And it produces one-fifth of the corn grown in the United States and about a fourth of the country’s hogs raised for market. It enters the national consciousness every four years, during the Iowa caucuses when the state’s notoriously independent voters play their part, early in the nomination process, in selecting presidential candidates — or definitively knocking candidates out of the running. Movies occasionally do the trick, too. Remember “The Bridges of Madison County”? The story, all fiction, was set among real covered bridges, one of the more appealing physical features of a rural scene, whether in Iowa or elsewhere. There’s something about this heartland state that inspires an affection for something we’ve lost.

People from hectic urban areas can come to the Hawkeye State for quiet, relaxation and a reminder that there is another way to live. They enjoy outdoor recreation such as canoe trips on the rivers or water sports at the lake resorts in the northern part of the state. They also come for terrain that seems made for two-wheeled transport, whether the motorcycle or the manually powered bike. The annual RAGBRAI, a weeklong bike ride lengthwise across the state, becomes a traveling county fair for the communities that play host to its riders.

The state was settled by a number of northern European groups, which becomes apparent in some smaller communities with traditional festivals that harken to an Old Country that most have never seen. The best-known ethnic settlement is called the Amana Colonies, seven villages founded by German immigrants in the 19th century in an attempt at communal, utopian living. Iowa exports its young in significant numbers and those emigrants, returning to be with family, are a big portion of those who visit. Interstate 80 crosses the state, and drivers of necessity stop by. But Iowa is not a place for nightlife or much beach life; it’s for real life, to quote an ex-Iowan. Visitors come year round, too, but Iowa winters can be harsh.

Join the weeklong Great River Rumble, which involves canoeing or kayaking, usually on the Mississippi River. The itinerary varies each year.

Enter any of a number of motocross races held in the state each year.

Participate in RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), the weeklong summertime ride across the state.

Jump on a dirt bike or ATV and test your options in any of several designated parks for off-road action. See www.iowaohv.com/parks.htm for information on the parks and their rules.

Enter the fray at one of the two paintball fields at Seven Oaks Recreation in Boone. The facility also offers camping, canoeing, mountain biking plus skiing and snowboarding.

Apply to participate in the Trans Iowa mountain bike run, which covers at least 300 miles in about 35 hours. One hundred riders are selected in a lottery drawing from among those who apply. Or, go for the less-strenuous (24 hours) Seven Oaks Mountain Bike Race.

Gather with other motorcycle enthusiasts at the Fort Madison Rodeo Park for the annual Big River Rally, in mid-June.

Drop in on the annual (August) National Hobo Convention in Britt characterized by markets, mulligan stew and lots of storytelling. You don’t have to be a hobo to attend. (Did you know Supreme Court Justice William Douglas and actor Burl Ives rode the rails for a time in their lives?)

Book a seat at one of two traditional dinners offered at Living History Farms west of Des Moines. The meals are served in an 1875 Victorian home or a 1900 farmhouse.

Shop in the historic Amana Colonies, founded 150 years ago and now a National Historic Landmark. In the nearly 60 specialty stores in the villages, you’ll find antiques, handcrafted furniture, quilts, woolens and examples of the foods — baked goods, cheeses, jams, meats — for which the Amanas are known. Then, drop in at the Millstream Brewing Co., Iowa’s oldest microbrewery. Time your visit well and you can take in an old German tradition, the Amanas’ Oktoberfest.

Go canoeing on the spring-fed Upper Iowa River. Or, paddle Story County’s Upper Skunk River Canoe Trail.

Plan a bike trip using www.traveliowa.com/biking.html for maps. There are 42 trails to choose from.

Go bald eagle watching, a big deal each January in Iowa. Sites include Clinton, Dubuque, Guttenberg, Keokuk, Marquette, Pella and the Quad Cities (Bettendorf and Davenport on the Iowa side of the Mississippi; Moline and Rock Island on the Illinois side).

Ski at Sundown Mountain Ski and Snowboard Resort at Dubuque. The site claims the state’s steepest vertical drop, 475 feet. Ski at night, too.

Find jazz in Iowa at the summertime Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival in Davenport.

Hike in northeastern Iowa, the hilliest part, and do this in the autumn when the fall foliage is at its brightest.

Attend the Meskwaki Pow Wow in Tama.

Have dinner on the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad on a 22-mile roundtrip out of Boone, getting a taste of old-time rail travel.

Attend the Davis County Civil War Days and Living History Encampment at Bloomfield. The autumn event remembers an 1864 guerrilla border raid in Davis County by Confederates.

Attend the autumn Covered Bridges Festival in Madison County, just when fall colors are out. Drop in at John Wayne’s Winterset birthplace, too.

Spend a day or more at the fabled Iowa State Fair.

Tour the Wells’ Dairy in Le Mars to see Blue Bunny ice cream in the making, then have a nice helping of the “udderly delightful” product at an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. The dairy makes more ice cream yearly than any other single plant in the world.

Have dinner, or gamble, or both, on a riverboat on the state’s western border (Missouri River) or eastern border (the Mississippi).

Play golf on any of the more than 290 courses across the state.

Have dinner in the Amana Colonies, noted for their hearty German and American meals served family style as in the days of the colonies’ communal kitchens.

Attend rodeo in Sidney or Fort Madison.

For the odd and impressive, see Gladbrook's Matchstick Marvels museum, which houses works by Iowa artist Patrick Acton who converts millions of matchsticks into scaled models of real buildings and other objects.

See something of the state’s Dutch heritage at tulip festivals in Orange City and Pella.

For more information, consult the Iowa Tourism Office at www.traveliowa.com

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