Iowa-nice
Some cliches are rooted in truth and some miss the mark entirely. When it comes to Cedar Rapids, the adage, “Iowa-nice” was an accurate description of the friendly nature of everyone I encountered on a recent trip there with a trio of planners plotting their next centrally located event.
As Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell says in her message at the newly expanded Eastern Iowa Airport (CID), “Welcome is our language; hospitality is a way of life.”
Beyond the gateway, my three days in the City of Five Seasons (including a time to enjoy all of them) taught me to expect the unexpected. This is a destination rich in outdoor activities, culture, arts, dining and distinctive beverage choices. If you haven’t been to this popular Midwest drive destination in a while, it may be time to book a trip as a whole new crop of hotels and experiences are on the sweeping horizon.
Stay and Meet
In addition to producing corn and Quaker Oats’ Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries, the city is a bountiful source for the next generation of hospitality employees. From the moment I rolled off the escalator at CID at midnight and saw the bright-eyed driver holding the JT Long sign, I knew I was in good hands. The Hotel at Kirkwood Center gives students at Kirkwood Community College’s hospitality management program real-world internship opportunities in world-class facilities for culinary, parks and recreation, and sales and marketing roles.
Read More: Meeting in Iowa
The Four Star property started as a light-filled almost 20,000-square-foot, tech-enabled event center supported by industrial teaching kitchens and auditorium space and added 71 guest rooms over four floors. When school is not in session, all those fabulous spaces are available for unique corporate presentation formats. The facility is sized and priced for regional gatherings with no sales tax, no charge for AV equipment and $44-a-gallon coffee.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cedar Rapids Convention Complex is connected to Alliant Energy PowerHouse Convention Complex (also known as Five Seasons Center), the largest of seven concert and performing venues in town supporting a vibrant theater and sports scene. DoubleTree is home to 350 First which features some of the best views of the city and Cedar River. As an homage to the warm chocolate chip cookie at check-in, the restaurant offers a cookie sundae with caramel, chocolate and a cherry.
Another upscale version of a favorite brand is Hilton Garden Inn Cedar Rapids, which boasts a full-service bar and restaurant, a modern event center and an indoor salt-water pool.
If the agenda calls for getting out of the box, Living Building-certified Indian Creek Nature Center offers indoor and outdoor space paired with the buzz of local beehives and bird and butterfly sanctuaries.
Eat and Drink
Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery is a popular event center for up to 200 that channels the woody, earthy notes of a vineyard with wood-fired pizzas and award-winning bourbon and whisky.
Read More: Making a Tasteful Impression Through a Food and Beverage Program That’s a Cut Above
The choices for group dining are as diverse as the people with authentic Latin American cuisine (down to freshly ground daily on-site organic corn tortillas and a curated craft rum bar program) in the NewBo District (short for New Bohemian) and a James Beard nominee-run restaurant, Cobble Hill. Guests may recognize Chef Andy Schumacher from Next Food Network Star, but the swooning will come when the house-made desserts arrive at the table. I’m looking at you, caramelized banana tart with sheep’s milk cinnamon yogurt, puffed pastry and frangipane.
Do
In addition to the African American Museum of Iowa and Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids is home to the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library, a Smithsonian-affiliated venue with a grand hall and pre-function spaced topped by one of the largest glass-cut chandeliers I have seen outside of Vegas. The exhibits pay tribute to the search for freedom that led millions of Czech and Slav citizens to leave their countries in the early 1900s and find familiar rolling green hills in the Midwest.
A new mixed-use development downtown where an AC Marriott is planned is home to Pickle Palace, a lively pickleball, duck pin bowling and event space with a rooftop venue overlooking the river. A martini bar and cupcakerie are scheduled to follow.
For those looking to bring some local characters into their event, Kahle Atherton, the owner of Prairie Patch Farm, a 50-acre nature preserve, drives her pet llamas (sometimes in costume) in her minivan to events for neck snuggles. How fun is that?
This article appears in the July/August 2024 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
