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Top Things to Do in Cedar Rapids

Czech heritage permeates this town 30 miles northwest of Iowa City, where top things to do include visiting the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art (with the world's largest collection of works by Grant Wood), seeing the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, and shopping at NewBo City Market.

What To Do

African American Museum of Iowa Learn about what it was like to be a minority in Iowa throughout history. blackiowa.org

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art Admire the world’s largest collection of works by Grant Wood before checking out his nearby home and studio. crma.org

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery Taste smooth whiskeys and full-bodied wines at Iowa’s first distillery licensed after Prohibition ended. crwine.com

Cedar Ridge

Cedar Ridge Distillery and Winery

Grant Wood Studio Owned by the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, this is where Grant Wood worked from 1924 to 1935. crma.org

Grant Wood Memorial Window The Veterans Memorial Building houses this Wood-designed masterpiece, with about 10,000 pieces of stained glass. cedar-rapids.org

National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library Located in the business hub of the city's Czech community, Czech Village, the building houses elaborate folk costumes and more. ncsml.org

NewBo City Market What was once an abandoned industrial building is now the place to shop for produce, regional cheeses and local gifts. newbocitymarket.org

NewBo City Market.

NewBo City Market. Photo courtesy of NewBo.

Paramount Theater See Broadway shows, concerts and more at the renovated 1928 building, once a movie theater. Guided tours can be arranged on non-event days. paramounttheatrecr.com

Where To Eat

Brewhemia Try coffee and a ginormous cinnamon roll at this family-owned cafe. brewhemia.com

Caucho Find modern street tacos with house-made tortillas and fresh salsa near NewBo. cauchorestaurant.com

Cobble Hill The menu changes regularly, but chef Andy Schumacher's Parisian-style gnochi never disappoints. cobblehillrestaurant.com

The Pig and Porter Enjoy upscale comfort food and cocktails on the patio. thepigandporter.com

Popoli Ristorante and Sullivan’s Bar Upscale Italian fare tastes that much richer inside this 100-plus-year-old former bank. popolicr.com

Popoli

Popoli Ristorante and Sullivan’s Bar 

Sykora Bakery The line goes out the door as customers order kolache pastries and other Czech specialties. sykorabakery.com

Sykora Bakery

Sykora Bakery

Village Meat Market and Cafe Locals head here for smoked Czech sausages, goulash and candied bacon. villagemeatmarketcafe.com

Where To Stay

Hotel at Kirkwood Center On the Kirkwood Community College campus, hospitality students and professional staff provide top-notch service at the 71-room hotel and restaurant. thehotelatkirkwood.com

For more information visit tourismcedarrapids.com

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