Things to Do in Waterloo

Nestled in a remodeled bank that was built in 1905 by baseball player Jake Kimm, the Iowa Baseball Museum of Norway today chronicles the history of the American ballgame in Norway and the talented players who learned to catch, pitch, and give inspirational pep talks to baseballs in the town before going on to join the major or minor leagues. The old Norway High School’s odds-defying 1991 baseball team was featured in the film The Final Season, and the museum delves into the high school’s rich relationship to the sport over the years. Volunteers created or organized all of the displays, murals, trophies, and photos, turning each exhibit into a labor of love.

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.

An indoor baseball, softball, and soccer training facility, The Batter's Box provides athletes of all ages a year-round spot to improve their skills. Balls and bats clack at nine different baseball and softball areas—including six automated batting cages and a bullpen tunnel—where pitchers practice throwing from the stretch and learn what it takes to not be a belly itcher. Under the same roof, a 5,000-square-foot oasis of AstroTurf sprawls before soccer players, and professional instructors dish out coaching tips to individuals or groups during lessons.

The same venue that hosts weddings and upscale dinners also welcomes established comedians and rock bands, making First Avenue Club a go-to destination for all manner of events. Inside, a full-service bar overflows with 12 draft beers, 40 bottled beers, and a wealth of mixed drinks. Further behind the scenes, the kitchen fires up hearty entrees such as roast pork loin and baked cod.