Visiting Iowa

Enjoy parks and museums this spring in the Hawkeye State. Iowa encompasses enlightened cities like Cedar Rapids and Council Bluffs, plus outdoor paradises like Coralville. Set in eastern Iowa, Cedar Rapids is Iowa’s second biggest city, found along the Cedar River. This spring, enjoy Cedar Rapids' many cultural attractions like the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, and the Grant Wood Studio. This spring, you’ll be surrounded by beautiful Iowa state parks, so take full advantage of Lake Manawa State Park near Council Bluffs, and Lake Macbride State Park near Coralville. Set your adventurous side free this spring in Hawkeye country.

Explore the art world of Cedar Rapids this spring. Found in the downtown district, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is a 63,000-square-foot cultural center home tot the largest collection of Grant Wood – the artist behind American Gothic – works in the world. This spring, the Museum of Art Cedar Rapids is hosting some incredible events like the 2012 Valentine's Jazz Brunch at Campbell Steele Gallery and exhibitions like Lure of the Local: Collecting the Corridor – featuring some great local artisans until May. Closed on Mondays, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is just one mile away from a Best Western hotel in Cedar Rapids, where you can store your print of American Gothic from the museum store this spring.

Just 20 miles south of Cedar Rapids is Coralville, another adventurous city where you may catch some fun this spring. A suburb of Iowa City, Coralville encompasses some pristine parkland thanks to fishing ponds, hiking and biking trails, and elite golf courses. Bring your clubs to the Brown Deer Golf Course and Amana Colonies Golf Course, or check out the picnic spots, bike trails, and horseshoe pits at the 107-acre Iowa City City Park. First established in 1906, the beautiful Iowa City City Park is just a five minute drive from the Best Western hotel in Coralville.

Set in southwestern Iowa, Council Bluffs is a historic town found right on the border with Nebraska and Omaha. Step into the past of Council Bluffs, formally known as Kanesville, with a tour of the Historic General Dodge House or a stroll through the Haymarket Historic District. As the weather warms, spend some time in outdoor Iowa in Lake Manawa State Park, or head to Big Lake Park for a look at the Lewis & Clark Monument in the Missouri River valley, followed by some biking and picnicking.

Council Bluff visitors, the RailsWest Railroad Museum reopens for the 2012 season in April, where you can catch a peek of the 1899 Rock Island Depot, and a Northern class 4-8-4 steam locomotive. Get a history lesson this spring in Iowa, and rest your brain at the Best Western hotel in Council Bluffs.

Iowa Hotel Map