Loved this FREE event at a gorgeous North Liberty park. Recognized some familiar names on the…read morevending and music lineups and figured I'd make the drive from Marion to support my friends. I knew it was a longstanding community event, but didn't realize the scope of production that goes into it. The stage is MASSIVE and they had some really cool artists performing throughout the day. There was plenty of room to set up a blanket or chair, sip your beer, and enjoy the music. (It did start to fill up quickly in anticipation of the last two acts, so grab your spot early!) There were stations with fans blowing cool mists, free ice water tanks, and a few places to get out of the sun. The Blues & BBQ sign is a great photo opp. In addition to the beer tent by the stage, there were about ten vendors or so offering a variety of sips and bites. A little something for everyone, including multiple bbq options, tacos, shaved ice, and ice cream. I know the beer tent is a big factor in keeping this free, so it would be great if there was more than one non-alch option (and ideally root beer wouldn't be the same price as a beer - say $4 or $5 instead of $7). All in all, really great community event. I heard a rumor the park is being renovated to add shade and other amenities, so next year there will not be a festival. I'm sure it'll come back bigger and better than ever!

Fun event and free for everyone! Had great weather this year that made it comfortable to enjoy the…read moreshows and food a little bit more. All musical acts were awesome and were so fun to listen to in front of the stage or out about the park. Inflatables and other park equipment for kids to climb and a good amount of shaded seating for everyone to enjoy. The food truck options keep growing so anyone can find something they like. I like to go sometime earlier in the day and then come back later to hear the final show, all while trying some good brisket or pulled pork.

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.

We had a blast here this Saturday as a family. My son loved the derecho slide and the corn palace…read more He was enamored with making bubbles so much he didn't want to leave. I enjoyed picking flowers and looking at the butterflies. The wine slushies were delicious and refreshing after picking the wildflowers/sunflowers. Ended with fries, wine and live music to wrap up the night. Beautiful farm to come enjoy the summer in. Highly recommend!

One of the first farms I visited, as a "sight-seer" and the FIRST farm I took my son to. Even as a…read morenew mom, all kinds of thoughts floating around in your head, consuming your attention, I was still able to relax and enjoy the setting - The goats were probably most interesting and active The different activity areas were cool and unexpected; swings, climbing apparatuses, "lounging"/seating areas, inflatable jumper, etc Definitely enough to keep children entertained & occupied. We could've stayed even longer, but I came unprepared for the blowout my baby had... Plenty of easy parking

I went to the Festival of Iowa Beers in Amana, Iowa with my boyfriend and we met up with some…read morefriends while we were there. The line was really long to get in, but the people working came down the line and checked our tickets and gave us wrist bands before the gates opened; so, when the gates did open, the line moved super fast, which was awesome! There were so many different beer vendors set up with booths all around lined up in the field where the event was taking place. Also, there was a live band called, "Dogs On Skis," playing nearby in the field of the event, which was very awesome. It was a hot day, but most of the booths had shelter to provide shade to both those working at the event and those who were enjoying the event. There were also 3 food trucks nearby for people to eat as they tried all if their different beers. The food wasn't bad; my boyfriend got a pizza from a food truck and liked it a lot, and the price of food wasn't too bad either. Overall, great event! Can't wait until next year!

i know i'm writing a review for an event that occurs just once a year, but this is gotta be one of…read morethe better kept secrets of eastern iowa. for $15 entry, you can taste all the beer you can handle. a few local brewers and a few that have traveled a few more miles. ipa's, various flavor inspired beers, a hat contest, live music, and just an area to lounge around and enjoy a lazy afternoon. look forward to going back for more.

How have I never written a review!?…read more Colony Acres Family Farm is an NL staple-- having been around for over 25 years! In the summer it boasts sunflowers. In the fall there's games, food/drinks, pumpkin patch picking, a market and of course, the corn maze. In the winter Colony Acres offers fresh-cut trees and Santa. I've only event ventured here during the fall-- tickets are $11-16. (*Pro Tip: order online to save a few bucks a ticket.*) My kids adored the zip line, slides, train ride, bouncy pad and corn maze. We typically don't get pumpkins here but there's a wide selection of those-- mums, corn stalks, hay bales and more. The farm is closed Mondays and Tuesdays during the fall. It allows dogs! There's plenty of parking. Staff is uber friendly. Stop by.

I am going to review this as if I had kids. If I had kids, this place would've been awesome! There…read morewere tons of activities for the kids to do, things for them to play on, some kind of bouncy thing(that's a fairly technical term), just a lot of really cool stuff for kids. However, if you don't have kids, save your money as there really isn't anything for adults to do. Sure, there is a corn maze, but that is really it. Like I said, though. If you have kids, check this out as it looks as if it would be a blast.

Another great time in Amana for Oktoberfest…read more We were here all week but spent the most time in town on Friday. The weather was great. We did quite a bit of shopping at the quaint shops in town, then had lunch under the Oktoberfest tent. The Trotter (smoked pork shank) was excellent! We made our way into Festhall and sat with our friends and was entertained by Barefoot Becky and her band. Saturday brought the rain to Oktoberfest but there were still a lot of people in town. We look forward to our next time here in Amana at a future Oktoberfest.

I went to Amana Oktoberfest while going to the Amana Wurst Festival. I met up with some friends and…read morewe went and explored the Festival. I loved getting the Amana Wurst Festival pint mug that was made out of silicone and tie-dyed in color; however, I feel like it was way overpriced, as it cost $17 and then I had to pay for the beer inside of it and it was $5 per fill. The Festival was kind of a disappointment with the disorganization of events hosted during the Festival and with the long lines that you had to wait in just to taste a piece of what they were selling. And oh boy if you were in the wrong line, or if you wanted to try more than one item, then you pretty much had to be there all day with the slow-moving lines. It seemed like the whole event could have been planned out better with the landscaping available. I will probably not be making it back to this event.

What a great way to celebrate the 4th of July! You can't beat live outdoor music, fried food, and…read moreone of the best firework displays I've seen-Right up there with The Taste of Minnesota's fireworks In downtown St. Paul.

I just happened to be passing through Cedar Rapids and I stopped at the festival, because if you're…read moreever in a town and you stumble across a Pride celebration, you have to go. Trust me. You'll have a great time. One might think that Iowa would be a strange place for a pride festival, but since Iowa actually allows gay marriage, it makes sense. Cedar Rapids Pride is quite a small celebration, as one would expect, however, it was very nice. On the Saturday, in Greene Square Park there was a selection of food, vendors, music and entertainment. It seemed like a small but well-organized, clean gathering. The rest of the 2010 schedule consisted of: Tuesday, a night at the movies with the showing of Transamerica. Wednesday, a showing of "Come As You Are" touted on the website to be the "gay Vagina Monologues". Thursday, a community appreciation potluck. Friday, Pride Prom. Sunday, Pride Brunch. I applaud Iowa and Cedar Rapids for celebrating diversity and having a fun well organized pride.

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!