100 Things to Do in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Surrounding Communities this Summer
1)Watch the Five Seasons Water Ski Show in Cedar Rapids
2)Visit Ushers Ferry in Cedar Rapids
3)Go to one of the many outdoor movies (Iowa City Summer of the Arts, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust Movies on the River or Hiawatha’s Movie in the Square)
4)Celebrate the 4th and enjoy fireworks
5)Go see a Kernels baseball game
6)Visit the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Coralville
7)Go visit a local beach (see our stay cool guide to find one)
8)Go watch “the Reluctant Dragon” at the Old Creamery Theatre in the Amana’s
9)Visit Brucemore
10)Celebrate the 4th of July at the Coralville 4th Fest
11)Enjoy a Freedom Festival Event
12)Visit one of the parks on our Top Picks Guide
13)Cool off at splash pad (see our stay cool guide to find one)
14)Go fishing at one of our many lakes
15)Go to at least 2 different events with the local libraries
16)Spend the day at the Iowa Children’s Museum
17)Bounce around at a local trampoline park
18)Knock down pins bowling
19)Go to the St. Jude’s Sweet Corn Festival in Cedar Rapids
20)Spend the day at Lake Macbride
21)Go to Old McDonald’s Farm at Bever Park in Cedar Rapids
22)Take a kids cooking class at an area Hy-Vee
23)Wonder around the Amana Colonies
24)Enjoy a storytime at one of the offsite locations (sees storytime guide for locations and times)
25)Visit Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center
26)Go for a stroll and visit the Indian Creek Nature Center
27)Visit a local Farmers Market (see our Farmers Market guide)
28)Go to a parade
29)Play miniature-golf (Airport National, Planet-X, and AirFx all offer it for a cost)
30)Check out the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
31)Go to the Iowa City Jazz Festival
32)Enjoy one of the many concerts in the park
33)Go for a family bike ride on one of the area trails
34)Go on a nature walk in your neighborhood
35)Spend an afternoon at Planet-X in Cedar Rapids
36)Go ice-skating (Cedar Rapids Ice Arena and Coral Ridge Ice Arena)
37)Enjoy a picnic in a park
38)Take part in one of the many reading programs (see our Reading Program Guide)
39)Eat some yummy BBQ and listen to Blue’s music at the North Liberty BBQ and Blues Festival
40)Take a hike in Palisades Kepler Park
41)Spend the day cleaning house and donate items to a local charity
42)Go to a Meet Me at the Market event at NewBo (Thursday’s 5-6:30pm)
43)Take a stroll around downtown Cedar Rapids and downtown Iowa City
44)Go to the Sunset Salsa in downtown Iowa City (see the Iowa City calendar for specific dates)
45)Go visit a local ceramics studio to paint (Renee’s Ceramics in Iowa City and Potter’s Obsession in Cedar Rapids)
46)Go to one of the weekly Party in the Park in Iowa City (Thursday’s- see Iowa City calendar for specific locations)
47)Go see Dan Wardell from IPTV Kids Clubhouse at one of the area libraries
48)Have a family water fight
49)Enjoy one of the fun days at your local pool
50)Go to the Iowa Imagination Station in North Liberty
51)Take part in the select Cedar Rapids Hy-Vee store One Step Garden Program
52)Cool off at Wasserbahn Waterpark in the Amana Colonies
53)Go visit 1 new LOCAL food place for a meal
54)Go to the Tanager Place Balloon Festival in Cedar Rapids (June 6)
55)Go to the Asian Festival in Cedar Rapids
56)Visit the Herbert Hoover Museum in West Branch
57)Go see one of the cheap or free kids movies during the day (see our summer movie guide)
58)Visit the African American Museum in Cedar Rapids
59)Check out the National Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids
60)Go roller skating at a local skating rink
61)Take part in the Linn County Parks Challenge
62)Do the Iowa River Landing Sculpture walk
63)Eat a cupcake or yummy treat from a LOCAL bakery
64)Enjoy a special family movie night at Kinnick Stadium on June 27
65)Enjoy one of the many kids activities that Barnes and Noble puts on each summer
66)Do a scavenger hunt University of Natural History Museum
67)Check out the Old Capital Museum in Iowa City
68)Stop and see the University of Iowa Mobile Museum when it is near you
69)Buy ice-cream from the ice-cream truck
70)Go spend time in the Dreaming Bear Art Studio in Marion
71)Visit the Play Station in Cedar Rapids
72)Enjoy the summer solstice celebration at Ushers Ferry (June 24)
73)Enjoy the chocolate stroll in Mt. Vernon (June 6)
74)Go visit 1 new town in the corridor
75)Join us at the Back to School Bash on August 8
76)Go listen to one of the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band concerts
77)Take a stroll through the Noelridge Greenhouse
78)Visit the Prairie Park Fishery in Cedar Rapids
79)Take part in Ragbrai events (Coralville and Hiawatha are overnight locations)
80)Play disc golf (Jones Park, Thomas Park are just a few of the locations in the corridor to offer it)
81)Make a fun craft at Michaels
82)Build something cool at Lowe’s
83)Make something awesome Home Depot
84)Check out a movie from your library for a family movie night
85)Enjoy a fun movie night at the Kernels baseball field on Tues. June 30
86)Pick one restaurant on our Kids Meal Deal guide and eat there for dinner
87)Enjoy a Sunday Funday activity at the Iowa City Public Library
88)Enjoy a canoeing trip at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Center in Iowa City
89)Enjoy one of the Summer of the Arts Friday night concerts
90)Take part in the Soul Festival in Iowa City
91)Watch a Cedar Rapids Titans game (June 13 is the last home game)
92)Visit the Rock the Block at NewBo City Market
93)Play basketball at your local YMCA
94)Play sand volleyball at a local park
95)Take a Cork ‘n’ Canvas painting class
96)Enjoy the sounds of Uptown Marion
97)Enter one of the kids triathlon’s (North Liberty and Cedar Rapids)
98)Go to a local Play and Learn
99)Enjoy a game of paintball (Shellsburg, Cedar Rapids each have places)
100)Go to the Marion Airport for the Fly-In breakfast
