I went on a date with my boyfriend to visit the National Czech and Slovak Museum. Staff at the…read morefront desk was very friendly and helpful about the exhibit. It turned out to be a really neat exhibit, with lots of interesting information provided everywhere you turned. I liked seeing the rotating mannequins displaying the different outfits worn by the Czech and Slovak people. I also liked reading about their different foods associated with their culture. We both enjoyed our time there very much! The gift shop at the end of the exhibit was filled with all sorts of neat traditional items of the Czech and Slovak culture. All Very Cool! I definitely recommend for everyone to visit this museum at least once in your life!

I'm definitely glad I had the chance to visit the National Czech and Slovak Museum. However, it…read morewas a lot smaller exhibit-wise than it appeared on the outside which might be worth noting. Underground parking garage kind of seemed to be closed when we pulled up, but it is not - just don't be shy about pulling your vehicle right up to the door! The nearby Czech Village is a fun artsy neighborhood worth your time as well.

We stumbled upon this quaint little spot during a walk and were quite impressed by what we found!…read more Per the website and signage, it was built in 1876 and served the children of the Coralville area until 1951. It's a two room schoolhouse and they give free tours by reservation only. It's handicap accessible and actually looks pretty sweet on a nice day! We'll be taking a tour soon with more to come afterwards!

It was torrentially down pouring and time to take a stop on our cross country road trip, we got off…read morethe exit to walk around a target since a playground was out and saw signs for The Iowa Children's Museum. So glad we saw the signs this place was amazing it was just what our 2 year olds need to burn off some energy after 2ish hours in the car with many more to go. It was surprisingly large, has so many different rooms with different themes for the kids to explore. We let the kids play for close to 2 hours than grabbed food at the mall food court and went back on our way.

The museum is bigger than I expected it to be, attached to the mall. There are a variety of…read morehands-on activities for children to participate in and explore different interests. Some stuff was clean and well functioning, while other stuff was not. I'm not going to comment on the organization since it was mass chaos when we went. My husband's complaints are that some of the simulators didn't work, it was disorganized, and way too many big kids in the 0-5year old play area that did not have younger siblings and were UNSUPERVISED (specifically a group of preteen girls). My biggest complaint was we went on NYE and expected there to be a limited number of guests. We have visited different children's museums in the USA for the past few years and each one required tickets purchased in advance (and they all became sold out). But not this place. It was uncomfortably crowded and during the time of the ball drop, you couldn't move. We couldn't move even if we wanted to go to another area to play. So during the congregation of guests awaiting the balloon drop, my kids wanted to move around and I tried to hype up the balloon drop instead since we were stuck in place. Once the balloons were released and both children and their parents were savages, I realized my kids wouldn't have a chance of getting a balloon, so we moved on to another exhibit to play and spend some energy. Great! No biggie. Except we went to lunch in the food court shortly after and were disappointed to see families with 3 balloons per kid. My kids didn't cry, or make a scene or anything like that. They just didn't understand why they didn't get one. While we have no intention of going back to Iowa anytime soon, I hope they consider changing their policy to limit the number of guests inside the museum at one time, and consider encouraging families to take one balloon per child. We went to another NYE in the evening that had balloons and they helped entertain my children for the 7 hour drive home the next day.

First time coming here after visiting a Christmas market next door and wanted to check out this…read moregallery with my wife. Tons of great local artists displaying their passionate artwork and selling their work. It's a great little market, each artist booth has something more different than the last. Staff here was really friendly too. Prices are a bit really steep but everything is truly one of a kind.

As an avid downtown Iowa City window shopper, I adore walking past Iowa Artisans Gallery. Their…read morewindow always showcases so many quirky American-made treasures. The shop is definitely a place to find unique gifts or eclectic decor. I love perusing the shop because you never know what you're going to find. There are kid's pillows, exquisite clocks, gorgeous artwork, thoughtful greeting cards, trinkets galore, pretty jewelry and more! Literally there is something for everyone at Iowa Artisans Gallery. Items are bit pricey, but as are any quality handmade items. Not only do they offer great items for purchase-- but exhibitions, classes and events like the ICDD's Gallery Walk. This spot has been an IC staple since the 1980s. (It was actually founded by a dozen artists but has since changed ownership.) Come find a gem at Iowa Artisans Gallery!

This is one of those gems not to be messed. Henry Moore what's a local resident who made 1"/1'…read morescale handmade models his town and the surrounding communities with such skill and expertise that is simply boggles the mind. I've never seen anything like it. This all comes from an age-long passed when people had skills to make anything by hand. Henry Moore had an incredible talent the likes of which aren't ever likely to be seen again. We visited this place seven years ago and were completely blown away with what we found. This was our third visit and our teenagers love it. The beauty of his models are beyond belief and they took up a great amount of time to create. Do yourself and your family a big favor and visit this place.

Oh my stars, what a hidden treasure!…read more I still can't believe how cheap it was to participate in this wonderful event. For $5 I sampled long-lost recipes from the late 1800s, made from produce grown on the Plum Grove property's gardens which are maintained by local Master Gardeners. The event had that farm-to-table vibe with long rows of picnic tables set up in the lawn, centerpieces cut from the property's gardens, a brassy live band, and of course... the food. Tomato & Corn Relish Salad, Intensely Tomato Roasted Pepper soup (served gazpacho-style), Rhubarb Bread, Sauerkraut Apple Cake for dessert, and Patriot's Punch lemonade were some of my favorite dishes. After wandering the grounds and talking to Master Gardeners about their techniques for raising their beautiful heirloom plants organically (many of their varieties were sourced from Seed Savers in Decorah, IA), I went home a very happy camper with a $.50 recipe book of all the things I'd sampled in tow.

We had a lovely visit at the Stanley Museum of Art. The art is placed in spacious rooms that allow…read morefor time to gaze and reflect on certain pieces. Friendly and helpful staff. Underground parking makes this a perfect rainy day activity.

Iowa? What's in Iowa? The Stanley is in Iowa and it's worth the road trip just to visit this…read moreincredible art museum. Yeah, but do they have any iconic works? Yes, Jackson Pollock's 'Mural,' a work from 1943, checks that box in a big way. It's been included in Pollock retrospectives in other art museums. Okay, but do they have anything else? Yes. Whoever is on the team that put together this collection deserves kudos because it's especially strong in mid-20th century and African art. Do they have any Grant Wood paintings? Grant Wood is Iowa so, yes, of course, they have a few of his works, too. What about the building itself? Well, it's shiny and new and a true pleasure to walk through. Sound expensive. What's the admission fee? It's free! Bonus: the scholarship here is great and it's directly reflected in the well-written wall labels. This is hands down one of best two art museums in the State.

Besides rocks and chocolate, my other Amana must see is Catiri's. The shop is fairly small, but…read moreoverflowing with a variety of mostly local made artwork from jewelry to ceramics to oil paintings. It's easy to get lost in time while looking through everything. Pricing is in line with other galleries I've been to and handmade art I see online, but there seems to be a decent range suitable for most budgets. I last visited during this year's Wurst Fest and the highlight of my day was making my first purchases here. I scored a horsehair raku vase and a neat architectural etching, both of which I am super excited about. Highly recommend even just to window shop!

A must-see in Amana. This shop has been here for many years. Beautiful and wide selection of…read morecreations from Midwest artists. You'll find jewelry, pottery, blown glass, wall art and much more here. This is a shop that exudes 'if you break it, you buy it,' so maybe not appropriate for little ones. Moderate-high prices, but affordable (if that makes sense). 4/5 stars because the customer service was non existent. A friendly 'hello' goes a long way, especially when no one else is in your shop.