Kohlsdorf: On this episode of "Road Trip Iowa..." [ Whistle blows ] It's an important piece of history for our community.

Kohlsdorf: We explore the southern stretch of Iowa's Jefferson Highway.

This is one of the perks of the job, for sure.

[ Laughs ] This span of countryside offers unique attractions with soaring and shining views of our state, from Lamoni to Des Moines.

Next on "Road Trip Iowa."

Woman: Kwik Star is proud to be a part of Iowa communities across the state.

Family owned for over 50 years, we're dedicated to treating our guests, employees, and communities as we would like to be treated.

Man: Musco Lighting is an Iowa company that travels across the U.S. and to more than 125 countries to light community recreation fields, stadiums, airports, monuments, and more.

While our reach is global, we're committed to our local communities.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Pine to palm.

The Jefferson Highway Heritage Byway extends from Manitoba, Canada, all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico in New Orleans.

In southern Iowa, it passes through the rolling hills of Decatur, Clark, Warren, and Polk counties, leading right through the capital city of Des Moines.

Let's take a look at today's itinerary.

We'll visit a train depot at the crossroads of the nation, float over the cornfields of central Iowa in hot-air balloons, tour the only five-domed state capitol in America, and visit one of the biggest and best farmers markets in the country.

We begin on the southern border of the state in Lamoni for a distinctive shopping experience at the Amish country store.

♪♪ North of the state line, a unique shop welcomes visitors with the promise of homemade pie and handcrafted goods.

The barn-style exterior and buggy parking create an idyllic roadside stop along the Jefferson Highway.

♪♪ We try to make it as unique as we can and find as many local handcrafted items as we can.

And that may be within the Amish community, but also just our own local artists here in town.

We have a lot of bakery items, cinnamon rolls.

We also have furniture.

We have bedroom sets, beautiful handcrafted tables.

We have toys, home decor.

We also have some Amish candy, some pies.

Kohlsdorf: Owned and operated by siblings Jeremy Sellars and Jennifer Warrington, the Amish Country Store was opened in 2009 by their mother.

The merchandise filling their shelves is made available thanks to the relationships their family has created with Amish craftsmen and -women in the region.

It's a shopping experience that blends old-world charm with today's trends.

We have people who supply us with our barn quilts and we also get the handmade quilts.

We have baskets and even handmade dolls.

Sellars: We write letters back and forth because some of our Amish are pretty far away.

Some are 2 or 3 hours away.

It's easier if I go pick them up versus them trying to get up here.

Kohlsdorf: The store's connection to Iowa's roots extends to the diner counter, which dishes out nostalgia in the form of Maid-Rites.

A lot of people have a real historic tie to Maid-Rite, whether it was their parents that introduced them to Maid-Rite, or maybe when they were a young child.

There's a lot of memories tied to Maid-Rite.

Tourists with a taste for tradition revel in the chance to take a bite out of this Midwestern staple.

We get a lot of people that haven't had a Maid-Rite maybe 10 to 15 years...

Thank you.

...that have moved outside of Iowa.

And so when they come back, they see that, and they get actually very excited about it.

The Amish Country Store is an authentically Iowan oasis, welcoming travelers to the heartland with a place to shop, eat, and take a break from the road.

You can see things you don't typically see at a regular department store.

I think it's the artistry we have inside.

It's the nice, homey feeling you get when you come in here.

We have people that are regulars from Texas and Minnesota.

I don't know.

I don't know if there's a sense of family here, if they can feel the sense of family when they walk in the door, but they walk in the door and they smell cinnamon rolls baking, then they might see the Amish bring in their baskets, and you just don't see that everywhere.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Whistle blowing ] We are standing in front of the city historic passenger depot, which currently serves as Amtrak's busiest depot in the state of Iowa.

Kohlsdorf: The Osceola Depot, built in 1907 by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, takes visitors on a ride back in time.

It's an important piece of history for our community.

Osceola was founded in 1851, and it was founded as a railway stop.

Kohlsdorf: Restoration of the train station was completed in 2016.

Kedley: This building is almost 90% to 95% historically intact and accurate.

Wheeler: The building we wanted to preserve, but what we wanted to do so in a way that allowed the building to continue to tell its story.

[ Train whistle blows ] Kohlsdorf: Today, the station connects travelers from coast to coast.

Passengers climbing aboard Amtrak's California Zephyr head west to San Francisco or east to Chicago and beyond.

As it arrives in Osceola, the rail line intersects the national north-to-south Jefferson Highway, making the rural Iowa town an unexpected crossroad in the center of the country.

It's just an amazing thing to have the Jefferson Highway going from pines to palms, and the California Zephyr going from California to Washington, D.C.

The nostalgia of having a beautiful two-way highway and a beautiful railroad coming through your community?

I feel we're very lucky to have that.

Every summer, hot-air balloons dot the skies above Indianola, as pilots compete to be named champion of the National Balloon Classic.

After the balloons are packed up, the National Balloon Museum remains, telling the story of Iowa's ballooning history.

♪♪ ♪♪ For nine days each year, the spirit of adventure takes flight over the fields of Warren County.

Drawing balloon enthusiasts and pilots from across the United States for more than 50 years, the National Balloon Classic isn't just a festival.

It's a contest celebrating skill, precision, and a whole lot of hot air.

In the first few years, some of these pilots didn't have a clue what soybeans or hay or anything looked like.

They were landing in not good places.

The next year, they had to have signs saying, "Hey, do not land -- corn.

Do not land."

We're a lot better now.

Kohlsdorf: The balloons rise with the sun for competition flights each morning.

Pilots skillfully navigate over targets on the ground, dropping weighted bags and earning points for accuracy.

In the evening, the skies are transformed into a kaleidoscope of color as hot-air balloons gracefully ascend over the gathered crowd.

♪♪ While the classic celebrates the spirit of hot-air ballooning each summer, the rich history and culture of the sport is honored year-round at the National Balloon Museum.

The museum stands as a tribute to the pioneers and enthusiasts who have elevated ballooning to new heights.

Inside, the exhibits chronicle the evolution of balloon flight.

Wigeland: We got pictures here of special shapes.

We got smoke balloons.

We have women and ballooning.

We have a children's section.

We have a theater.

We have a basket you can stand in, and we'll take your picture.

Kohlsdorf: Wander through the museum and encountered the iconic baskets and balloons that have graced the skies over the years, each telling a story of courage and adventure.

♪♪ The Balloon Museum is a must-visit destination for anyone captivated by the allure of the skies.

♪♪ Outside the hustle and bustle of Des Moines sits a serene retreat from the city -- Banner Lakes at Summerset State Park.

Established in 2004, Summerset is a relatively new addition to Iowa's parks system.

Mountain biking and hiking trails wind past the water's edge and through the park.

♪♪ ♪♪ A coal-mining operation in the 1930s resulted in the formation of the park's Banner Lakes.

♪♪ Today, these pools provide a natural backdrop for visitors to use and enjoy.

♪♪ There is much to explore in this wilderness just beyond the city's reach.

♪♪ The Jefferson Highway runs straight into Iowa's biggest city, Des Moines.

Pull over at the golden dome for a tour of one of the grandest capitol buildings in the country.

My name is Joanie.

If you have questions, please ask.

There is no such thing as a silly question.

I want you to remember that this is your building.

You own it.

It belongs to you, belongs to me, belongs to your teachers, parents.

Everyone that lives in Iowa.

We own this building.

And you know what?

You have an unbelievable capitol.

♪♪ ♪♪ Some people want to see a lot of art.

Some people want to know how the government works.

Some people are wanting to enjoy different views of the capitol.

One of those views would be the ones way up high by the tall windows up there, what we call the whispering gallery, where you get to look back down into the capitol instead of always just looking up.

The people generally tend to just be awestruck by not only the art and so forth of the building, but just by the dimensions of the building.

It's huge.

It's more than a football field long and more than a softball field wide.

It just amazes people how beautiful our capitol is here in Iowa.

Joanie: Look straight up into the dome.

Did you look at the dome when you came in from the outside?

Yeah, you probably drive by it.

You probably see the dome of the capitol all the time.

The dome that you see from the outside is 275 feet tall.

Olson: On the exterior, we are the only state capitol, we're the only one with five domes.

Nobody else has five domes.

And we're also in another group of capitols with gold domes.

We are one of ten state capitols that has a gold dome.

The gold is very thin, 1/250,000 of an inch in thickness.

A sheet of paper is a thousand times thicker than the gold that we put on the gold dome.

Joanie: The gold on the outside is real gold.

It's 23 3/4-karat gold, so it's almost pure.

If you took all the gold off the outside of our dome and rolled it into a ball, you could hold it in your hand.

It would be about the size of a baseball, a little bit smaller.

♪♪ Our library is right here over the west end of the capitol.

Our law library has nothing but law books.

There are about 100,000 books there.

There are five separate levels of books.

And the levels are lined by these beautiful iron railings.

We're going to go upstairs and look in the House and the Senate.

Very, very different building when the representatives and senators are here working.

It's very crowded and very, very noisy.

This room is the biggest room in the building.

As you look around the Senate, you're going to see some of those same things that we talked about in the House of Representatives.

Our Constitution says they have to begin their work here the second Monday of January, but our Constitution does not say when they have to finish.

So, they finish whenever they feel their work is done.

Usually it's about the end of April or early part of May.

If you would come to the capitol building during those winter months, you would be able to come in here and listen to them while they work.

I just have to compliment you on what a great job you did today.

You were such good listeners.

I wish you would have asked more questions, but that's okay.

Olson: We tend to call the capitol the people's house.

It's also a place where we allow people to learn a lot more about Iowa history, and find that they do have a beautiful capitol, and that it is being well taken care of.

It's Saturday morning in Des Moines, which means it's time for the Downtown Farmers Market.

Known nationally as one of the best farmers markets in the country, an average of 25,000 people attend each Saturday from May to October.

Let's take a stroll.

With 300 vendors stretched across 9 city blocks, this corner of the city comes alive as farmers, chefs, and artists set up their stands and the first shoppers of the day start to arrive.

How often do you come to the farmers market?

I come almost every Saturday because I live downtown, and I live two blocks from the market.

So it's just great.

It's a ritual.

I come with my friend and we always see a lot of friends when we're here.

It's very social.

What do you get?

What's on your checklist?

Well, vegetables.

And then usually something sweet treat for breakfast.

Got to.

Yes.

Getting its start in 1976, the Des Moines Farmers Market has become one of the oldest and largest markets in the Midwest.

Every item for purchase from each colorful booth is handcrafted and handmade by the seller.

The market has everything you'd expect -- a wealth of fresh food and baked goods.

And then there are the vendors with products that might surprise you.

Tell us about the Sweatshop.

I'm kind of scared to know what this is all about.

No problem.

Totally understand.

We own the Sweatshop Pepper Farm, my wife and I.

We've grown customized peppers.

We call them hybrids.

We created an experience that you're allowed to be in charge of how hot or not you want your salsa, or, let's say, your chips.

Can I try this out?

Yeah, absolutely.

So, what we have is this is a salsa chip, and it comes with a baseline seasoning.

So, this is the actual heat portion.

This is the pepper blend that comes with the kit.

Okay.

So go ahead and just eat the whole thing?

I'm a little scared but... Don't be.

You're going to get that beautiful salsa flavor first.

And that pepper is going to graduate right in behind it.

So, it's going to chase it, as we say.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

I'm starting to feel the heat now.

Ah!

Good.

Really good flavor.

And not too much heat.

This was the perfect amount.

Oh, perfect.

Okay.

Thank you.

You did me right.

Kohlsdorf: The long tables brimming with cinnamon rolls, cookies, and pies are hard to miss at the Mast Family Farm booth.

We are here with Albert Mast, and he makes all the good stuff at the farmers market.

You've got pies and other goodies.

Tell us about your business.

We make cinnamon rolls with raisins, without raisins, black-raspberry rolls, blueberry rolls, red-raspberry rolls.

Then pies, we make apple, cherry, peach, blueberry-rhubarb, strawberry-rhubarb.

Why do people say your pies are the best?

I believe it's probably because of the lard that's in the crust that makes them old-fashioned, and it gives them a nice crunch.

And they're also very full.

I don't know if you look around at much pies, but a lot of times they're more sunken or they're more flat with the pan.

And then we kind of pile our fruit in so they're nice and full of fruit.

Kohlsdorf: A few steps down the street, another stand is ready to catch the eye of customers, this one abundant with produce.

Is this one of your favorite stops here?

This is one of my very favorite stops.

Yes, we've been following these farmers for quite a while.

The vegetables are always fantastic.

Well, so this is our farm Tell us what this is.

my wife and I have.

It's Grade A Gardens.

We are in Earlham, Iowa.

We have eight acres in vegetables, all organic.

We do the Downtown Farmers Market, and then we do a CSA, like a weekly box of produce.

By mid-morning, downtown Des Moines is packed with people exploring what each vendor has to offer.

Tell me about the farmers market.

Do you two like to come?

We came today because we saw that there was a vendor that makes the permanent bracelets, so we were interested in that.

Why do you bring the dogs?

To get them out and the dogs, for them, it's like a little red carpet.

Everybody loves to see them.

They love it.

They like to feel famous.

So you're helping.

Look.

Super red carpet.

Tell me where you're from and what do you think so far?

We're from Richmond, Virginia.

And this is a massive, farmers market.

And it's just lovely.

It really is.

We are impressed.

Yeah.

Iowa does it big.

No trip to the market is complete without breakfast.

This chef has been feeding hungry customers every Saturday for five years.

Edgar, what are you making right now for the customers?

I'm making arepas.

Arepa is a corn patty.

And you open it in the middle.

You can put pork or chicken or whatever you want.

Yeah.

And then you put a little cheese.

Yeah, the cheese is queso fresco that I grate myself.

Or a small Gouda.

What's the sauce?

It's our avocado sauce, Venezuelan-style, that we put on top of it.

Okay.

Oh, this looks so good.

This is delicious.

I really want you to give it a try.

Okay.

Can I?

I don't know.

Okay.

This is one of the perks of the job for sure.

[ Laughs ] Mm!

In this they shall have everything from Iowa.

Like they like good pork, good cheese, corn.

And I love that you can smell the smoked Gouda.

And the meat is so tender.

And then the bread is kind of crusty.

So it like all works together.

This is really good, Edgar.

Thank you very much.

What makes your stand unique?

It's a cultural legacy.

There's some friends of mine asking me why I'm doing this instead of having another job and just not having all this effort to bring all this to the farmers market.

And I said, "You know what?

It's all about the legacy.

It's all about bringing what I am and where I come from to Iowa.

With vendors and visitors from across the state, the Downtown Farmers Market serves as a lively expression of Iowa's bounty all summer long.

♪♪ ♪♪ In the center of downtown Des Moines, tucked among office buildings and restaurants, sits a larger-than-life collection of artwork unlike any other in Iowa.

The John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park is a 4 1/2-acre park located in downtown Des Moines.

It is filled with world-class contemporary art.

Kohlsdorf: In the early 2000s, Des Moines residents John and Mary Pappajohn had an idea that would forever change the city's identity.

Known for their philanthropy, the Pappajohns saw a mutual opportunity in the city's revitalization of the downtown Western Gateway neighborhood and their collection of contemporary art.

They were driving through downtown Des Moines.

They saw this newly opened green space, and they thought, "Hmm, maybe we have an idea here."

They then called our former director, Jeff Fleming, and said, "I have an idea for you."

And they wanted to give a gift to the Des Moines Art Center and also to the city.

And they realized that they didn't want to just put sculptures onto this flat, green space.

So, they called in some landscape architects, and they created a beautiful outdoor museum.

There are these berms that are put up in the park to create these galleries.

And then the artwork was situated in these gallery spaces so the artworks would have conversations with one another, just as they do in a museum setting.

Kohlsdorf: With 16 sculptures from the Pappajohns' personal collection, plus nine additional works, the park opened to the public in 2009.

The open-air gallery has become a part of Des Moines' image, often appearing in photographs and works of art depicting the city.

The lush landscaping and thought-provoking sculptures draw the community into the park, creating a gathering space for festivals and celebrations.

Having art in proximity to people is super valuable to the building of a community fabric that is inquisitive, that is wanting to engage with the issues of our time, and it's surprising to see artwork outside.

The Jefferson Highway Heritage Byway offers a full variety of Iowa culture to explore, from farm fields to the capital city.

We tried an Iowa delicacy, the Maid-Rite, at the Amish country store in Lamoni...

Thank you.

Watched hot-air balloons fill the sky in Indianola...

Visited a small but mighty state park south of Des Moines... and gazed up at the art in the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

From Amish country to the largest metro in the Hawkeye State, the Jefferson Highway covers it all.

For more on the history, culture, and landscapes along Iowa's scenic byways, join us next time on "Road Trip Iowa."

♪♪ Okay, now, eating on television is not pretty, but I'm just gonna take a big, old bite.

♪♪ Woman: Kwik Star is proud to be a part of Iowa communities across the state.

Family owned for over 50 years, we're dedicated to treating our guests, employees, and communities as we would like to be treated.

Man: Musco Lighting is an Iowa company that travels across the U.S. and to more than 125 countries to light community recreation fields, stadiums, airports, monuments, and more.

While our reach is global, we're committed to our local communities.