This Iowa landmark is one of 4 (that I remember) that requires a drive in the country, while…read moreenjoying the vast stretches of rural beauty. The other 3 are the Estherville Meteorite, the highest point in Iowa (Hawkeye Point at 1670 feet), and the Field of Dreams baseball diamond. 75 years after that fateful plane crash, folks are still coming to the informal shrine to "Where the Music Died". They come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They turn into the small parking lot, not knowing for sure why they're doing it. We arrived as innocent as children, longing for the past. People will come, Ray. OK, that's from Field of Dreams, but it fits. After a brisk walk of about 1/2 mile starting from the big glasses, what I found was a stainless steel guitar and a set of three stainless steel records marking the exact spot where the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, & JP ''The Big Bopper'' Richardson came to rest following their final concert at the Surf Ballroom in nearby Clear Lake. A second monument was erected on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy honoring their pilot, Roger Peterson. Waylon Jennings was also at the Surf that day, but gave up his seat to Richardson, and took the bus. When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said in jest, ''Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up'' and Jennings responded, also in jest, ''Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes''. This would haunt Jennings for the rest of his life. Dad stayed in the car while I completed my lone pilgrimage. The visit was short, the day was cool, and this fan monument was insightful and worth the trip to this lonely stretch where unfortunate history was made. I hope that any person reading this review has a chance to visit here and the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, which is the site of Buddy Holly's last performance.

Took a detour of the road during my travels today and visited the Buddy Holly Crash Site. Popular…read morespot to stop and view the crazy tragedy that occurred on 2/3/59. The trail head to the crash site (which is located in a corn field) is marked by a large pair of Buddy-Holly type glasses. You can park on the side of the road, and then walk through the corn field on a well-travelled path to the crash site, which has some fan-made memorials there. I placed my sunglasses in the middle of the bridge of Buddy Holly's glasses in the photo attached. True artists and RIP to all that past that day. RIP Highly recommend checking out this spot. Pretty cool to see.

If you are as old as me, you will remember the commercial, "Ho, Ho, Ho...Green Giant!" That…read morecommercial worked on me as a kid, I used to beg my mom to buy Green Giant Vegetables. To assure my consumption, my mother always showed me the Green Giant label when she was cooking. It opened my world to vegetables! Today, I actually collect Green Giant ads and other paraphernalia as part of my pop icon collection. You will see some of my ads in the photos and also some photos of my visit to the Land of Giants several years ago.

Stopping in Blue Earth feels like wandering into an old time tv commercial with a sense of humor…read more The Jolly Green Giant stands tall and watchful, a quirky landmark that manages to be both kitschy and oddly comforting. What makes the park especially memorable is its musical instrument park--a pocket of creativity where kids and adults alike can strike giant chimes, tap on outdoor drums, and strum oversized metal harps. It's playful enough to bring out anyone's inner child, yet beautiful in a way that makes you want to linger. And yes, travelers rejoice: there are clean, well-kept bathrooms nearby, the kind you'd actually recommend to fellow road-trippers. That, combined with the friendliness of the place, makes Green Earth not just a stopover but a small adventure--quirky enough to be fun, wholesome enough to restore a little faith in community.

My mother and I loved everything music man in this town. We geo cached around here and had a blast…read more Mason City is a under rated gorgeous town with the history of Music man Musical

Scenic footbridge over Willow Creek named in honor of Meredith Willson. The bridge was originally…read morebuilt so people living in the neighborhoods on the south side of the creek could more easily walk to downtown (the bridge is over a block long and quite high over Willow Creek). The view is scenic with the many trees along the bank of the creek and the water flowing along. I can remember being "impressed" as a child riding across this bridge in a stroller (a cautionary note to parents). The bridge is worth a visit and was named in honor of Meredith Willson, but please note this is not the foot bridge that is an important part of the story in Willson's "Music Man." You will find a small "Till there was you" limestone bridge located in East Park (a few steps north of the site of the original band shell). Also, a little to the west of the band shell, and on the banks of Willow Creek, you will find the foundation of an old wooden footbridge that was once a popular crossing point. Willow Creek makes an attractive turn there with a view of limestone outcroppings. Willson would have been familiar with this location, and it would have been an appropriate location for such a song.

What an experience! We did the 4 hour Mystery Cave wild cave tour (the longer 4 hour one). Mystery…read moreCave is not only a super cool place to see (being 450 million years old, having fossils, being rather "untouched", etc) but the tour itself was amazing. Jake was a friendly, knowledgable, and engaging tour guide. He was very willing to answer questions (and I had a lot) and had lots of knowledge to share. His genuine interest and energy, along with the cool-ness of Mystery Cave made this unforgettable experience. If you're physically able (and do read the disclaimers/etc on the website), I highly recommend doing the wild caving tour!

Mr. cave was a fun and interesting and informative place to go check out if you're in South East…read moreMinnesota. The state Park pass and the two tickets for myself and my girlfriend to go to the caves tour, which took about an hour ended up being just under 40 bucks. Our tour guide Dayton. Took us through a whole group of well plotted out tunnels that are easy to maneuver in and also safe for the most part as long as you are somewhat capable of maneuvering. From what I saw, it was also mostly handicap accessible. Remember to wear a jacket it can get cold down in there.

What a great museum. The staff was great and I liked the movie that was shown. They have an ice…read morecream shop inside. The gifts hope was also great. Don't forget to do the house tour next door.

My mom wanted to stop here on a roadtrip she loves the music man and it was fun to see. I just…read moregreat to see set and things from the Movie.

If you're a rock and roll fan this is a must visit! We went to the Surf Ballroom in the morning and…read moredecided we wanted to see the crash site afterwards. It's about a 10 mile drive, you'll see a small parking a lot across the street from the Buddy Holly glasses. It is private property, but the owner is gracious enough to allow visitors and they maintain the pathway to the spot. It's about the half mile walk from the street, and it's eerily quiet! It's very somber when you get there and realize this is the spot where "The Music Died". People leave their mementos, which is cool. Definitely a must visit!

Great place to hike, fish hunt and find yourself. Learn about the areas history at the same time.read more

This was a cool little experience that takes you way back to a different era. The people are all…read moredressed in period costume and actually working the land with old tools and they will let the kids push one of the old fashioned lawn mowers you can visit the old barns and stores and learn a tad about history. The ladies were actually baking something from an old recipe and we got a chance to sample it ---the gardens are all done by hand and they use the produce from that to cook with. . It was a great little experience glad I went and worth taking your kids to if you are around the area.

This is the Worth County Freedom Rock. Completing the Freedom Rock tour of all 99 Iowa counties is…read moresomething my girlfriend and I have been working on for the past few years. We are four rocks away from the end of our journey at this time. Not only do we learn about the military involvement and the contributions of veterans in each county... A lot of times we stumble on other hidden gems, that we had no idea even existed, as we venture further into our own backyard. As happy as I am going to be when hit 99 and finish our Freedom Rock Tour...a little part of me is going to really miss these trips. We'll just have to find another "tour" to pick up! When you are checking out each Freedom Rock make sure you explore the surrounding area for other points of interest. And please remember to support local businesses...! Visit https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ for more information on Iowa's Freedom Rocks and the tour!

It's amazing that even 65 years after one of pop culture's defining tragic moments happened, people…read moreare still coming to visit here. Yes, this is where the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper happened. It is on a farm field, and I am grateful the owners let people walk a-ways to where the memorial is. It is about a half-mile from the parking lot, or where the oversized dark-rimmed glasses are from the road. Try to wear old shoes or boots when the grounds are wet. To get here, just plug it into your GPS. There are no signs that guide you there. Park in the "Day the Music Died" parking lot, and there are johnny toilets available. And please, pick up after yourself.

"I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed…read morebride But something touched me deep inside" Five miles outside of Clear Lake, Iowa up a county road, then a gravel road and then a 1/2 mile hike on a dirt trail through a corn field, lies a marker that marks the spot in 1959 where a small plane crashed. It is a pilgrimage that I have always wanted to do The isolated location and the majestic autumnal cloud formations created a somber and silent Sunday afternoon trek that was heavier than I expected. We streamed Buddy Holly's catalogue in route and American Pie on our exit. An afternoon I'll always remember. "But not a word was spoken The church bells all were broken"