Iowa's Hidden Gems - Iowa Vacations

[psycln11]

Lacey Keosaqua State Park.... Small little lake for fishing, canoeing, etc. Nice family cabins or campground. You can go over to the Des Moines River for some geode hunting. Our family did this last October for a weekend.

Yellow River Forest in NE Iowa for some camping, hiking, and trout fishing.

Honey Creek at Ruthbun was fun for the family.

 

[Senolcyc]

Hit the race track in Knoxville. Remove half your teeth and put on Hawkeye gear, otherwise you won't fit in.

 

[00clone]

Just a heads up, the Maquoketa Caves are finally opening again as of April 14th, but you now need to attend a special program on White-nose syndrome before you will be allowed to enter.

Still miss Whitney....

:cry::wubclub:

 

[ISUagger]

Lake Rathbun around Centerville, and Albia.

Rathbun is a great place to go boating. And there is Honey Creek Resort on the lake too.

 

[CarlHungus]

Worlds largest frying pan

you're welcome

 

[ca4cy]

Can't afford a big getaway this year so thinking about doing a couple smaller, more local vacations. We are outdoors types. I Like Hiking, Biking, Fishing, Camping, Kayaking, Nature. Wife likes artsy stuff, Music, Art, Checking out Downtown Shops, Coffee Houses, Good or Interesting Restaurants.

Any suggestions? What do you consider some "Hidden Gems" of Iowa.

NE Iowa is amazing for scenery. Your wife might enjoy Decorah as it has a pretty decent little downtown area, and there is also a new bike trail there. As for hiking, I haven't seen Effigy Mounds near Marquette mentioned but that is very cool.

With the Mississippi, Upper Iowa, and a few decent trout streams, there are plenty of options for fishing in the area. Charles City just put in a new course on the Cedar River for kayaking, and depending on where you're coming from, it could very easily be right on your way to God's country.

I know there are plenty of options, but if you're truly into scenery, nature, and just taking it all in, there's really nothing better than the NE corner of the state.

 

[ketelmeister]

We LOVE southeast Minnesota, Lanesboro area. Bed and Breakfast capitol of Minnesota, right across Iowa border. Great biking trails, float trips, kayacking, canoe trips, excellent trout fishing, cave tours, coffee shops, pie shops. It's great and fun. We like Eagle Bluff Campground.

 

[BloodyBuddy]

Worlds largest frying pan

you're welcome

Ha, actually have been there. Thanks

 

[chuckd4735]

I was in NE Iowa for two days earlier this week. I am a little obsessed with "secret spots" to the point where even my secret spots have their own secret spots.

I was in Decorah and ate at an Indian Buffet in the Oneota Coop, had a pound of Fish Curry, Mango Chutney Chicken, yellow rice and seasoned broc.

Gunder and the Gunderburger

Scheras in Elkader and Algerian Bourek:

Little Bohemia Bar in Cedar Rapids and Smothered Pork Loin:

It appears by your avatar that you also hit up St Olaf's tap for their extremely over-sized tenderloins.

 

[Al_4_State]

Decorah sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

Its close to lots of good hiking (check out Yellow River Forest near Marquette, about 40 minutes from Decorah), a new bike trail that loops the city, for road biking, and a bunch of mountain biking trails near Dunning's Springs, and there are tons of trout streams around NE Iowa. The Upper Iowa River (which flows through town) offers the best canoeing/kayaking in the state.

For your wife, they have all of the artsy stuff. Luther College is there and has a big influence on all of that. Downtown has a lot of little shops, and the restaurant scene there is unrivaled for its size. They have a great brewery (Toppling Goliath) in town as well.

Based on your post, there isn't really any better spot in the state than the Decorah area for what you're both looking for.

 

[aauummm]

Rathbun is a great place to go boating. And there is Honey Creek Resort on the lake too.

Honey Creek Resort is supposed to be quite nice. I'd like to try their RV park sometime:
Honey Creek Resort State Park on Rathbun Lake, Iowa

 

[aauummm]

Decorah sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

Its close to lots of good hiking (check out Yellow River Forest near Marquette, about 40 minutes from Decorah), a new bike trail that loops the city, for road biking, and a bunch of mountain biking trails near Dunning's Springs, and there are tons of trout streams around NE Iowa. The Upper Iowa River (which flows through town) offers the best canoeing/kayaking in the state.

For your wife, they have all of the artsy stuff. Luther College is there and has a big influence on all of that. Downtown has a lot of little shops, and the restaurant scene there is unrivaled for its size. They have a great brewery (Toppling Goliath) in town as well.

Based on your post, there isn't really any better spot in the state than the Decorah area for what you're both looking for.

Yep, I'll agree with that.

Decorah, Iowa | Winneshiek County Convention & Visitors Bureau

 

[TRZA]

I usually hit McCaffery's Dolce Vita for pizza when I'm in Decorah.

 

[wartknight]

Decorah is fun for outdoorsy types. Definitely worth a stop at the Irish Shanti in Gunder on the way there.
Too lazy to go back to the original post to see where you live, but floating down the Iowa River in Eldora is fun too, along with camping and Friday nights at the local VFW hall.
Like others have said, Honey Creek has no shortage of things to do.
We always enjoy Living History Farms in DSM. Different weekends have different themes. ICubs games are good too, especially with the Bud Club, Principle Park's equivalent of a rooftop at Wrigley. $50/person allucaneatanddrink.

 

[Al_4_State]

I usually hit McCaffery's Dolce Vita for pizza when I'm in Decorah.

Going there for dinner tonight. I've heard good things.

Rubiayat in Decorah is very good as well. Awesome beer selection for this part of the world.

 

[HititHard]

Never been up there myself, but NE Iowa/Allamakee County is pretty cool if you're into natural scenery. I'm sure you could find a nice campground up there to spend a couple days at.


edit: NE Iowa, not NW. There ain't **** up in NW Iowa.

For the record there is a lot of **** up here in NW Iowa. My neighbor just topped off his pits last week.

On a serious note these websites are a good resource. Iowa Tourism â€â€￾ Iowa Tourism - Welcome to IowaBeautiful.com. The #1 online Iowa Tourism Guide to Events and Attractions located in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. Check out exciting international events such as the Mount Pleasant Old Threshers Reun or Travel Iowa - Iowa attractions, Iowa events - Travel Iowa

 

[CyCloned]

Worlds largest frying pan

you're welcome

I was planning on going to Brandon this weekend for the Fools Ride, but it looks like the weather is going to stink

 

[carvers4math]

If you venture into southern Iowa for Honey Creek at Rathbun, you might want to check out the pie at the cafe in Millerton and the candy at Piper's in Chariton. I think the Amish community in that area serves meals too.

 

[cyclone79]

We LOVE southeast Minnesota, Lanesboro area. Bed and Breakfast capitol of Minnesota, right across Iowa border. Great biking trails, float trips, kayacking, canoe trips, excellent trout fishing, cave tours, coffee shops, pie shops. It's great and fun. We like Eagle Bluff Campground.

I can understand staying in Iowa but this is just a few miles into MN. This is by far the best 3 day vacation they could make. I spend several weekends there every summer. Biking, canoeing, golfing and Sunday night over the backyard fence live radio show.

Fantastic theather.

www.lanesboro.com

www.scanlanhouse.com

 

[Kitkat]

Though not Iowa, Savannah and Galena, IL just on the Mississippi river is a real interesting area. There is an old river plantation that makes a nice tour in that area.

Northeast Iowa near Wisconsin is pretty interesting. There are a couple older towns in that area that are really quaint.

Actually, starting in Clinton and going up the Mississippi River drive on both sides of the state line is worth a few days exploring. Lots of trails, parks, etc. in that region.

Agree with redbird; lots of interesting sights on or near the river. My wife and I have gone from Clinton all the way up following the River Road signs. Lots of picturesque little towns along the way(St. Donatus, for ex.). Dubuque itself is worth a day or two, especially if you like 19th-century architecture, as we do. After visiting the Marquette-McGregor area, we cross the river to Wis. to Prairie du Chien, follow rt. 35 up to La Crosse, recross the river to Minn. and come back down into Iowa on rt. 26. From there you can go west on rt. 9 to Decorah or continue south from Lansing on x52. We pick up rt. 18 and meander back home to central Iowa. You can do this in two or three nights or stretch into a week, depending on your time and finances. There are more interesting sights than I have mentioned here; we have always enjoyed this route. Plus it helps the Iowa economy!