We love this rest area and could likely write a book from our stops here over the years. Great…read moreplace to stop with the dogs on the way south or coming home heading northbound. The Northwood Rest Area, aka Top of Iowa Rest Area, is located just off I-35 at mile marker 214. It's just south of the Minnesota border and the exits off i-35 allow traffic from both north and south to stop here. It's a large rest area with lots of parking for cars and tractor-trailers. The rest celebrates Iowa's farming heritage and the main building looks like a big red barn. Clear Lake and Mason City are south of here. If you're a fan of The Music Man by Meredith Wilson, or Frank Lloyd Wright inspired architecture, Mason City would be a fun stop. Also in the area is Clear Lake where Buddy Holly played his last concert at the Surf Ballroom (still there) and flew out of the airport for his final flight. The crash site is walkable depending on weather. The area is ADA compliant and has rest room facilities. It also has phone, TDD, a weather monitor, vending, Wi-Fi, an RV dump station. This is the rest stop I pulled into when a tornado was hot on my tail. The storm shelter is in the men's bathroom. There is a welcome center that is staffed during business hours. They used to serve coffee and had amazing cookies, but Covid messed that up. The upper level also has a gift shop - we usually buy post cards if it's during business hours. This is a great place to stop. stretch your legs and take a quick break before heading back onto the interstate.

This was a convenient redt stop off the interstate. Lots of space to walk your pet or have kids…read moreburn up energy in a safe manner. Bathrooms are clean, and there are plenty of parking spots. Vending machines should be available, but I suggest going to Kum & Go, located several 100 yards away, and getting fresh food or snacks there.

A terrific welcome center at the top of Iowa on Highway 35, loaded with sensational customer…read moreservice, and everything that you might need on another automobile or truck journey. They have a great wall of Iowa travel brochures, vending machines, Internet access, maps, travel guides, and a gift shop that features locally-made items. Four patriotic rocks and historic markers also are there. Clean rest area. Roomy tables to catch up on email or messages. I have to compliment staff member Char, would was such a pleasant, kind person and was all about making the visit a good one. We should all be as nice as Char!

So this has to be one of the cutest welcome centers I encountered in the entire state. On the…read moreoutside it looks like a quintessential Red Barn and silo and they keep the theme going on the interior. The information packets for things to do in the area are hung along the walls and on the front of another little Red Barn in the inside and all the tables and chairs have an adorable black and white cow pattern motif. There are clean restrooms and lots of vending machines inside and they even have a little store called The Barn Boutique that sells miscellaneous artsy craftsy and touristy items. It was very cute. Whoever designed this welcome Center definitely had travelers in mind and did a great job!

Stayed here 4 weeks for work. Basically the cleanest room I've ever stayed in traveling all over…read morethe country, including high $ hotels. I always take sani wipes & clean rooms when I first check in since hotels/motels almost NEVER "clean" rooms, they just change sheets/towels. When I went to wipe things down in this room upon check in there wasn't even dirt on the window sill or any of the desk/nightstand tops. Newer carpet in Rm 4! They clean your room every day, vacuum, & refresh towels, take out trash,.....nice coming home from work to a clean/made up room. Mgr is very nice & she has a really cool dog named Rukus! This place is also in a quieter part of town, except for the occasional train that rumbles by but it wasn't often.

On the cheap. If you are desperate to save money and don't require a comfortable bed to sleep in,…read morethis is the place. Staff is courteous. Rooms have a minimalist setting. Good place to take your wife if you want to divorce her soon.

Museum review (not event space): I had the museum all to myself. That definitely makes the…read moreexperience nicer! The house is absolutely wonderful. Lots of furnishings still exist in the home and you get a real feel for what it might've been like. You also get a little bit of history of the Hormel family and the empire of SPAM (and more) he built! Definitely a nice complement to the SPAM Museum just down the street. Holly (or was it Molly?) was an absolute sweetheart in starting me off on the tour with some information about the house and history and apologizing for a non-existent FedEx mess. Thanks! COVID notes: Yes, they are open during coronavirapocalypse. For $5 you can do a self-guided tour. You can pick up a booklet or just read the information provided room to room, your choice.

What a beautiful home, I really liked this self guided tour, you will be greeted when you enter…read morethe home, $5 per person. You get a brochure with info on each room. There is an area in the back of house that is newer, they rent out for events. Very beautiful spaces.

almost Monday morning but after driving though the rain all night I realize that I'm done even…read morethough it's been just a few minutes since the welcome center. taking an extended pause here and the sun should be coming up in about six or seven hours or so and the Spam museum doesn't open for a while past that.. it's still wet out and not blowing or lightning or thunder - no weather at all as I pull up and walk around snapping pics or after getting inside for a little relief... basic sheltered facilities with a well hidden vendo-land if there is one and not a whole lot of anything else except this way cool windy walking path that would make for a good nature hike in drier, cooler weather. there's abundant parking for large and small vehicles and it was pretty much just me on the little side over night. got a dog walk area and a four level water fountain so everyone can get a drink. the whole place is nestled into the woods like it's hiding from modern life... and there's this fabulous little creek running along out front and I wouldn't be surprised to see a bunch of nature visiting between dawn and dusk....

CSI was recommended by my insurance company. I immediately contacted them and spoke with Mark, who…read moremet with me the following day. Mark diagnosed my car's issue and fixed it quickly at a price that was significantly less than the dealership estimate and way below my insurance deductible. This place hits the trifecta for businesses that I like to deal with: professional, honest, and friendly. I wish I could give them more that 5 stars.

Nice clean organized campground. Only spent one night passing through the state. Plenty of room for…read moreour camper, nice pool and very quiet. Thank you Nancy for a smooth check in.

This campground is like the Shrine Circus on crack. The very large pool has a hole in it and it…read morebeing repaired but it doesn't look like it will have water in it soon. They say they deliver firewood right to your campsite except when we asked, they did not have any firewood but we could grab some from last years scraps. The bathrooms have not been updated ever. There is a trickle of water in the showers, not enough to rinse shampoo out. The seasonal people all mow their own lots so there is a lawn mower constantly running. There are golf carts driving around in circles all day and night. There was a dirt bike at night racing without lights down the road. Saturday night was Karaoke night with speakers blasting until 11 PM, in addition to people playing very loud music at their campsites. Everyone is drunk during all waking hours. They said there was wifi but there is not. If you want a campground that is absolute chaos, this is the place for you.

My family and I rented out the Czech Inn BnB over Christmas this year and it couldn't have been a…read morebetter time. The whole place had beautiful and charming decor and was decorated for the holiday season. They seemed to have thought of every possible detail. A fully set up (and beautiful) dining room table, slippers for everyone, pack n plays for the little ones, and towel warmers just to name a few. Each room was private and had it's own bathroom, but there was also a large common area in the basement where we spent most of our time together as a family. It was absolutely perfect for us, and I couldn't recommend it any higher.

Very relaxing B&B -spacious downstairs w/quilters in mind -My cousins in Kansas would love it as a…read moreneat cousins get away