. Des Moines has turned its East Village and downtown into a food and culture destination. Iowa City reads like a college town crossed with a literary capital, which fits: it is a UNESCO City of Literature. Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and the Quad Cities each have their own draw. Add a cost of living that lets a paycheck stretch, and the timing makes sense.
Who We Are
We are explorers, food lovers, and local advocates. We do not scrape a travel aggregator and call it research. We go to the places, we talk to the people running them, and we tell you what is worth your time. When we recommend a pork tenderloin or a state park trail, it is because someone on our team has been there.
That is the whole pitch: local knowledge, written by people who care about getting it right. You can read more about my story on my author page, and you will meet the rest of the team across the site as we grow.
What You Can Expect From GetIowa.com
We organize our coverage around what people actually want to know when they are looking for something to do.
Food and drink. From Iowa's oversized breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches to Des Moines kitchens doing serious modern cooking. We point you to the classics and the newer spots worth the drive.
Travel and the outdoors. State parks, scenic byways, caves, lake towns, and the quirky roadside stops that make a road trip stick. Iowa is more varied and more rugged than its reputation.
Community spotlights. Local businesses, makers, festivals, and the events that give each town its character. The big stuff and the small stuff, because both matter.
Come Along for the Ride
This is the beginning, and the best version of this site is shaped by the people who know Iowa best. If you have a favorite spot the rest of the state should know about, we want to hear it.
Bookmark the site and sign up for the free Get Iowa newsletter so the best of Iowa lands in your inbox. Let's go find the good stuff together.
Keep Exploring Iowa
More from Get Iowa: the ultimate Iowa bucket list, the best places to eat in Iowa, and what makes Iowa special to live in.