Top Reasons Why Iowa City, Iowa, Is Worth Visiting

As a Midwestern girl through and through, I’m all about exploring what many travelers ignore in favor of either coast.

Even so, it took me a while to spend any meaningful time in Iowa, responding to the pull of lake life in states like Michigan, instead.

That’s unfortunate. It kept Brian and me from visiting Iowa City until recently on a week-long stay in nearby Cedar Rapids. We found a fun college town with an important literary history, a fun dining scene, and fossil-hunting. Iowa City is worth the visit.

What is Iowa City famous for?

Iowa City is known for the University of Iowa and its prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The workshop is the oldest writing program resulting in a Master of Fine Arts degree in the country with an acceptance rate below four percent.

I’m saying you have to be a very good writer to get into the program. As a result, the Johnson County town is known for its literary history. 

Fun fact: It’s a big enough deal that UNESCO designated Iowa City as the third City of Literature in the world, preceded only by Edinburgh and Melbourne.

If you’re here for sports, the campus is probably best known for Kinnick Stadium. That’s where the Iowa Hawkeyes play football. I’m a nerd, though.

How to Spend a Day in Iowa City

You can spend a day in Iowa City like this:

• See the Dey House, home of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
• Visit the Old Capitol Museum.
• Explore Iowa City’s Ped Mall.
• Eat lunch at the Pullman Bar & Diner.
• Walk the Literary Walk.
• Hunt for fossils in the Devonian Fossil Gorge.
• Grab a beer at the Big Grove Brewery and Taproom.
• Finish up with pizza at Basta Pizzeria Ristorante.

Is Iowa City worth visiting?

Iowa City is worth visiting for its arts and culture scene, especially if you’re at all into writing and famous writers. It also feels small-town with the amenities of a larger city, like plenty of dining options and outdoor activities to fill your time.

While I already knew Iowa City was a big deal for writers who love other writers, I didn’t know the town would be so charming. Let’s start with the writing, though, something near and dear to my heart.

It’s home to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

The Dey House is the perfect place to start if you’re here for writing-related places of note. The historic building is where the future’s best and brightest gather to learn from the best and the brightest at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. 

It’s also the oldest building on campus, built in the 1850s on a bluff with views of the Iowa River Valley.

Fun fact: While you’re at the prestigious writing school, walk by Currier Residence Hall, the first residence hall on campus and former dorm of author Flannery O’Connor. 

Iowa City has great museums.

There is somewhat of a rivalry between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, my alma mater, and the University of Iowa as they’re both part of the Big 10. That doesn’t mean I can’t give credit where credit’s due, especially when we’re talking about Rusty.

Rusty is a Giant Sloth and resident Ice Age expert at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History. While the icon is definitely the big draw, the museum is popular for its archaeological collections and various taxidermy displays that aren’t sloth-related.

It’s not the biggest natural history museum you’ll likely visit in your travels, but it’s all free. It’s also a great option for rainy days and things to do in Iowa City in the winter when the chill sets in.  

If you’re an art fan, the Stanley Museum of Art boasts a collection of around 17,000 pieces of art in all of its forms. That makes it a must if you love a good art museum. Admission is always free, so it’s one of my favorite free things to do in Iowa City.

Don’t miss Jackson Pollack’s Mural no matter how much time you give this one.

It used to be the state’s capital.

The Old Capitol Museum is a trip through time and a great spot to learn more about the state’s political and cultural history. You’ll likely see it anyway as you stroll around the university, as it’s basically the center of campus.

It’s worth a look just from the outside if that’s all you have time for. This used to be the state’s main capitol building — the Iowa State Capitol is in Des Moines today — and has enjoyed National Historic Landmark status since 1976.

Note: Before you leave here, make sure to snap your photo with Herky the Hawk, the University of Iowa’s feathered mascot. He looks even better with the Old Capitol Museum in the background.

Iowa City has a pedestrian-friendly downtown.

Iowa City’s Pedestrian Mall, more often referred to as the “Ped Mall,” is probably exactly what you think it is. It’s downtown Iowa City’s pedestrian mall, made for walking, shopping, and entertaining. 

It’s been the heart of the downtown area since 1979 when city officials unveiled it as City Plaza. 

Today, it remains a place to gather, especially in the summer. That’s when Iowa City entertainment takes things outside with festivals and live music events like the Friday Night Concert Series. 

Walk avenues like Burlington Street, Dubuque Street, Clinton Street, and Washington Street to get a feel for Iowa City’s pedestrian-friendly downtown.

You can walk in the footsteps of literary greats.

Let’s return to Iowa City’s literary connections just for a few more steps.

One of the best ways to embrace this important piece of the city is the Literary Walk, a series of bronze plaques along Iowa Avenue that celebrates writers connected to Iowa. 

If you’re into this sort of thing — I was! — take the time to find your favorites and read the quotes and book excerpts immortalized into the sidewalks. There are 49 of them today, including Kurt Vonnegut and Amy Clampitt.

You can learn more about the city’s efforts to become a City of Literature at the Writers in a Cafe marker. The lovely words written here are by Marvin Bell, Iowa’s first poet laureate.

If you love a historic home tour, make time to tour Plum Grove, a historic property that was the childhood home of author Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd. It was also the former home of the state’s first governor.

READ MORE: Like your historic homes a little fancy? Check out my guide to the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island.

It isn’t getting rid of its bookshops anytime soon.

The Prairie Lights bookshop has operated in some form in Iowa City since 1978. By 1982, it had moved into a much larger space that had a deep history as a hub of literary activity in the city.

Back in the 1930s, the space operated as a coffee house that hosted literary society meetings.

Big names like Carl Sanburg, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and E. E. Cummings would meet there to talk shop, I imagine, and trade thoughts on the Oxford comma. I made that last part up, too, but you probably got that already.

The shop today holds up to 100,000 books over three and a half stories, 

Iowa City is passionate about the performing arts.

The Englert Theatre hosts a diverse array of events throughout the year, a nod to its roots as an entertainment center for locals in the region.

The theater opened to the public in 1912 as a place for vaudeville acts and a home for artists traveling throughout the Midwest.

In the years that followed, it was converted into a movie house and operated as such for years until developers wanted to turn it into a nightclub. Locals didn’t love that idea, and the “Save the Englert” movement was born.

The theater today is the result of that effort. Locals were able to save the theater and return it to its former glory as a performing arts space.

Note: If you’re here for live music, plan a trip to ​​Gabe’s. It hosted a legendary show by Nirvana in 1989 that only about 50 people attended. I can’t imagine being in that elite group!

If you love the theater, you can see a Broadway show or your favorite comedian in action at the Hancher Auditorium.

You can visit the Black Angel at Oakland Cemetery.

There are all kinds of supernatural stories out there about the Black Angel, but I’m going to go ahead and tell you not to kiss it.

Apparently, you may die unless you’re a virgin. I really don’t need that on my conscience and the other stuff is none of my business.

The real story is more innocuous than its image. The bronze sculpture is here courtesy of artist Mario Korbel who made it in Chicago before it was moved to Oakland Cemetery. Korbel made it for a woman named Teresa Feldevert as a memorial to her late son. 

Her second husband’s ashes were placed at the statue’s base alongside her own ashes when she passed away years later. There’s nothing spooky about why it’s the color it is. That’s the result of oxidation…or hauntings, I don’t know. 

You’ll have access to fun outdoor Iowa City activities.

Iowa City proper is home to the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area and Wilson’s Orchard & Farm, a must for hard cider in the fall.

READ MORE: I’m a fall obsessive. If you’re like-minded, check out my guide to why autumn is simply the best.

Since I’ve already recommended that you have a car, you can get to lovely Lake Macbride State Park in just under half an hour from Iowa City. (I’ll get into more day trip ideas in a minute.)

This haven for fishing and lake enthusiasts in Solon is the place in the state to fish for spotted bass. It’s apparently quite rare among freshwater fish.

It’s also home to a lovely series of waterfalls that will make you feel quite far from Iowa. Locals know they have the goods, though. The hike to the falls is about two miles roundtrip with limited elevation gain, but have your maps downloaded if you go.

Don’t expect more than a trickle in the summer months. This one isn’t a year-round gusher.

You can hunt for fossils at the Devonian Fossil Gorge.

Iowa City has fossils! If you’re looking for tourist attractions in Iowa City that are a little quirky and a little nerdy, make it a point to visit the Devonian Fossil Gorge.

You won’t find dinosaur bones here, but you’ll find evidence of all kinds of ancient marine life, including fossilized coral. This is a 375-million-year-old limestone sea floor.

The fossils exposed here are the result of several floods of nearby Coralville Lake, so if it wasn’t for those disasters there’d be not much to see here. I put together a guide for you on all of that and more if you’re interested in unique things to do in Iowa City.

Iowa City has a nice dining scene.

You may be content learning about prehistoric sloths and haunted spots all day, but I know I get hungry when I’m hitting these tourist streets. 

We loved the Get Fresh Cafe for a pair of quick smoothies and wraps to fuel us for adventures to come, but Iowa City’s no slouch when it comes to dining.

Here are a few more yummy options:

• Basta Pizzeria Ristorante: You probably know I love pizza unless you’re new to this place. This Italian eatery serves up traditional Neapolitan pies, one of my favorite pizza preps. They have homemade pasta, too, if you feel adventurous.
• Pullman Bar & Diner: I love a good diner, but this isn’t some greasy spoon. No diner I’m used to is serving up beet salads, tuna tartines, and crispy whole fish. This is elevated comfort food to the max.
• The Webster: For special occasion dining, head to The Webster. The menu here is seasonal, so expect things to change based on what’s fresh the month of your visit. Reservations are a good idea for this one.

Iowa City’s brewery scene is good, too.

Breweries are always a part of our itineraries no matter where we find ourselves in the 50 states. (We tend to go with wine when we’re abroad because we’re equal opportunity about alcohol.)

Iowa City proper doesn’t have a ton of options for craft beer, but there are a few you can try as you explore more adult things to do in Iowa City:

• Big Grove Brewery and Taproom: This industrial-style pub in Iowa City is a great option when the weather’s nice. The patio is big and nice for groups. There are a few more locations of this one throughout Iowa if you’re road-tripping.
• Field Day Brewing Co.: This one is north of Iowa City in North Liberty. I’m OK with listing it here because it’s an easy add-on for trips to the Devonian Fossil Gorge. Come for the beer but stay for the pork schnitzel sandwich.
• ReUnion Brewery: This downtown pub is a great stop to rest when you’re down by the Ped Mall. Check out their schedule for live music. There’s a second location in nearby Coralville, too, if you find yourself there.

Iowa City is a good base for day trips.

If you’re short on time, stick to the town limits as you plan what to do in Iowa City. If you’re here for longer, the Iowa City area has some fun day trip potential. Let’s take a look at some of the more popular options:

• West Branch: In less than 20 minutes from Iowa City, you can be at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. See a permanent gallery of his life and times with exhibits throughout the year on Iowa history. 
• Cedar Rapids: This was our base for a full week, and we really enjoyed the city’s immigrant history and beer scene. Steal my guide if you’d like to plan a trip to this one. It’s just over half an hour from Iowa City.
• Dyersville: Get to the Field of Dreams movie site in less than an hour and 30 minutes from Cedar Rapids. I reviewed our experience in a detailed guide, but baseball fans shouldn’t miss this one.
• Dubuque: Explore the history and allure of the Mississippi River at this Iowa town about an hour and 30 minutes from Iowa City. Eagle Point Park is a nice place to relax after your river stroll.
• Des Moines: You’ve seen the old capital. Now you can see the new Iowa State Capitol with a bonus of the Des Moines Riverwalk. You can get here in about an hour and 45 minutes from Iowa City.

Where to Stay in Iowa City

We drove into Iowa City from Cedar Rapids, but you can do your own thing if you want to hang out for a while and explore more fun things to do in Iowa City.

If you’re looking for accommodations in Iowa City, use the map below to make that happen:

You should visit Iowa City.

Iowa City is a hub for literary history, boasts a charming and walkable downtown area, and has a nice food scene to boot. You’re unlikely to find the crowds here that you might in other big Midwestern cities, too, no matter when you plan your Iowa City trip.

It’s a great stopover for any amount of time, even if it’s just for the day.

Love the sound of Midwest travel? Check out these posts:

• Hit the Road With the Best Tulsa Day Trips
• See the Apostle Islands on This Boat Tour
• Bay City, MI: An Underrated Beauty
• A Detailed Guide to the Best of Fargo, ND
• Visit Cleveland, One of My Favorite Cities

I’m not done yet! Here are a few more Midwest guides:

• A Guide to Chicago, Even in the Winter Months
• Why You Need to Visit Chicago’s Logan Square
• Love Christmas? Visit This Spot in Cleveland
• Take a Trip to the Incredible Cuyahoga Valley
• Take Your Pooch to the Best Parks in Tulsa

Want to see more?