This Underrated City In Iowa Is An Exciting Escape With Kayaking, Scenic Trails, And A Creative Arts Scene

Think Iowa is just endless cornfields and haystacks? Even if the Hawkeye State leads the nation in corn production, Charles City will splash the skepticism out of doubting visitors with its immense riverfront fun and creative scene. 

Set on the Cedar River between Des Moines, Iowa, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, America's most bikeable city, the city's paths make it easy to stretch one's legs. The scenic trails, such as the 5-mile Charley Western Recreational Trail and the path in Sherman Park, are perfect spots for walkers and bikers to enjoy nature. For water-sports enthusiasts, the Cedar River in Charles City's downtown Riverside Park has both a boat launching spot and a whitewater park for budding kayakers, paddleboarders, and tubers. Moreover, Charles City caters to lovers of art, literature, and cinema; its Party in the Park has been entertaining with live music in the summer since 2003.

To get to Charles City, visitors can fly into Eastern Iowa Airport (Cedar Rapids) and continue by car, roughly a two-hour drive, or pair a flight to Cedar Rapids with a Burlington Trailways bus to the underrated artsy hub of Waterloo before renting a car or jumping in a taxi for the final 50 miles. Visitors can also arrive at and depart from the international airports in the aforementioned cities either side of Charles City, Minneapolis to the north or Des Moines to the south, both of which are around a 2.5-hour drive from Charles City. 

The Midwest is home to numerous rivers that are perfect for tubing and other water sports, and the Cedar River is certainly among the best. Built in 2010, the 1,200-foot-long whitewater park in Charles City is the first of its kind in Iowa. The use of the whitewater park on the Cedar River is free of charge and can be accessed all throughout the year. Those tubing down the river are encouraged to wear a helmet and a correctly fitted life jacket. 

This part of the river has three distinct drops known as Dam Drop, Doc's Drop, and Exit Exam, with the first one perfect for surfers and the final one ideal for kayakers. Every June since 2012, the city has hosted its Whitewater Challenge Weekend, with competitive events and educational clinics for paddleboarders, river surfers, and kayakers, as well as a host of other family-friendly activities.

Charles City also has an array of outdoor spots to be enjoyed beyond the rapids. The 56-acre Claybanks Forest State Preserve is lined with somewhat rare maple–basswood timber trees. The forest is also listed as state-preserved land and for good reason, given that it plays home to world-famous Devonian fossils, which can help document life in the ancient world. Elsewhere in the surrounding areas in Floyd County, visitors will find many wildlife and conservation areas within a 5-mile radius of Charles City, including Winterink Woods, Trowbridge Wildlife, Wentlands Woods, and many more. 

Away from Charles City's nature offerings, downtown is somewhat of a cultural hub with plenty of spaces where creative activity thrives. Visitors can dive into women's rights history through the interactive exhibits at the Carrie Chapman Catt Museum, while the Charles City Arts Center has rotating displays in the Carnegie Library that are free for public viewing, and it hosts a variety of other cultural events, like artist receptions, holiday parties and markets, and global tastings. 

After visiting an exhibition, inspired art fans looking to pick up a piece can take a short stroll down to Schiller Fine Art, Photography & Framing via Clark Street. There, they will find the paintings, woodwork, and pottery of 30 local artists and can, of course, get their own photos framed, too. In addition, in the evenings from Thursday to Sunday, the historic Charles Theatre hosts a series of live performances as well as film screenings. 

Those more into books than movies should look no further than Prologue Books & Wine. Guests can sip on a glass of Portuguese Vinho Verde or a South African Cabernet at the female-owned indie bookstore at its author events. Prologue, alongside Tellurian Brewing, whose taproom serves up 14 different beers brewed in-house, alternates in hosting a monthly book club. If you get good and hungry, a riverside restaurant and watering hole, The Pub on the Cedar, serves classic American bar food with a wonderful selection of beers on draught. In terms of lodging, Super 8 is more of a budget option than Sleep Inn & Suites, which offers an indoor heated pool and gym.