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Cool Iowa small towns

ianoconnor said:
Anyone here ever had a Gunder Burger from Gunder, IA? 1lb of ground beef deliciousness.
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The Gunder Burger is indeed tasty. I think the Bubba Burger in Schley (about 10 miles SW of Cresco) tops it in both size and taste (if that place is still in business). It too is about 1LB. If I remember (haven't been in there in 10 years) they have a Double Bubba Burger. 2 pounds of beef. Not joking.
 
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superdorf said:
I think Iowa Falls is pretty neat.
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Thanks for the shoutout to my hometown! Iowa Falls is pretty scenic (it's called the Scenic City) with the limestone cliffs and Iowa River cutting right through the middle of town. I'm a little biased though!

As far as people suggesting Hampton goes...seriously? Hampton? That might be my bias coming out again :wink:

I will give Hampton the Franklin County Fair. It's the best fair around the north central part of the state.
 
IsUaClone2 said:
Things are changing. Small towns are fighting for survival. As the rural population declines, the small towns are losing critical mass and dying. My wife grew up on a farm south of Lytton and we are saddened by the decline of Sac, Lytton, and Rockwell City. Comparatively Lake City seems to have made the biggest effort at trying to stay alive and vibrant.
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That's been going on for at least 75 years, though.

With good roads and good, reliable, cheap transportation, people are far more willing to drive 20-30 minutes to a bigger town to do their shopping.

The small towns that actually have a reason to attract people for reasons other than just their existence I think will do well going forward. The ones that exist purely for utilitarian purposes will continue to decline and all but disappear in the next 25 years or so.
 
bellzisu said:
Rockwell is nothing anymore along with Lytton. It's only a matter of time before they are combining again with someone else. Don't they share baseball with Lake City... Or Southern Cal I guess??

Sac City is completely pathetic... It became nothing but a damn retirement community. Younger people tried to pump new life into it by getting into city politics, board of supervisors, and other groups, but the older folk always discredit every idea they have. Hard to revive a town when everyone in it is waiting to die. Completely a joke...

The only thing younger people have a say in is rec athletics and it's a complete joke. Most people have never played a sport in their life, are trying to coach, run, or tell people how to run stuff. Plus, summer rec is nothing more then a baby sitting service since most of the parents in town with younger kids are dead beats.

Sorry, hate to rag on my hometown. And I really don't care if someone their reads this. They would easily know who I am.

I would say... Stay clear of Sac City. It's a dead town, that keeps trying to cling to the fact they have the "worlds biggest popcorn ball". Which they have to rebuild every two years since people always have to challenge that stupid record. They care more about that then attracting people to that then the historic chatauqua building, 1 of only 3 left in Iowa.
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I used to live in Lake City...years and years ago, probably pre pre-school days. My Dad grew up outside of Auburn and for the first time in 9 years, I was through Auburn the first of this month and went to the cemetery were my grandparents are buried in and drove around town. Other than for some changes on 71, Auburn hasn't changed that much at all....a neat, clean small town.
 
Ruthven and Lost Island Lake.
Glenwood and its parks.
Another for decorah and Ida Grove. IG may be the tops.
MacGregor and Spook Cave.
Manchester and toy museum. Field of Dreams nearby.
 
i'd recommend checking out my hometown of parkersburg just to see the developments after the tornado and such. it's awesome seeing all of the new houses and everything but it could just be me.
 
Are you drinking? If so you have to stop in Jefferson, IA at the Ol Time Saloon (I think thats the name)

A buddy of mine and I do small town IA pub crawls, and we got 2 Bud light bottles and 2 Jaegerbombs for a whopping $5 there!!! Needless to say we didnt leave anytime soon:wink:

And if you make it that far, may as well hit the family restaurant/strip club in Carroll....Fun times:yes::yes:
 
trevn said:
Thanks for the shoutout to my hometown! Iowa Falls is pretty scenic (it's called the Scenic City) with the limestone cliffs and Iowa River cutting right through the middle of town. I'm a little biased though!

As far as people suggesting Hampton goes...seriously? Hampton? That might be my bias coming out again :wink:

I will give Hampton the Franklin County Fair. It's the best fair around the north central part of the state.
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Funny, my first thought was WTH is there in Iowa Falls besides the river? :jimlad: We only went there if we needed something from the grocery store on Sunday or wanted Dairy Queen.

This year is the 150th Franklin County Fair, so they're doing some special things to commemorate the anniversary. We always go back for the weekend and take the kids. You can't beat the homemade ice cream or church food stands!
 
superdorf said:
I think Iowa Falls is pretty neat.

What is the deal with the castles in Ida Grove? I've driven through numerous times, but never gotten the story.
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Castles

It sounds like the castles were started by one rich guy who liked castles. He built a few for his business, and others followed. If you go to Ida Grove, you have to see the Pizza Hut if for no other reason than to see what's probably the world's fanciest Pizza Hut.

sPizzaHut.jpg
 
I'll throw in Hopkinton, but only if you're a history junky. The entirely intact campus of a long defunct small college is there, operated by the Delaware County Historical Society. There's an obelisk in the central court that tells a very cool story, one that I was not previously aware of. In 1863, the college president called on all male students to be "100 Day Volunteers" in the Civil War; only two did not respond (one crippled and one too young). Only a handful of them returned and the obelisk is a memorial to the college war dead.

I went back when the historical society was "open" and was given a guided tour of every building on campus (wife & I were the first visitors to sign the register in three weeks). Things I thought were "cool"; there's a carved stone swastika above the gymnasium entrance (building predates the Nazis so it's Hindu); photo of the school football team from 1901 or 1902 indicates they beat the University of Iowa that season!

I also think Guttenberg on the Mississippi is a cool little town and I've always wanted to visit Britt during the Hobo Convention...
 
Pocahontas isn't anything to special, but when you come in on highway 3 on the east side, there is a giant statue of pocahontas.

Never actually done it, but it seems like everyone always stops and looks up her skirt and takes a picture or 2.
 
iccyfan said:
I'll throw in Hopkinton, but only if you're a history junky. The entirely intact campus of a long defunct small college is there, operated by the Delaware County Historical Society. There's an obelisk in the central court that tells a very cool story, one that I was not previously aware of. In 1863, the college president called on all male students to be "100 Day Volunteers" in the Civil War; only two did not respond (one crippled and one too young). Only a handful of them returned and the obelisk is a memorial to the college war dead.

I went back when the historical society was "open" and was given a guided tour of every building on campus (wife & I were the first visitors to sign the register in three weeks). Things I thought were "cool"; there's a carved stone swastika above the gymnasium entrance (building predates the Nazis so it's Hindu); photo of the school football team from 1901 or 1902 indicates they beat the University of Iowa that season!

I also think Guttenberg on the Mississippi is a cool little town and I've always wanted to visit Britt during the Hobo Convention...
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That's actually pretty cool! Thanks for sharing!
 
SE Iowa-

Mt. Hamill Tap - Mt. Hamill, IA. The best fried chicken in the state and a fun bar to hang out in. It wouldn't surprise if this place was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives someday.

Montrose, IA - Widest point in the Mississippi River and can see the Mormon Chapel from across the river. Great place to boat.

Burlington, IA - Eat at Martinis. This is the place that started "Graze" in West Des Moines, Iowa City, and the Quad Cities. Play golf at Spirit Hollow, one of the best courses in Iowa.

Riverside, IA - TrekFest. I have never went and I never will but the Trek fans love it. You can also catch the Casino and PGA course Blue Top Ridge.
 
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Instead of a specific town, I would suggest a trip up the Miss. River. My wife and I leave Ames and go east on 30 to Clinton; then we slowly head up the River Road (it is marked by a ship's wheel icon) and in that journey, you will come across a number of cool little towns. Here are a few: Sabula, an island town; Green Island, not many folks there but worth a stop; Bellevue, visit the bluffs overlooking the river; and then there are the Saint towns, including Donatus and Catherine. That barely gets you to Dubuque, worth a couple of days itself, but then it is obviously not a small town; still it is a very interesting place to visit, full of history, including maritime history.
 
IsUaClone2 said:
Things are changing. Small towns are fighting for survival. As the rural population declines, the small towns are losing critical mass and dying. My wife grew up on a farm south of Lytton and we are saddened by the decline of Sac, Lytton, and Rockwell City. Comparatively Lake City seems to have made the biggest effort at trying to stay alive and vibrant.
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You are absolutely right; and one of the things this country should get to work on as soon as we have a recovery is rural redevelopment. Wind farms are a start and maybe biofuels, although I am a bit skeptical, and buying your food locally can help; however, these are only small steps, and some creative minds need to focus on this problem.
 
I recall one family trip that included...

Spillville - Bily Clocks Museum
Nashua - Little Brown Church
Marquette - Effigy Mounds
McGregor - Spook Cave
Festina - St. Anthony of Padua Chapel; "World's Smallest Church" (seats just eight people!)
 
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