Last weekend, out-of-town visitors who hadn’t been to downtown Des Moines for almost a decade panicked a bit on the drive down Locust Street in search for a parking space. With a concert at the Simon Estes Amphitheater, Winefest Des Moines at the State of Iowa Historical Building, and the usual congestion at downtown restaurants and bars, there were few vacant spots to be found. The situation wasn’t much better the following day, when patrons of the Downtown Farmers Market quickly filled the prime parking spaces.

“Des Moines is finally getting it,” the out-of-towner observed.

Perhaps it takes someone who’s been away for a few years to recognize the verve that has replaced the desolation of the ravaged, barren city left behind when the flood waters receded in 1993. Just wait, we pointed out, detailing the long list of public projects — the new arena and related projects, library, higher education center, science center, riverwalk — that are still months away from completion, but promise to bring even more energy to the city.

Des Moines is, indeed, “getting it” with a new emphasis on downtown housing, cultural events and quality-of-life amenities that make downtown not just a place 65,000 workers travel to every weekday and abandon at 5 p.m., but a place for them to stay and play.

Some of the changes in Des Moines are more subtle. For example, one of the city’s hidden gems, the Vaudeville Mews on increasingly eclectic Fourth Street, packed its house with jazz enthusiasts on a weeknight by booking Charlie Hunter, a nationally known guitarist who played two sets. The show drew a mixed crowd of die-hard aficionados and casual observers. And on June 18-19, the Mews is bringing Americana artist Jay Farrar to town, a major coup. How major? The only other city the roots rock singer-songwriter is playing this summer is Toronto.

Des Moines is arriving with more live art displays than at any time in the past decade, with a cornucopia of offerings ranging from live music, poetry readings and art displays, the stuff of a vibrant city. Little if any of that was here 10 years ago, when a DJ and a disco ball defined the entertainment scene.

One piece of advice to the out-of-towners: Come early. The parking spaces will fill up quickly.