A Sunflower Farm & the State Fair – Courtlin’s Iowa Weekend [GALLERY]

August is an incredibly busy month when it comes to events and activities. I spent my weekend at a couple of big Iowa events that you should check out before they're over!

Late Friday afternoon, my friend and I decided to visit Pheasant Run Farm out near Belle Plaine for their annual Sunflower Experience. For $7 each, we got to explore the field full of sunflowers and take tons of photos! We even got to cut our own sunflower to take home at the end of the experience. Sunflowers are my absolute favorite flower, so it's surprising that it took me so long to visit! It was 100% worth the drive and the admission price, and it was so big that we were able to find plenty of places to take photos without being interrupted by other groups.

On Sunday, a couple of friends and I drove to Des Moines for the first weekend of the 2024 Iowa State Fair. In my almost ten years in Iowa, I had only been to the Iowa State Fair ONCE, and that was back in 2016, so I was overdue for a visit. We spent five hours exploring the fairgrounds, riding a few rides, playing some carnival games, checking out animals, enjoying adult beverages, and EATING. I ended up trying a few of the new fair foods throughout the day, but my favorite had to be the Garlic Ranch Pickle Pizza! And I got to eat an Elephant Ear, which is a favorite from my childhood in Michigan that I've never found anywhere else in Iowa. I ended up leaving with a full stomach, sore feet, a whole lot of sunburn (oops), a butter cow Christmas ornament, and a few other souvenirs.

Here are a few photos from my busy Iowa weekend!