Every August, a little magic happens in downtown IC. The taste of IC is a chance for local spots to…read moreshowcase their culinary prowess to the masses. Tickets for food are purchased from a number of booths set up around downtown and are $1 each. Samples from approximately 40 restaurants in the area run between 1-4 tickets each and give all comers a great chance to sample a few or many of the offerings around town. In 2012, Molly's cupcakes, Mesa Pizza, Moonrakers, Basta and Masala were our favorite spots, but it's seriously hard to go wrong when you can walk around on a nice evening for 3 hours and go costco sample style for $20. A great event for a city that's doing a good job at expanding their culinary offerings downtown. Well worth a stop by when it's going on, you won't be disasppointed and you might even find your favorite new restaurant!

Downtown Iowa City is becoming a foodie's paradise. Places like Pullman, Iowa Chop House, Atlas,…read moreBasta, Forbidden Planet, Formosa, Devotay, and Masala are a few of my favorites (yes, only a few from my favorites). There are several tents stationed around the downtown area where you can buy tickets and pick up a map. $1 gets you 1 ticket (sold in bundles of 5). All the participating restaurants then have tables set up outside their storefronts where they're serving sample-sized versions of items on their menu and sampling these items requires anywhere from one to three tickets. My personal favorite of everything I tried this year was Pullman - their cinnamon roll with ice cream on the side melts in the mouth but the pulled pork sandwich was incredible. Let me say that again... incredible. I also really enjoyed the samples from Formosa, Iowa Chop House, and Pop's Old-N-New BBQ. Oh my word, I can hardly wait until my next dine-in experience at any of these restaurants! I love this event since it's an opportunity to sample new dishes and new restaurants without the commitment of ordering the full dish. The Taste of Iowa City seems to be growing in popularity and in offerings, with live bands and performances, plus a giant blow-up Herky on the Ped Mall, all upping the ante and making this a fun chance to slow down and enjoy the atmosphere of Downtown Iowa City.

The Iowa City Jazz Festival is a FREE festival held in the Pentacrest of University of Iowa for…read morethree days at the start of July each year. I attended in 2012 & 2013 and both years had a good time. Even despite it being a free event the bands are good and the sound/lighting are well engineered. Many younger (presumably students) people attend which adds a little more 'buzz' to the festival. The festival has been going strong since 1991 when it was founded. Suitable for the whole family, if you're in the area I would attend but probably would not 'fly-in' for it... A good effort by Iowa City and I hope that the festival continues for many years to come.

Held over the fourth of July weekend each year, this festival is consistently one of the best and…read moremost well attended festivals of the year. Clinton street shuts down for the weekend and plays host to a couple delightful beer tents, an increasing number of food vendors and plenty of random vendors with everything from phone deals to novelty shirts. Throughout the day Jazz is played to get you in whatever mood you'd like to be in. Around 6 pm, the main stage starts hoppin' and has, so I'm told my friends who are Jazz fans, some pretty big names. Regardless of whether or not they happen to be DJ Jazzy Jeff (The only Jazz person I know...), the music is excellent and makes for a nice chill evening. This past year, the food choices increased considerably and included a Caribbean spot, a number of BBQ places and the standards. In addition, if you're in the mood for a calzone (which it appeared few people were), those are available too. All in all, great stuff for all ages, very family friendly and overall - super chill. A great festival to check out where you'll probably hear something you like - because seriously, what else do you have going on all 4th of July weekend!

A yearly wonderful celebration of all things Art in the Iowa City and surrounding area. It takes…read moreplace throughout downtown with whole streets lined with shops showcasing just about any art medium you can think of. We saw some great blown glass, plenty of paintings and lot in between. Everyone here is obviously proud of what they're doing and it shows in the pricing. Worth you time if you're looking for something out of the ordinary. The food row is the same stuff that often shows up downtown and ranges from Gyros, to chicken to Korean tacos and bubble tea. It's good stuff and an increasing number of them are taking credit cards, which makes things a lot easier. There's plenty for kiddos and a parade of Friday evening. Well worth checking out, with or without the kids.

Very nice art festival held typically the first week of June in downtown Iowa City. You can expect…read morea lot of different art vendors, live music, and fresh prepared food trucks. They do a good job of kicking summer off right. I've been a few times and have always enjoyed it.

The Englert Theatre is an Iowa City treasure…read more I had the pleasure of attending the Nutcracker with my family this past weekend and The Englert Theatre did not disappoint. The theatre is well maintained; it's a cozy space and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Additionally, the staff is passionate and insanely helpful. The Theatre was opened over 100 years ago (1912) by a husband and wife (the Englerts) -- it actually used to be a stable. Mr. Englert passed away in 1920 and it changed ownership (of which ended up running the theatre for 80 years before selling). It almost burned down in 1926 but after a huge amount of fundraising, was rebuilt to its 1920s glory and charm. Eventually, the City of Iowa City was persuaded to purchase the theater and hold it in trust until funds could be raised for a newly formed nonprofit to purchase and renovate the space. In 2004, after an immense amount of fundraising, the Englert returned to the community with its first live performance in over 40 years. Truly, a Downtown Iowa City, gem. The Englert has two huge festivals each year -- Mission Creek and Witching Hour. Beside that you can catch a plethora of different shows throughout the year-- all of which seem to be priced accordingly. I'd probably give this closer to a 4.5 rating, vs 5. I only say that because in my nearly 30 years as an Iowa City resident, I can't say many of the shows have attracted me to attend. Additionally, concessions are limited. I must note: my mother-in-law wasn't insanely thrilled with how handicapped accessible the bathrooms were. (Though there is an elevator and there are wheelchair accessible seating areas on both floors.) Iowa City has a parking problem, so it's not the Englert's fault. I'd recommend the Dubuque Street Parking Ramp. But all in all, how lucky are we to have The Englert live and thrive in Iowa City?

I finally got an inside look at the Englert Theatre while attending the Social Brand Forum and what…read morea regal event space this is! The antique qualities of the building have been well-restored and there's a level of nostalgia to the space that makes me eager to return for future performances. There are certain details that could use updating (like the elevator, oh lordie), but considering this theatre was rescued from becoming condemned and is now run by a community-involved non-profit, it's definitely a space that I look forward to revisiting soon.

Please go to this- IT'S FREE! Check out the various stories and be open to not being in control of…read morewhat's in your face...good laughs and great conversation starters! IT'S FREE....

The IC Jazz Festival is a local treasure. It has been going on in the heart of downtown Iowa City…read moresince 1991. It is historically three days long and takes place the weekend of the Fourth. You're encouraged to bring a blanket or chair to enjoy live performances-- which take place on two different stages. There are hundreds of people camped out on the Pentacrest lawn-- it is a super cool atmosphere. The lineup normally includes both well-known jazz musicians as well as some up-and-coming talent. It's pretty cool that the festival is free considering how stellar and robust the programming is. There is a beverage garden set up on Clinton Street. (With a plethora of craft selections as well as some wine.) There are booths, food trucks and more throughout. It is a bustlin place that you're bound to see someone you know. I stopped over this past Jazz Fest and it did not disappoint. There were tons of people, great music, fabulous refreshments-- it was THE place to be in IC.

For the size of the city, it does really well. You can even somehow sometimes find parking which is…read morefree for an hour in the adjacent lot. The only thing that threw me off was the tokens. I thought you had to buy these wooden chips and most places except cash or card so I don't know as I ended up losing Some of my wooden chips. The food options are fine. It's the same vendors you often see at the Iowa football game, jazz festivals, etc.. I chose the morning fix even though I usually get the Asian eggrolls and crab Rangoon's

lots of vendors it was raining outside so that fact that it is in a parking garage was helpful. I…read morewould like to come back and hang out for longer next weekend when it's not rainy! lots of yummy baked goods. We picked up a lot in a short amount of time but I would but recommend the breakfast pita with eggs, regular pita would be a lot better. Hummus was delicious as always I love this hummus I always pick it up from hyvee. The hot pepper jelly is great with the fresh sourdough bread from valaries french cooking! Can't wait to try more vendors on a hopefully sunny day next weekend!