Forest Park Museum and Arboretum — Attraction in Iowa

Quite a nice facility. It has the usual outdoor displays that are expected at a county conservation office, but it also has a fair amount of history pieces. Schoolhouse. Scalehouse. Log cabin. Also a museum of personal items from William Wagner, architect. Quite a colorful and busy person who worked his entire life preserving and restoring historical buildings. A world traveler. He met presidents. The Wagner museum has several nice chairs, and it would make a cozy reading room. There is also a paved trail connecting to the nearby Racoon R....

This must be the coolest museum I never knew existed. There are so many historical artifacts from not only Dallas county but all over the world. The curator is incredibly knowledgeable about every piece in his collection and very friendly. It's also just a short bike ride off the Raccoon River Valley Trail. I recommend this place for anyone interested in local history or anyone biking by. Great place...

I emailed ahead to see if they had a wheelchair for my husband to use. They quickly emailed back asking what day would we be visiting. The wheelchair was there for him when we got there. Very helpful staff,and very well read on the history of the area. We enjoyed our time...