Briar Patch Amphitheater

A Deadhead who followed the Grateful Dead through 80+ shows came home to rural Iowa and carved a natural-bowl amphitheater into an oak-hickory forested hillside — that's Briar Patch, tucked between wetlands and prairie just outside the tiny town of Bevington. Owner Bob Rice built it himself starting in 2000, and the programming reads like his music diary: annual "Jerry Daze" Grateful Dead tribute weekends, Bevington Bluegrass Festival, and now a 750-cap deep-dubstep blowout called Wubstock running a Void Acoustics rig. Axios Des Moines' own headline called it "Des Moines' hidden rural music venue," and that's underselling it — most locals have never heard of it. On-site forest camping seals the deal.

The move: Grab a tent, make the 25-minute drive south on I-35, and catch one of the summer festivals — Wubstock (July 17–19, 2026) or Bevington Bluegrass (June 19–20, 2026) — then camp the night in the woods with 749 strangers who all found the same secret.

• 📍 Bevington (25 min south of Des Moines)
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 2103 Warren Ave, Bevington, IA 50033

Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

Verified 2026-06-09.