#11953 Premium
Modern family-friendly home near downtown Ames
House • Ames IA United States
Exchange types accepted
Statistics
Listed January 2022
Views 1692
General overview
**OPEN to all exchange inquiries - sim, non-sim, non-reciprocal (globe)**
Looking for a place to stay while visiting family or attending an event in the area? Or a place for a Midwest-roadtrip weekend getaway? We are open to any requests and flexible on timing, especially on weekends, around holidays, and in the summers when we can accommodate multi-week or even month-long stays.
Ames is a small-town gem (population 66,000; 30,000 during summer when university students are gone), located in central Iowa, a 45-minute drive from Iowa's largest city, Des Moines. With the large university (Iowa State) in town, Ames is fairly diverse, with people from around the world living here, and has a good range of cultural attractions and things to do outdoors. It is often ranked on "top places to live in the US" lists.
Our home is a completely renovated historic 100-year old home in the "Old Town" neighborhood, a leafy and walkable neighborhood near downtown. We try to walk or bike as much as possible during spring/summer/fall. (It is 0.4 mi / 0.64 km to food co-op; 0.7 mi / 1.1 km to downtown Ames where there is a weekly farmers' market and many great local shops and restaurants; 0.7 mi / 1.1 km to public library; 0.5 mi / .80 km to Community Center for fitness classes and performances/festivals; 0.5 mi / .80 km to Brookside Park for picnicking, playgrounds, and nature trails.)
We moved to Ames after 10+ years in the San Francisco Bay Area, and love it here. We have found things here to match all our favorite things in San Francisco, but at a fraction of the cost and crowds! (well, except good Indian food!).
The space
Our house is particularly great for families with kids age 10 and under, and those who love to cook in a modern, well-stocked kitchen.
Bedroom 1: Queen bed in guest bedroom
Bedroom 2: Queen bed in main bedroom suite, with its own bathroom
Bedroom 3: Twin-size bunk beds in kid bedroom. Lower bunk is on the ground, making it safe for kids as young as 2.
Bedroom 4: Twin-size bed in kid bedroom
Bedroom 5: Twin-size daybed in the playroom. We only use this room as a bedroom occasionally, when grandma stays over, since it's more accessible on the first floor. The other bedrooms all require going upstairs.
The first floor has a living room, playroom, small bathroom, dining room, and large modern kitchen. The kitchen is fully-stocked with all the equipment you'd need - we are avid cooks. You are welcome to use things from our well-stocked pantry & spice drawer as well.
The second floor has four bedrooms, an office (will be closed off), and two bathrooms. In the basement is the washer/dryer.
The large fenced-in backyard has an outdoor dining table, gas grill, hammock, and kids' playground equipment (ideal for ages 10 and under).
Things we love to do in & around Ames:
- Visit Reiman Gardens: beautiful botanical gardens and indoor butterfly house
- Go on a hike: Brookside Park is only a half mile walk away - we like to walk there, through the path through the woods, and back, which is about two miles roundtrip. Other great hikes in town can be found at Ada Hayden, Reactor Woods, Carr Park, and more, as well as 20 minutes away at Ledges State Park
- Go shopping in downtown Ames. There are so many great local stores! Some of our favorites are Dog-Eared Books, Nook & Nest, and Life Distilled
- Visit Brunnier Art Museum or the Christian Petersen Art Museum on the ISU campus
- Go to one of the great breweries (Alluvial Brewery, Torrent Brewing) or wineries / wine bars (Prairie Moon Winery, Della Viti, Noir) in town. They often have live music or other events like trivia nights.
- Have coffee and a crepe at Lockwood Cafe on the west side of town. They have fun rotating art exhibits in the adjoining space.
- Go to local events, university lectures, and concerts - there are always fliers around town or listed on discoverames.com's event calendar for some interesting event!
- Go to Des Moines for the science center, children's museum, zoo, restaurants, and parks
During the warmer months (late spring to early fall), we also love:
- Ames downtown farmers' market every Saturday
- renting canoes or standup paddleboards at Ada Hayden lake or canoeing the Skunk River
- strawberry picking, sunflower picking, apple picking, pumpkin picking and activities at Center Grove Orchard
- so many free concerts outside! at Bandshell Park, Roosevelt Park, and more
- free yoga in the park downtown, at Bandshell Park
- going down waterslides or floating the lazy river at Furman Aquatic Center
Notes
We do not own a TV, but instead set up a projector / projector screen in the living room when we want to play movies & shows. You can use your Netflix / Hulu / Amazon Prime Video etc password to log in to watch things.
Notable extras:
- Garage has an EV charger (level 2)
- Basement has weightlifting equipment (barbell rack) and a stationery bike. We also have yoga mats, yoga blocks, and resistance bands you can use for workouts.
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
Air conditioning
TV
WiFi
High Speed Internet
Bathtub
First aid kit
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Fireplace
Toys
Gym
BBQ
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
EV Home Charger
Bikes
Travel Styles
Long term
Weekend
Family
Foodie
House rules
Suitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets welcome
No smoking
Dates of Availability
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Neighbourhood
Our next-door neighbors (whose backyards adjoin ours) are very friendly and both have school-age kids whom our kids love to play with.
The front of the house faces a busy 4-lane street, but the noise is minimal and doesn't bother us. The garage and driveway is off a quieter alleyway, and we always enter/exit the house from that side (backyard side).
Getting to my home
By car (Uber/Lyft available from Des Moines Airport)
Nearest airport
Des Moines International airport, 45 minutes away
Getting around
Walking distance to many things in downtown Ames area (see description above).
Ames also has a decent public transportation bus system that can get you around town, so it would be feasible to live here without a car.
We have bikes you can borrow, including a cargo bike (two kids age ~3-8 can ride on the back of it), another adult bike (it's an XXL frame since I am 6'4"), and two kid's bikes (for ~4-6 year old and ~6-10 year old).
Map of Approximate Location
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People Like Us Local Guide
I can meet up or message with you about tips for the Ames area!
Feedback
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Premium
Debra
We are a family of 4 (two adults and two kids, born 2015 and 2018). We did our first PLU exchange (non-sim, with a globe) in July 2022 in Stockholm and had a great experience. Since then, we have hosted twice and been guests twice for home exchanges, via another platform.
We are responsible, conscientious, and will treat your home with care.
We are retired from careers in the tech industry, and are now part-time professors and have the summers off to travel. We are hoping to find swaps for weekend trips in the Midwest during spring to fall 2024 (sim preferably, but could make non-sim work).
Thank you for reading!
Travelling group
Desired Destinations
Open to any destination
Can travel at any time
Dates flexible
"Mid-March 2023"
Dates flexible
"mid-March 2023"
Dates flexible
"summer 2023"
Dates flexible
"summer 2023"
Dates flexible
"summer 2023"
Dates flexible
"spring to fall 2023"
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