If there is one thing to be said for Midwest living, it’s that we produce some of the best farmer’s markets. Luckily enough, that season is back among us.

Rolling into it’s 2nd week of the season starting tomorrow, May 11th, is the start of the season for the downtown farmer’s market. Considered one of the largest markets in Iowa with nearly 200 vendors from 47 Iowa Counties, you can find Iowa raised pork, beef, poultry, lamb eggs, fish, as well as baked goods, cheese, preserves, and flowers. But the market isn’t just about what you can buy there. It’s about going for the experience. Absorbing all the sights, and more importantly, the smells you can only get from fresh food. Or you can walk around and simply get inspiration for dinner.

The Des Moines Downtown markets runs Saturday mornings from 7am – noon, downtown in the Court Avenue district. Visit the Des Moines Farmer’s Market website for more information.

If Saturdays don’t work for you, then maybe Thursdays over in Valley Junction might. Open 4pm-8pm on Thursdays, the Valley Junction Farmer’s Market isn’t quite as large as the downtown one.  But with over 100 vendors featuring fresh produce, baked goods, plants and flowers, arts and crafts and prepared foods it’s not small either.

And by no means are those the only two farmer’s markets in Des Moines.  A lot of the surrounding suburbs host their own farmer’s markets as well.  Just one more great thing about living in Iowa!

Easter is just around the corner.  For many this involves dying eggs, visits to the Easter Bunny, Easter brunch, and definitely eating too much  candy.  Of course one of the other things to look forward to, is taking the kids out Easter egg hunting.  Fortunately Des Moines takes this tradition pretty seriously with nearly all the suburbs as well as Des Moines proper hosting events.  KCCI put together a list of all the hot spots happening this Saturday.  The full article can be found here.  Or just scroll down for the times and locations.

CLIVE

Clive Firefighter’s Association Easter Egg Hunt,

9 a.m., Linnan Park, 8500 Alice Ave.

DES MOINES

The Gateway Church’s hunt for downtown residents and businesses, 9 a.m., Western Gateway Park, 13th Street and Grand Avenue.

Parks Area Easter Egg Hunt, 8:30 a.m. visit by the Easter Bunny, hunt begins at 9 a.m., McHenry Park, Ninth Street and Oak Park Avenue. Sponsored by Oak Park Neighborhood Association, Highland Park Community Action Association and Parks Area Foundation.

Beaverdale Neighborhood Association Easter Egg Hunt, 10 a.m., Beaverdale Park, 3333 Adams Ave.

Community Easter Egg Hunt, 10 a.m., Fort Des Moines Church of the Open Bible, 1116 Army Post Road.

Easter Fest, 10 a.m., Grandview Park, 2410 E. 33rd St.

Eggstravaganza, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Blank Park Zoo, 7401 S.W. Ninth St.

Waveland Park Neighborhood Association Egg Hunt, 10 a.m., Hubbell Elementary School, 800 42nd St.

Easter Egg Hunt, 1 p.m., McCombs Middle School, 201 County Line Road.

URBANDALE

Urbandale community event, 10 a.m., Walker Johnston Shelter House, 9000 Douglas Ave.

JOHNSTON

Easter Egg Hunt, 10 a.m., Johnston Evangelical Free Church, 9901 N.W. 62nd Ave.

POLK CITY

Kiwanis, 10 a.m., West Elementary School, 1400 W. Broadway St.

ELKHART

Elkhart Volunteer Fire Association’s annual Easter Hunt, 2 p.m., Elkhart City Park.

WAUKEE

Waukee Parks and Recreation Department, 10 a.m., Centennial Park, 1255 Warrior Lane.

WEST DES MOINES

West Des Moines Firefighters Association, 10:30 a.m., Des Moines Area Community College West Campus, 5959 Grand Ave.

Easter Extravaganza, 10 a.m., Willow Creek Baptist Church, 720 Army Post Road.

One of the things that can be stressful when moving to a new city is the interruption of your daily routine.  This is especially true when moving to a larger city.  Your whole routine can get thrown out of whack when all of a sudden your 15 minute drive to work turns into 30, or your drive to the gym is 15 minutes instead of 5.  It may not sound like much, but it adds up.  What this leads to is the mindset that you are losing out on certain things because there just seems to be less time in the day now.  One of the things that gets lost though, is the realization of living in a bigger city, and the niche markets that brings.

Living in Des Moines affords us the opportunity to indulge our interests and take advantage of some of these niche markets.  Just last week a new outside the box entertainment spot popped up in Grimes called Skyzone.  If you’re a bit lost as to what that place is but think the name sounds like it should be awesome, you’re not alone.  Well if you think an indoor wall to wall trampoline park sounds awesome then your right.  While you can just bounce around and have some fun getting some exercise in, there are a couple other things you can check out including a giant foam pit you can jump into, a basketball court, and dodgeball… on trampolines.  All in all it sounds like a fun little escape to get out there an try something new and fun.

While winter seems to be nearly over, you can never be too sure.  If the golf bug has caught you already then the indoor driving range at  the Longview Golf Centre dome  might be just the thing for you.  Voted as one of the top 10 domes in America in 2006,2008, and 2010, there is plenty of room to go out and get some practice in.  Featuring both an indoor and outdoor driving range and mini-golf course, there’s lots of opportunity to get out and practice your game no matter what the weather is like outside.

If golf isn’t your thing and you’re the more physical type, just down the road is Climb Iowa, an indoor rock climbing facility.  with over 10,000 square feet of top rope, bouldering and lead climbing, it’s the largest rock climbing facility in Iowa.  It’s a great way to get in some physical exercise as well as feeling the thrill of climbing high above the ground, while still being safe by being harnessed in.

What it all boils down to is you need to find the things that make your city great.  Whether that be having the small town appeal of knowing all your neighbors, or the large city draw of having things near you to do.  It all comes down to personal preference.