Things to Do in Iowa

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.

During galaxy bowling, Cadillac Lanes turns futuristic with the help of a space-age-evoking light and sound show. Even under the glow of traditional lighting, the alley brims with modern technology, such as automatic scoring and retractable bumpers. A trove of lightweight to heavy bowling balls allows players of all muscle masses to scatter pins without straining their muscles. In between 10-frame games, patrons can maneuver joysticks in the arcade or refuel at the snack bar. The venue also welcomes birthday celebrations with party packages complete with decorations that create a joyful atmosphere, rather than celebrating with impromptu bowling-ball confetti.:m]]

For more than 10 years, The Heart of Darkness has elicited scares from nearly 10,000 visitors every Halloween season with one of the largest haunts in Iowa. People from across the country and ghosts studying abroad brave nine separately themed areas on the terror-infested grounds, from a haunted playground to a maniacal-clown asylum. Each section crawls with grotesque creatures. A living scarecrow swipes at guests with a rusted sickle, causing them to flee right into the padded cell of Crispy, a demented arsonist whose victims gave him a taste of his own medicine by scorching his skin.

So committed to their duty to terrify, owners Kevin and Dolly Schults are affectionately known as The Halloween Family, as detailed on a 2009 episode of ABC's Wife Swap. Outside their spooky corridors, the Schults reward survivors with concession stands, a live DJ, and a photo booth that snapped the pictures Crispy uses for his online-dating profile.

Licensed and trained in outsmarting gravity, the pilots at Advanced Air Incorporated teach their trade to all newcomers, regardless of experience. Before the flight aboard a majestic Cessna 172, students receive expert insight from ace pilots, learning the ups and downs of controlling a mechanical bird. As each flight commences, instructor copilots will handle the complicated calculations and gizmatronic gadgetry before passing the reigns and putting students in control. Throughout the process, the instructors happily answer any questions regarding the experience, the plane, or how to get a scarf to flap vigorously on a calm, windless day. Once the plane lands, pilots-to-be are debriefed and provided with a logbook, where they can record their journey and note that flying is a lot like surfing web-based satellite maps, only with significantly less loading time and far more double-handed high-tens.

Fishing and boating activities abound at Pioneer Beach Resort, which has sheltered vacationers inside rustic cabins near the wooded shores of Spirit Lake and Okoboji Lake since the 1920s. Sprinkled across the resort's idyllic grounds, eight air-conditioned cabins each regale guests with a full kitchen, barbecue, and picnic table. As kids frolic across a playground, fishermen can stock up on snacks and live bait at the onsite, full-service bait-and-tackle shop before rehearsing largemouth-bass calls from atop ample fishing benches on a boating dock stretching 100 feet into the glistening waters. Resort guests may also charter pontoons by the hour ($100 for the first hour, $50 per hour after the first). Pioneer Beach Resort is nestled in the heart of the Iowa Great Lakes region, which brims with outdoor recreation, art galleries, live music, and a historic amusement park.

Since 2007, foodies have flocked to Iowa's Premier Beer, Wine & Food Expo each year to check out food and drink booths, watch cooking demonstrations, and meet chefs. Guests explore more than 100 booths filled with samples of wines, food, and cheeses they may purchase and store at a complimentary drop-off location until they’re ready to leave. Expo-goers may also enjoy cooking demonstrations and meet-and-greet sessions with nationally recognized celebrity guests, including Food Network’s Dr. BBQ and Goose Island Beer Company–founder John Hall. Not to be outdone, local chefs share the secret techniques, ingredients, and facial expressions they use to make popular regional dishes.