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Food & drink · 9 guides

What Should We Eat Tonight? →Can't decide? Pick a craving and a vibe and let it choose a real Ankeny restaurant for you. A Night Out in Ankeny →Build the evening stage by stage: a drink to start, dinner, dessert, and something fun after, plus ready-made date-night and out-of-town-guest plans. Best Restaurants in Ankeny →The highest-rated spots by review score, plus picks by cuisine and the best patios. Best Coffee in Ankeny →The drive-thru lineup and the local cafes worth a slow morning. Breweries & Bars →Taprooms, patios, and happy hours around town. Best Breakfast & Brunch →The local cafes and brunch spots worth the trip. Best Pizza →Local favorites by style: NY, Chicago, and Iowa taco pizza. Mexican Restaurants →Family kitchens, birria tacos, cantinas, and the food trucks worth chasing. Ice Cream & Dessert →The local scoop shops, custard, and the metro classics worth the drive.

Things to do & entertainment · 13 guides

Iowa State Fair 2026: Complete Guide →Aug 13-23. Tickets, discount days, what to see and do, free entertainment, the Grandstand lineup, food, rides and getting there. Iowa State Fair Parking & Shuttles →Every lot and price, the new free park-and-ride, DART fares, and which one to use from Ankeny. Where to Eat Near the Iowa State Fair →Fair-food classics on the grounds, the closest sit-down spots on E Grand, and Des Moines institutions worth the drive. Ankeny Daily Trivia →A new local trivia question every day. Keep your streak, test how well you really know Ankeny. Things to Do in Ankeny →Trails, breweries, family outings, and the complete local rundown. The Ankeny Activity Finder →Can't decide? Filter 40+ local ideas by mood (free, kids, indoor, date night), or let it pick for you. Free Finders & Tools →All the Brief's interactive tools in one place: the Activity, Fish, Trail, and Campground Finders, plus Daily Trivia. What's On This Week →Ankeny's weekly rhythm, night by night: trivia, live music, bingo, run club, the Saturday market, and where each one happens. Ankeny Events Calendar →SummerFest, the farmers market, Beats & Eats, and the annual traditions, by season. Prairie Trail & The District →The town square: where to eat and play, the movie theater and bowling, and how it was built. Ankeny High School Sports →Hawks & Jaguars: 2026 schedules, the crosstown rivalry, recent results, and where to find scores and tickets, all sports. Ankeny High School Football →The Hawks, the Jaguars, the cross-town rivalry, and where to find this week's schedule and tickets. Sports Complexes & Youth Sports →The Prairie Ridge fields, the Prairie Trail FieldHouse, and where the tournaments happen. Movie Theater & Bowling →B&B Ankeny 12: movies, bowling, arcade, and a kids' play area. Live Music →Beats & Eats, SummerFest, and the taprooms with bands. Hotels in Ankeny →Where to stay, and which hotel fits your trip. Day Trips from Des Moines →Weekend getaways and easy drives within a couple hours.

Parks, trails & the outdoors · 19 guides

Ankeny Outdoors →Trails, Saylorville Lake, parks, and hunting seasons. Trails & Bike Paths →Where the High Trestle, Gay Lea Wilson, and Neal Smith trails meet. High Trestle Trail →The famous glowing bridge: when the lights are on, where to park, and how to ride it from Ankeny. Neal Smith Trail →The 26-mile paved ride from Des Moines along Saylorville to Big Creek, and how it links to Ankeny. Saylorville Lake →Beaches, the marina, boat ramps, campgrounds, and the trail, minutes northwest of town. Saylorville & River Levels →Live river flow below the dam, how much the Corps is releasing, and the official flood-forecast gauges. Big Creek State Park →One of Iowa's biggest beaches, a calm no-wake lake, and boat rentals just north of Ankeny. Jester Park →Free bison and elk, a nature center, an equestrian center, golf, cabins, and trails. Fishing in Ankeny →Ankeny Lake at DMACC, the park ponds, and license rules. The Ankeny Fish Finder →Every pond & lake within 30 min, filtered by fish, with real DNR survey sizes. The Ankeny Trail Finder →Every bike & hiking trail within 30 min, filtered by paved vs. natural, dogs, loops & views. The Ankeny Campground Finder →Every campground within ~45 min: full hookups to rustic/primitive, filtered by what you need. The Ankeny Dog Park →7.5 fenced acres with a pond, permit cost and rules. Pets in Ankeny: Vets & More →The vet clinics in town, emergency care, grooming and boarding, dog parks, and where to adopt. Disc Golf →The 21-hole Heritage Park course and a free 9-holer at DMACC. Pickleball →12 lighted courts at the Rally Complex, plus Greentree Park. Golf Courses →Otter Creek, the city's public course, and the country club. Parks & Playgrounds →The 40+ parks, the splash-pad parks, and the skate park. Pools & Splash Pads →Prairie Ridge, Cascade Falls, hours, and the free morning window. Uptown Farmers Market →Saturday mornings at the AMP: day, time, and season. Camping Near Ankeny →The Saylorville campgrounds and cabins, and why Big Creek is day-use.

Schools, kids & seasonal · 10 guides

Ankeny Schools →The district, school boundaries, and open enrollment. Back to School 2026 →First day, registration, supply lists, tax-free weekend, hours, and shots. School Calendar 2026-27 →Every no-school day, teacher day, and break from the official district calendar, month by month, with a printable PDF. School Lunch & Meal Accounts →SchoolCafe, meal prices, free & reduced meals, and the F.U.E.L. fund that keeps every kid fed. Daycare & Preschool →What child care costs, the district preschool, waitlists, and how to find and vet a licensed provider. Things to Do With Kids →Indoor and outdoor family picks, sorted by weather. Trick-or-Treat & Holiday Lights →Halloween times and the end of Beggars' Night, the joke-for-candy tradition, and where to see Christmas lights. Halloween in Ankeny 2026 →Trick-or-treat hours, the Uptown trunk-or-treat, Fright Lights, decorated houses and the haunted houses worth the drive. Christmas Lights Near Ankeny →Gingerbread Lane, the Jolly Holiday Lights drive-through, Reiman Gardens, and the best neighborhood displays. Pumpkin Patches & Apple Orchards →Center Grove, Iowa Orchard, Howell's and more: the fall patches near Ankeny, with drive times and what each offers. Winter in Ankeny →The ice rink, sledding, and warm indoor options.

Moving & living here · 10 guides

Moving to Ankeny →Population, home prices, schools, commute, and what it's really like. Ankeny Neighborhoods →Prairie Trail, Uptown, and the four quadrants, with real median home prices. Cost of Living in Ankeny →What it actually costs: homes, rent, income, and the lowest metro tax levy. Is Ankeny a Good Place to Live? →Rankings, safety, schools, cost: the honest local answer. Jobs & Largest Employers →Casey's HQ, John Deere, DMACC, and who else employs the town. Apartments & Rent →What a one or two bedroom costs, where the apartments are, and what to budget beyond rent. Senior Living →Independent living, assisted living, and memory care, what they cost, and how to choose. Ankeny to Des Moines Commute →The distance, the I-35 drive time, rush-hour reality, and getting around. Public Transit & DART →DART On Demand, what happened to the Ankeny Express bus, and car-free options. Housing Market Dashboard →Home sales, median prices, and trends, from Polk County Assessor records.

City services & everyday · 11 guides

Setting Up Utilities →Power, water, trash, and internet: who to call. Trash & Recycling →Why there's no city pickup, and how to find your day. Is Trash Delayed This Week? →Holiday pickup delays, and how to check your hauler. Is the Water Safe to Drink? →Tap water quality, where it comes from, and why it's hard. The Ankeny Library →Kirkendall Public Library hours, location, and a free card. Urgent Care →The walk-in clinics, and when it's urgent care, the ER, or 911. The Ankeny DMV →Driver's license station hours, and what it doesn't do. Property Taxes & Appeals →How they work and how to protest your assessment. Sales Tax Rate →Why Ankeny is 6% and the only Polk County city with no local option, plus the 2026 vote that passed (7% from Jan 1, 2027). Elected Officials: Who Represents You →The mayor, city council, county supervisor, state legislators, Congress, and school board, with how to reach them and what's on the ballot. Snow Ordinance →Parking rules when it's declared, the sidewalk rule, and how to avoid a ticket or tow. Fireworks Rules →The three days you can legally light them in Ankeny.

Town Hall & civic · 8 guides

Ankeny Voter Guide →Nonpartisan hub: how to vote, the 2026 ballot, who represents you, and the Sept 8 sales-tax result. How to Vote in Ankeny →Register, vote early or by mail, voter ID, and finding your polling place for Nov 3, 2026. What's on Your 2026 Ballot →Every race Nov 3: U.S. Senate, IA-03, governor, statewide, statehouse, and Polk County. Flock Cameras →Ankeny's license-plate readers, the data, and the privacy debate. Speed & Red-Light Cameras →Does Ankeny have them? The short answer and the law. Crime Maps & Public Records →Look up crime, file a report, and request records. New Businesses →What's opening around Ankeny, tracked from city records. Road Work & Construction →Where the orange barrels are and what's being built. Severe Weather & Tornado Sirens →When the sirens sound, the monthly test, how to get Polk County alerts, and where to shelter.

About Ankeny · 3 guides

About Ankeny (Almanac) →The stats, the lay of the land, and how the town works. Ankeny Fast Facts →ZIP codes (50021 & 50023), area code 515, county, and the quick reference numbers. The History of Ankeny →How a rail-stop land deal became a city of 80,000.

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