Iowa State Fairgrounds
National Register Historic District · Des Moines, Iowa
Four hundred and fifty acres on the eastern edge of Des Moines, listed as a historic district on the National Register in 1987 for one of the most complete collections of exposition architecture in the country — brick livestock pavilions, an 1880s-descended grandstand and a hillside of campsites. For eleven days each August it holds the Iowa State Fair, which drew 1,218,834 people in 2026 and is the largest event in the state. For the other fifty-one weeks it is a working showground hosting everything from horse shows to swap meets.
3000 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa, 50317, United States
⚠ TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLACES DEPENDING ON THE WEEK. DURING THE IOWA STATE FAIR — eleven days each August — admission is ticketed at roughly $15-$20 for an adult at the gate, cheaper in advance, with parking charged and controlled and campsites booked far ahead and sold out. Attendance was 1,218,834 in 2026. OUTSIDE THE FAIR the 450-acre grounds are generally open and free to walk when no event is booked, and the brick exposition buildings that earned the 1987 National Register listing can be seen from outside. ⚠ CHECK THE EVENTS CALENDAR BEFORE TRAVELLING — the grounds host horse shows, swap meets and markets year round, and arriving during a booked event can mean a closed gate or an unexpected charge. There is no regular public tour of the historic district.
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