Is Adventureland in Des Moines Iowa Really a Land of Adventure?

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been to Adventureland Park, located in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona, Iowa.  The last time I was there, I remember that my entire family had a great time, even though the kids were too young to go on most of the rides.  A good friend of mine went to Adventureland last week, and someone from our office was there over the 4th of July holiday…so I decided it was time to see what the Iowa vacation hotspot had to offer these days.

I began my research by heading over to Yahoo to do a search for Adventureland.  The number one result was adventureland.us…which might be the first time I’ve ever seen a .us domain in the top position for any search I’ve ever done (exciting to see this happening, as .com domains are never easy to find).  Anyway, this was not what I was looking for, although it is a theme park on Long Island.  The second search result was the one I was looking for (adventureland, IA), although I didn’t know the address would be adventureland-usa.com.  (The 3rd result was Adventureland theme park in Alabama)  So, what do you get when you go directly to Adventureland.com?  Well, it’s what we call a “parked page”.  My first thought was…I wonder if all or some of the adventureland’s have contacted the owner of this domain.  If not, let’s get this done locally!

BTW…Google’s results for the same search did bring up the local theme park in the top spot…congrats to everyone!  Anyway, back to the good stuff.   According to the website, 2007 ticket prices are $25-$29, depending on age, which children under 3 at no charge.  There are over 100 rides, shows and attractions.  The Adventureland Inn is close by and includes free trolley service to the park.  There is an Adventureland Campground with hookups, showers, etc.

So, this sounds like a fun place to spend a day with the family, but is it an Adventure Land?  Well, according to the people I asked…the answer was yes.  Lots to do for everyone, great roller coasters, fun rides for the kids, and much more.  So, are there coupons, discounts, more affordable tickets or group rates?  Well, I found some information on the site, including season pass rates and discounts for coming back a second day….and even specials for special needs (such as being pregnant or having a cast).  You can even buy a couple of ticket types via the website.

So, have you been to Adventureland in Des Moines this year.  If so, tell us about your trip!

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