Hugh Calloway

A fried fish dinner does not usually ask for a road trip, but every so often the plate…

By Hugh Calloway · Jul 1

Can a quilt make you stop talking for a second? In Iowa, the answer is yes, and honestly,…

By Hugh Calloway · Jul 1

The road does not make a big announcement before the canyon shows up. That is part of the…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 30

The funny thing about a lake town on the 4th of July is that it never really starts…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 30

The chips arrive first, which is polite of them. They are also usually the first warning that dinner…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 29

The first mistake is grabbing a small plate. That sounds responsible until the buffet line starts making its…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 29

Give an Iowa flea market $40 and an empty trunk, and things can get dangerous in the best…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 28

The smartest 4th of July move in Iowa might be outsourcing the picnic. Not the fun part. Just…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 28

In Iowa, a waterfront table can turn dinner into a tiny vacation, assuming you can actually get one.…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 28

The first clue is the kind of excitement that makes kids walk faster than their parents are emotionally…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 27

The sign looks almost too normal for something that wants 169 steps out of your legs. A converted…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 27

Iowa does not always announce its prettiest views from the highway. Sometimes you have to follow a country…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 26

A good croissant flakes a little. A great one makes your shirt look like evidence. This Des Moines…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 26

Push open the door in this quiet Iowa village, and the present day loosens its grip a little.…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 25

Decorah can make a pizza craving feel very reasonable. You wander downtown, think about grabbing something simple, and…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 24

The best Iowa meals do not always wait near the easiest exit. Sometimes the road gets rural before…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 24

Some sandwiches arrive politely. Others show up looking like they need their own zip code. In Des Moines,…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 23

In Iowa, the best dinner plan sometimes starts with the GPS looking a little confused. Is it ridiculous…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 23

Some Iowa mornings still start the old-fashioned way. The coffee is hot. The grill is already working. A…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 22

Iowa mornings get a lot harder to rush when cinnamon rolls are involved. First comes the bakery smell:…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 22

Some bridges just get you across a river. This one comes with a story big enough to stop…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 21

Morning alarms are easier to forgive when pancakes are involved. In Iowa, breakfast still feels like a proper…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 21

Eastern Iowa can look quiet from the road, right up until the land drops into something sharper. Prairie…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 20

Iowa changes shape in the northeast, and the cornfield postcard suddenly feels like old news. The road drops…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 20

Iowa looks a little different when the trail suddenly drops underground. In this eastern Iowa cave park, the…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 19

Some museums feel quiet in a dusty way. This Iowa stop feels quiet in the “wait, is that…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 19

Iowa summer can feel a long way from palm trees, until the slides start twisting overhead. At this…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 18

A casino buffet always feels a little like a gamble, even before you reach the carving station. Inside…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 18

The lunch rush has a language of its own, and this Des Moines deli speaks it fluently. You…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 17

There is a tiny roadside flex near Valley Springs that beats a whole stack of souvenir magnets. Stand…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 17

Some road trip stops solve a problem. The better ones steal an hour. This southern Iowa store belongs…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 16

A great Iowa burger joint does not need neon hype or a glossy menu. Give it a hot…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 16

Most Iowa road trips come with cornfields, county roads, and maybe a gas-station coffee that tastes like regret.…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 15

A sunflower field can do strange things to an ordinary Iowa drive. One minute, it is all quiet…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 15

Iowa breakfast counters can look simple from the outside, then surprise you the second the plate lands. In…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 14

Summer in Iowa hits different when you realize the whole state is basically a playground waiting to be…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 14

Iowa still has towns where time feels like it took the scenic route and never quite hurried back.…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 13

Fish and chips in Iowa sounds like something you might order with cautious optimism. Then a plate like…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 13

Dinner at an Iowa supper club should not feel like a pit stop. It should feel like the…

By Hugh Calloway · Jun 12