Thursday, April 1, 2010

Bernard , IA

My family will be heading to Bernard for a week in the end of June. Any attractions we should see? Thanks.



Bernard , IA


Bernard is a very small town, so attractions there will be limited. However, it is within a short drive of:





- Dyersville%26#39;s Field of Dreams (from the movie)



- Beautiful country scenery around Anamosa and Stone City, made famous by Grant Wood



- The cave at Maquoketa



- The antique stores, history and pretty views around Galena, IL



- The riverfront attractions in Dubuque





Have a safe and enjoyable trip!



Bernard , IA


I can only assume you must have family in the Bernard area - if not, I cannot for the life of me figure out why you would be staying there for a week! Bernard consists of a handful of houses and couple of bars and that is about it. Prairiedog summed up some day trips that may be of interst to you.





I live about 10 miles from Bernard, so if you have more specific questions about something let me know.

Nice hotel for grown ups in Dubuque (or close by)

My kids are going to Loras Sports Camp and I%26#39;d like to find a really nice hotel or B%26amp;B or resort in the Dubuque area for my husband and me for a couple of nights. We aren%26#39;t really ';cutesy'; B%26amp;B types so I%26#39;m hoping for something a little different than that.





We don%26#39;t have much time without our boys so I%26#39;d like to make this as nice as possible. It%26#39;s only for a couple of nights so price is not a huge issue....also any great restaurants we shouldn%26#39;t miss?





Any suggestions appreciated.





Thank you!







Nice hotel for grown ups in Dubuque (or close by)


I don%26#39;t have first hand experience, but have heard people talk about enjoying the Redstone Inn. I don%26#39;t know about restaurants for a romantic dinner, there is a good little coffee shop with sandwiches (Cafe Manna Java) in the downtown area.





There are also quite a few b%26amp;bs in nearby Galena, which is always fun to visit and has some very good restaurants.



Nice hotel for grown ups in Dubuque (or close by)


Dubuque does have several B %26amp; B%26#39;s to choose from, but they would probably all fall into the more ';cutesy'; category you said you didn%26#39;t really want.





There is a Holiday Inn Downtown that is nice - nothing super special, but nice. It would be convenient to the Bluff Street shopping, riverboat gambling, dog track etc.





As the previous poster mentioned, Galena would be a good option also. Once again, their B%26amp;B%26#39;s would probably be of the more %26#39;cutesy variety, but there also several place that rent more private cabin type facilities. Galena would also have nice shopping, etc. to fill your free days.





In Dubuque, you should have a meal at Bricktown. The food is good and atmosphere fun. There is also a pizza place in the same building. Shot Tower also has very good pizza.





In Galena, be sure not to miss Vinny Vanucci%26#39;s if you like Italian food.





If you happen to be golfers, there are some very nice public courses in the area also.




Over the last three months I spent 7 weeks in Dubuque and thoroughly enjoyed the entire town.



If you want to stay downtown I would recomend the Holiday Inn as standard, but very friendly and clean, and the Redstone Inn for a B%26amp;B. Be sure to save the corner of your toast for Maddy, the Australian shepard that waits in the lobby.



Do not miss the best restaurtant in town, Pepper Sprout, on Main near the Holiday Inn. Owner/chef Kim adds personal touches to creative, seasonal dishes. The menu changes 4 times a year, so I can%26#39;t recomend individual dishes, but the vension on this spring%26#39;s menu was memorable.



Another good choice is DaVinci, at 9th and Bluff. Recently opened it is owned by the same people as Bricktown mentioned in another post.



If you like live music there are many venues in this town. Pick up the week entertianment newspaper, 365, of schedules.



Enjoy.




I would stay away from the Redstone Inn. I can%26#39;t believe people would recommend it! I went there to check out the rooms for a stay for my wedding and they are decorated and haven%26#39;t been updated since the 70%26#39;s. Nasty horrible shag caperting and everything. Way over priced as well. There is a b%26amp;b, I think it is called the Ryan House, that if you are looking for a b%26amp;b stay, would probably be your best bet. The outside is a little dingy looking, it is in process of being renovated. Other than that, We just had a new Hilton open up next to the dog tracks. I have never stayed there, but the restuarant, Houlihan%26#39;s, is very good.




I would check out the new Quiet Walker Lodge 8 miles outside of dubuque. It is a rustic log B%26amp;B surrounded by forest.

Ideas for things to do for a group in their 20s

I%26#39;m planning to have a few friends in town to visit. Besides the usual movies, bowling, golf, or shopping -we are looking for any other ideas (maybe a group of 6-8 people)? We are thinking we may go out to eat but many of the places I had in mind are not open Saturday%26#39;s for lunch. So I%26#39;m looking for ideas there too.





Thanks!



Ideas for things to do for a group in their 20s


That%26#39;s a tough one to answer without knowing more about the general interests of the group and when your friends will visit. But here are a few thoughts:





- A group bike ride or walk on the trails, Big Creek, Saylorville Lake, Gray%26#39;s Lake or Walnut Woods



- A Sat. a.m. trip to the DM Farmer%26#39;s Market



- A short road trip to Winterset/Madison Co. to see the bridges



- Tour a winery in Jasper Co. or near Indianola



- A short road trip to Ames to Reimann Gardens and the ISU campus





If anyone has a house, it might be fun to go to West End Architectural Salvage just to see the interesting potential home accents there.





Tell us what type of places you had in mind for lunch (which ones do you think the group would like that won%26#39;t be open?) and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll get some suggestions.



Ideas for things to do for a group in their 20s


Trostel%26#39;s Dish is awesome. It%26#39;s a tapas place in Clive.





When are they coming???

Tandem Skydiving

Looking for Tandem Skydiving Companies. Any suggestions?





Tandem Skydiving


Try Skydive Iowa in Brooklyn. It%26#39;s just off I-80 between Grinnel and Iowa City.



It%26#39;s an actual business located in Iowa not some cyber business that sells useless certificates.





It%26#39;s a privately owned airport used only for skydivng which makes it much safer. The last thing you want when skydiving is to worry about other airplanes in the area.



The place is great with a very professional staff.



Most of their staff have thousands of jumps and some are world record holders.





www.skydiveIA.com


  • facbook
  • flooding in Iowa, Cedar Rapids

    Can anyone tell me if the Super 8 East, one closest to the airport, is or was under water? Those floods looked horrible! Hope they can get back to some kind of normal soon!



    flooding in Iowa, Cedar Rapids


    The floods were horrible and it will take Cedar Rapids awhile to return to normal. However, the SW 33rd St. area where I believe that particular hotel is located was not under water from the Cedar River. But you may want to check with the hotel to see if it suffered any water seepage or other damage from storm related flash flooding.



    flooding in Iowa, Cedar Rapids


    If you plan to stay at any hotel in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area---check if there are rooms available. The many flood victims have filled most rooms and could be there for weeks to come.

    University Inn

    Is this motel in a good area? There are two positive reviews, so I%26#39;m hoping it is.



    University Inn


    This may be a bit late for your purposes, but I%26#39;ll still respond.





    University Inn is right on Duff Avenue and in a very commerical area of town with shopping (Target is across the street and the new Super Wal-mart is two blocks away), restaurants (our favorite Mexican place is right next door and Panera Bread is across the street) and many other services and stores within a mile in either direction.





    This is a decent area of town and should present no problems for your stay.





    Von



    (formerly of Ames, IA)

    Where to stay, dine and golf?

    We are staying in Sioux City July 8th-10th and would like some advice on where to stay, dine and golf in the area? We probably will be able to play a private golf course using reciprocity from our course so private or public can be considered. Help? It is right around the corner!



    Where to stay, dine and golf?


    I haven%26#39;t spent a lot of time in Sioux City, so hopefully other posters will have more specific advice for you. However, this web site lists some of the restaurants and area attractions in Sioux City: http://www.siouxcitytourism.com/index.htm. I have been to Minerva%26#39;s and HuHot in other cities and both are worth a try. The Dakota Dunes golf course is one of the better known courses in that area.





    I hope that you enjoy your trip!