Things to Do in Cedar Rapids

A procession of blips and blinks marches through Planet X's arcade room. The noise and neon spills over and accents the facility's surroundings, where guests can zap their least favorite cousins during laser tag, release pent-up road rage in bumper cars, or just stand, flabbergasted by the number of activities available. Though interactive entertainment is its bread and butter, Planet X also features a sports lounge with flat-screen TVs, beer, wine, and views of the kitchen staff tossing pizzas by hand.

The University of Iowa Athletics program spans more than a century of tradition, including a venerated football team founded in 1889 as well as prodigiously successful wrestling and basketball programs. Consistently ranked among the top 25 college stadiums in the nation for attendance, Kinnick Stadium regularly houses more than 70,000 spectators in its stands during home football games. The venue takes its name from Iowa football legend Nile Kinnick, who in 1939 commemorated his Heisman Trophy win by painting himself bronze and dashing across the field.

Since the inauguration of Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 1983, the men's and women's basketball teams have posted .777 winning percentages. One of the largest university-owned facilities in the nation, Carver-Hawkeye packs in more than 15,000 fans for events that have included Big Ten and NCAA Championships as well as an exhibition match featuring the 1984 Olympic men's basketball team. The stadium also hosts the wrestling team, which boasts 18 undefeated seasons and a trophy case of retired mouth guards in its storied history.

Voted Best Theater of 2010 and 2011 in KCRG-TV9's CityVoter poll, the community collective of Theatre Cedar Rapids gathers accolades as it grows. The seeds of the company were planted in 1925, when a tiny troupe of thespians played its heart out to audiences of only 30. The theater now reaches more than 50,000 eastern Iowans with its education programs and full seasons of musicals, comedies, and dramas. Although its Iowa Theater Building home has been recently refurbished with new sound and light systems, the theater maintains the charm of its 1920s vaudeville and movie-house origin with a functioning Rhinestone Barton theater organ, 550-seat capacity, and absence of holographic ushers.

In 1928, a committee of Kalona professionals pooled their resources to transform an obsolete cornfield and pasture into a golf course, using a horse-drawn mower to sculpt a layout that originally sported sand greens and cost a quarter to play. More than 50 years later, the course was remodeled and expanded to Kalona Golf Club's current nine-hole layout, a 3,128-yard labyrinth where immaculate, bent-grass greens showcase the efficiency of modern landscaping, whereas rustic bridges and wandering milkmen recall the Club's humble beginnings. Named the nine-hole course of the year by the Iowa Golf Association in 1984 and 2010, the horticultural haven unfurls across pristine, rolling terrain that can create difficult lies, compounded by the presence of mature tree lines and two ponds that come into play on three holes. The course prohibits metal spikes, and players must provide their own set of clubs or titanium-plated sausage links.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 36 course
• Bent-grass greens, winter rye and bluegrass fairways
• Length of 3,128 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 34.7 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Link to scorecard

Founded in 1933, the Cedar Rapids chapter of the Iowa Junior Chamber of Commerce—or Jaycees—hones the leadership skills of its members through projects and programs that benefit the community. Once-a-month Sunday breakfasts bring locals together in the common pursuit of pancakes, and Uptown Friday Nights in Green Square Park are filled with music, food, and drinks. The Jaycees also fling wide the doors of its newly opened Jaycee Center to renters for conferences, parties, wedding receptions, and driving-school-class reunions.

At Downward Dog Yoga & Fitness, ancient poses fuel challenging workouts and traditional calisthenics summon inner peace. That's because both types of exercise have a common goal: bolstering health by building community. During the studio's signature Vinyasa class, yogis of all levels stretch and bend together, learning from each other as they follow the cues of a friendly, experienced teacher. The mesmerizing vocals of Sting and U2 join the pre-modern chants of Krishna Das to inspire students during deep-breathing exercises, which focus the mind as they dissolve stress. The temperature rises to 90 degrees for hot yoga and hot Pilates, helping loosen tight muscles and drain toxins from the body. Hot yoga builds strength and flexibility with sitting, standing, and inverted poses, whereas hot Pilates targets similar goals with core-sculpting isometrics and a focus on bodily alignment. Trainer-led boot camps explore the other end of the fitness spectrum with jumping jacks and burpees, which melt more calories than a fondue party at Richard Simmons's house. To unwind after class, students can book a massage-therapy appointment with Hannah Zahs, who infuses Swedish and shiatsu strokes with soothing essential oils.