Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Des Moines

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Places in Des Moines

Des Moines’s downtown: 251 places in a five-minute walk

825 places in Des Moines: 102 places to eat and drink, 43 shops, 68 things to do and 13 places to stay. Local spots first, with directions to every one.

All places
825
25 per 1,000 residents
Eat & drink
102
3.1 per 1,000 residents
Shops
43
6 gifts · 3 antiques · 3 books
Things to do
68
26 outdoors · 7 arts · 22 landmarks
Places to stay
13
0.4 per 1,000 residents

What kind of places does Des Moines have?

Read from every listing. The page puts what stands out first.

A real downtown251 places within a five-minute walk of Marine View Dr S.A coffee town16 independent cafés, coffee shops and bakeries, 20 with the sweet shops and chains.A beach town5 beaches and 2 marinas.Seafood country4 seafood restaurants and fish markets.
★ What stands out · The map

Where Des Moines gathers

251 of Des Moines’s 825 places sit within a five-minute walk of Marine View Dr S.

Marine View Dr S
251places in a five-minute walk of Marine View Dr S30% of Des Moines’s places
Eat & drink

102 places to eat & drink

72 restaurants, 20 cafés & treats, 8 bars & breweries. Local spots first.

See all →
See all 20 cafés & treats →
Things to do

68 things to do

26 parks & outdoors, 22 history & landmarks, 13 fitness & sports. Local spots first.

See all →
See all 26 parks & outdoors →
Shops

43 shops

9 home & hardware, 6 gifts & boutiques, 6 clothing. Local spots first.

See all →
See all 9 home & hardware →
Places to stay

13 places to stay

13 hotels & inns. Local spots first.

See all →
See all 13 hotels & inns →
Everyday

479 errands & services

Groceries, gas, the barber, the vet, the bank.

See all →
Health care 87Midway Chiropractic · Bodle Chiropractic · Select Physical Therapy - RedondoHair & beauty 70The Spa Warehouse · Mimi African Braiding and Weaving · St. Johns Barber ShopHome services 59KidsPark · Des Moines Locksmith · Blue Rhino Propane ExchangeAuto & gas 46Murray's CARSTAR Collision · Shell · Cesar's Auto Mechanic and TowingBanks & insurance 45Chase ATM · Bank of America Financial Center · Sav-On InsuranceOffices & pros 43Powell Property Management · ACRES Real Estate · Action Junk HaulingGroceries & convenience 167-Eleven · 7-Eleven · 7-ElevenPets 10Marine View Veterinary Hospital · A Dog's Dream Des Moines · Des Moines Veterinary HospitalOther services 103TL Sea Diving · Des Moines Beach Park Event Center · Marina Club Apartments
Community

120 schools, churches & public places

Where Des Moines learns, worships and gets things done.

See all →
Schools & childcare 43Highline College · Des Moines Elementary · Maritime High SchoolPlaces of worship 36Des Moines Gospel Chapel · Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church · Covenant Life CenterTown & public services 24Woodmont Library · Des Moines Library · United States Postal ServiceCommunity groups 17Des Moines Area Food Bank · Greater Northwest Area of The United Methodist Church · Damascus Homes LLC
Next door

Des Moines and its neighbors

Its neighbors have more places per resident; Kent leads. Tap a town to see its places.

Places per 1,000 residents · all places listed
Kent42Federal Way41Burien38SeaTac32Normandy Park30Des Moines25

Talk & tips

Favorites, openings and closings from Des Moines neighbors.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Is Dee Des Moines Thai Cuisine the best place to eat in Des Moines?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

What’s missing?

Not on the map yet. It may just be missing.

No bakery listed ·
Share a tip

Some place details from Overture Maps (CDLA-Permissive-2.0), checked against the Census town line. Places added by neighbors go live once a second neighbor confirms them. Spot a mistake? Open the place and tap Edit mode.

How we sort and count

Each list puts neighbor favorites first (ratings and photos), then the most complete listings (a website, a phone number, a note), with local, independent spots ahead of national chains. Categories come from each place’s map category, so a café filed under “Shops” still shows up with the cafés. “A five-minute walk” is a quarter mile from the busiest spot on the map. Per-1,000 figures use the Census population.