I think the bars in Ames are still closed per governors orders
Looking for advice-what to see and do in Ames and at ISU
- Thread starter scottmbecker
- Start date
As others said, make sure to walk most of campus. It’ll give you a good feel for ISU. Otherwise just drive around the different parts of the city a little - west Ames (Mortensen Rd) is a popular spot students live off campus. Take him down Welch Ave. The downtown area is fairly nice, as is north Ames (Stange Rd). I would suggest Wallaby’s for lunch or dinner. It will give you a good idea of Ames’ love for the Cyclones. The special things about Ames are mostly Iowa State’s campus, the local food spots, and the people. Nothing too flashy aside from the beautiful campus.
L
LincolnWay187
Guest
Go disc golfing. Theres a cool course in Ames. Go see Reiman gardens. If you can go walk through some of the buildings and see the art/architecture on campus or the Atanassoff Berry Computer
If son is Cole, congrats on him being the #1 rated kicker by Kohl's Kicking.
Just be sure to go to the University Book Store inside the Memorial Union and then the fountain outside of the Union across from the Campanile..... this is probably the most photographed place on campus.
You should also go to the Somerset area in north Ames. Neat area with some good restaurants..... including Wallaby’s, the Cafe, Brick City Grill, El Azteca, etc.
It really is too bad there won’t be the full amount of fans there tailgating... it’s some of the best tailgating in the country!
You should also go to the Somerset area in north Ames. Neat area with some good restaurants..... including Wallaby’s, the Cafe, Brick City Grill, El Azteca, etc.
It really is too bad there won’t be the full amount of fans there tailgating... it’s some of the best tailgating in the country!
Btw.... if you want to go to Cornbread for BBQ.... it is in downtown Ames and it’s Cornbred, not Cornbread.
What makes Ames and Iowa unique, are the people. Assuming you are from California, Iowa may feel “different”. We are definitely rural, not big city by any stretch. The unfortunate thing, as someone already mentioned, without tailgating, you aren’t seeing us at our best.
The campus is quite beautiful. Lots of green space and quite representative of a land grant university (as a legacy grad, I took that for granted while in school, and have become more appreciative of campus as I have aged). Spend some time on central campus and just take it in. The leaves are starting to turn and you will get a flavor what a full Fall could look like.
Try to take in as much of the game day atmosphere as possible while keeping in mind it is maybe 1/10 th of a “normal” game day.
Talk to as many folks as possible and see if you can get a good flavor for the university. People are friendly, especially if you tell them you are in a visit with your son. Recommendations will be plentiful.
As for food, opinions will vary. Overall, pork and beef reign supreme. Asking about BBQ will get you into a hotly contested debate (for not having a distinctive “style“, there sure is a lot of passion around it).
Above all else, enjoy your trip and the game, cheer on the Cyclones, and welcome to Iowa!
The campus is quite beautiful. Lots of green space and quite representative of a land grant university (as a legacy grad, I took that for granted while in school, and have become more appreciative of campus as I have aged). Spend some time on central campus and just take it in. The leaves are starting to turn and you will get a flavor what a full Fall could look like.
Try to take in as much of the game day atmosphere as possible while keeping in mind it is maybe 1/10 th of a “normal” game day.
Talk to as many folks as possible and see if you can get a good flavor for the university. People are friendly, especially if you tell them you are in a visit with your son. Recommendations will be plentiful.
As for food, opinions will vary. Overall, pork and beef reign supreme. Asking about BBQ will get you into a hotly contested debate (for not having a distinctive “style“, there sure is a lot of passion around it).
Above all else, enjoy your trip and the game, cheer on the Cyclones, and welcome to Iowa!
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I'm gonna go against the Cornbred crowd here. There is nothing more "Vintage Ames" than Hickory Park. Any time a TV sports personality visits Ames, that is where they go. The atmosphere is way better than Cornbred and I personally think the food is too.
Cornbred’s food is a little better, but yeah, go to Hickory Park if you’ve never been to Ames before. It’s just unique and so vintage Ames.
Without question visit Reiman Gardens. Very few colleges or universities have a botannical garden and this one is exceptional. The director has an inspired vision for the gardens. It is open and is located just south of Jack Trice Stadium. The stadium is revered, being named for ISU's first African American athlete.
demoncore1031
Well-Known Member
I haven't been to Iowa since I left 20 years ago so I am no help. But I hope that you have a great time on your visit. Ames is a very cool town.
Great thing about Ames and Iowa in general is without any major pro sports we're college first.
Ames is a great college town. Plus you can always head 30 miles down the interstate and find just about anything you're looking for.
Probably most important to your family is you're going to find a coaching staff that is genuine and works relentlessly to build a culture to make players feel they found a second home/ family.
Ames is a great college town. Plus you can always head 30 miles down the interstate and find just about anything you're looking for.
Probably most important to your family is you're going to find a coaching staff that is genuine and works relentlessly to build a culture to make players feel they found a second home/ family.
Here is a link to a similar inquiry on the wrestling board from 2018
cyclonefanatic.com
Below are a couple of things I posted.
A blog post on central campus
isuspecialcollections.wordpress.com
A working replica of the world‘s first electronic digital computer— the replica made at ISU and the original invented on campus — it seems is still on loan to a computer museum in Mountain View, California
I’m not sure if the library will be open, or if so, if you have to be a student to get in (because of Covid-19), like use your student ID.
But they have some murals by Grant Wood, who is best known for his painting American Gothic. You can see the library murals in this video by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, prepared for its 2018 special exhibit on Grant Wood
Whitney itself owns this small scale model used in creating the mural Breaking the Prairie Sod
American Gothic, which is displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago
In this Twitter post from 2018, here is a troll (or two ) at Reiman Gardens (former FBI Director James Comey apparently has family in the area)
Must see places in Ames?
I'm bringing my son out at the end of the month to meet with the coaches, roll around for a day on the mats and take a tour.. Are there any "must see" type places in Ames that we should try to get to see in the short time while there? Any suggestions? Thanks.
cyclonefanatic.com
Below are a couple of things I posted.
A blog post on central campus
Iowa State’s Central Campus: A Brief History (and a Myth)
Central campus (more or less the area around present day Curtiss Hall, Beardshear, Catt Hall, and the Campanile/Memorial Union)as it appears today. Fall Semester classes began almost a month ago no…
isuspecialcollections.wordpress.com
A working replica of the world‘s first electronic digital computer— the replica made at ISU and the original invented on campus — it seems is still on loan to a computer museum in Mountain View, California
I’m not sure if the library will be open, or if so, if you have to be a student to get in (because of Covid-19), like use your student ID.
But they have some murals by Grant Wood, who is best known for his painting American Gothic. You can see the library murals in this video by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, prepared for its 2018 special exhibit on Grant Wood
Whitney itself owns this small scale model used in creating the mural Breaking the Prairie Sod
American Gothic, which is displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago
In this Twitter post from 2018, here is a troll (or two
) at Reiman Gardens (former FBI Director James Comey apparently has family in the area)
If you go to campus, check out the new student innovation center, it's really cool.
Central Campus is outstanding, since this is an unofficial visit, maybe call the major(s) your son is interested in and see if they can meet, no idea if that is even possible because of the Covid. Reiman Gardens is straight south of the stadium and is really nice. Hickory Park is the iconic place to visit, my personal BBQ favorite is Whatcha Smokin in the little town of Luther south and west of Ames. Many pretty nice places to eat up in North Ames/Somerset area. As others have said Wallaby's has alot of ISU sports stuff. Brick City won Iowa's best Burger contest 1 yr.
I hope you and your family have a great visit and enjoy your time in Ames. Sorry we can't tailgate or come to the game because I believe we would have made a heck of an impression then.
I hope you and your family have a great visit and enjoy your time in Ames. Sorry we can't tailgate or come to the game because I believe we would have made a heck of an impression then.
Unfortunately you won't get the full gameday experience but fan and community support, in central Iowa, for college football is one of the best in the nation. The Des Moines-Ames media market is one of the top 10 (#8 at 47%) when it come to people interested in college football.
This data is a couple years old but it still holds true. We are right there with some of the big names.
This data is a couple years old but it still holds true. We are right there with some of the big names.
