There are still some things to catch in the Cedar Valley just before school starts again and before fall begins!
Free Activities
1) Enjoy all the Waterloo Riverloop Amphitheater has to offer.
- Riverloop Rhythms offers free music Fridays from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Left in the lineup is Avey-Grouws Band (August 20, 2021).
- Cinema on the Cedar offers a series of movies under the night sky along the Cedar River. Upcoming movies: Raya and the Last Dragon (August 13, 2021), Hairspray (August 26, 2021), and Soul (September 10, 2021).
2) Movies Under the Moon features a wide selection of family-friendly films under the stars at Overman Park. While the film begins around dusk (or 9:00 PM), head down early with blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the live music. Left this season are Onward (August 13, 2021) and Adventures in Babysitting (August 27, 2021).
3) Enjoy the Farmers Markets offered all around the Cedar Valley with fresh produce, bakery items, food and drinks, crafts, and more through the end of October.
- Cedar Valley Farmers Market every Tuesday from 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
- Evansdale Farmers Market every Wednesday from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- College Hill Farmers Market every Thursday from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Waterloo Urban Farmers Market every Saturday from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Cedar Falls Farmers Market every Saturday from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
4) Take a break from the heat at the splash pads around Cedar Valley. The City of Redalyn Splash Pad is open from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM during summer months.
5) Visit Cedar Lake in Nashua, Iowa to watch the water come to life. Summer here is filled with fishing, skiing, tubing, wakeboarding, jet skiing, lying on the beach, and boat rides up the Cedar River.
6) Airport Lake Park in Chickasaw, Iowa is a 57-acre park with a lake stocked with fish. With a campground, hiking trails, boat ramp, playground, and swimming beach you and your family won’t run out of things to do and explore.
7) Mikkelson Park “Home of the Wooden Wonderland” in New Hampton, Iowa offers a municipal swimming pool and waterslide, a wooden wonderland, skateboard park, campground, playground, softball and baseball field, tennis court, basketball court, sand volleyball, disc golf, and ZipVenture Zipline.
8) George Wyth State Park offers more than three miles of paved, multi-use trails, over 200 species of birds to observe, boat ramps and fishing areas, a swimming beach, and a campground for you and your family to explore this summer.
Paid Activities
9) Visit Iowa’s hidden paradise at Lost Island Waterpark and enjoy water rides, a wave pool, a lazy river, food and drink, slides, a mermaid experience, and more with your family this summer through August 29, 2021.
10) Located right next to Lost Island Waterpark, starting at 2:00 PM daily enjoy a relaxing game of Adventure Golf and test your skills on one of the longest go-kart tracks in the Midwest.
11) Palmer’s Family Fun offers a multitude of family-friendly activities with go-karts, a driving range, laser tag, a jumping pillow, mini golf, and batting cages.
12) Visit Hansen’s Dairy Farm for a hands-on tour or animal petting tour and learn about the process of getting milk from farm to table. Reservations required.
13) With Singlespeed’s Pint Night Ride there’s funding to be had for both parents and kids. Every Thursday night through September 16 and October 7 and 21st. Pre-register for the event and meet at Bike Tech in Cedar Falls to enjoy a leisurely ride to the Singlespeed taproom in Waterloo, Iowa. Enjoy good food and drinks knowing 10% of proceeds will go to the partnering organization.
14) Located at George Wyth State Park, Maxx Rentals offers kayaks, paddle boards, canoes, tubes, pedal boats, SUPs, and floating water mats for rental for you and your family to enjoy the water. Equipment can be rented by the hour or for the day. Ask about SUP yoga!
15) Learn the history of trains in the Cedar Valley at Trains on the Farm located in Clarksville, Iowa. Trains on the Farm offers the history of the railroad in the Cedar Valley, Northern Iowa, Rock Island, and Chicago Great Western railroad through guided tours including the viewing and studying of trains, structures, and equipment.
16) Take a wagon ride into the wood at Hawkeye Buffalo Farms to hand feed the buffalo. Tours include history about the bison and farm while visitors often get to see other wildlife including deer, sandhill cranes, hawks, songbirds, and occasionally eagles.
17) The New Hampton Pool & Splash Pad offers times for swimming lessons, adult swimming, open swimming, and fitness swimming seven days a week. The New Hampton Splash Pad is open from 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM daily.
18) Cool down during summer at the Waverly Outdoor-Indoor Swimming Pools. This outdoor pool located in Memorial Park features water slides and a gated children’s pool for young kids with zero-depth entry. As the weather turns cooler continue the aquatic adventures indoors at the “W”.
We hope this inspired some fun-filled days for you and your family! 🙂 Tag #livethevalley in your pictures to show off your family, friends, or solo fun!
