If you're visiting, check out these spots:

• Des Moines Marina has moorage for more than 800 boats and a long fishing pier that draws a constant crowd of people who fish, crab and catch shrimp. South 227th Street and the waterfront. Open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Des Moines Beach Park is a 20-acre facility that features the city's senior citizen center, historic cabins, play fields, ideal spots for picnicking and sunbathing by the water. 22030 Cliff Ave. South (Just north of marina fishing pier). Open dawn to dusk.

• Saltwater State Park has facilities for overnight campers and day visitors who just want to take it easy on the beach, go swimming or fishing or take a short hike in the woods. Marine View Drive South (State Route 509) and South 252nd Street. Open from 8 a.m. to dusk.

  

• Highline Community College provides visitors the opportunity to stroll around the quiet, tree-lined campus, just a stone's throw from busy Highway 99. Pacific Highway South and South 240th Street.

• Big Catch Plaza at the north end of town isn't very big, but Richard Beyer's risque statue of a happy fisherman and a giant salmon has attracted considerable attention. Marine View Drive South (State Route 509) and 7th Avenue South.

• Des Moines Field House, built in 1938, takes visitors back in time. But the log cabin-style structure serves as a gymnasium today. And there are play fields, tennis courts and facilities for other activities. 1000 South 220th St.

• Redondo Park offers visitors the opportunity to walk along a narrow, half-mile-long boardwalk at the edge of water. There's a short fishing pier and a boat ramp too. Redondo Beach Drive and South 282nd Street. Open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.