It's no secret that Iowa City is consistently ranked near the top in annual rankings of college towns. Ever since I have started school here, it is not hard to see why that is. This is a fun-loving town that bleeds the black and gold and offers quite a scene with nightlife and restaurants. Here, I will be ranking my 20 favorite places to go to on weekends and less busy school nights in Iowa City and throughout the University of Iowa's campus.
20. The Field House (Not the bar, the sports building)
The prime spot for intramural athletics on campus, this is a very nice place to shoot hoops, swim, or compete in intramural athletics. While my intramural teams have not had much success, I have enjoyed the presence of playing in this nice facility.
19. Campus Recreation And Wellness Center
This is where I go to work out. An excellent college gym with many racks for weight lifting, along with numerous treadmills and cardio machines with a running track. While not open too often, the lap pool used by the swimming teams, and the leisure pool are great spots for relaxation and exercise in the facility.
18. Panchero's
A campus favorite, this is a fast-food establishment providing excellent burritos, tacos, and quesadillas.
17. The Pullman Diner
This was my first Iowa City restaurant I went to. A popular eatery amongst the locals and students, I am a huge fan of their juicy burgers.
16. The Cambus
Surprisingly, I included the University's public transportation system on here. I find it to be a relaxing place to just chill out for a few minutes. It does sometimes help to get away from walking all over campus at times.
15. Bardot
This is very far from taking the reigns as the most popular bar on campus. But, it still is a very nice bar. While this one is smaller compared to the other bars and does not have a dance floor, this is a very nice place for a casual night out with friends.
14. Mesa Pizza
A go-to spot after the bars close, this is a fast-food eatery providing delicious slices of pizza. My suggestion: Try the Mac N Cheese Pizza.
13. Studio 13
This is a rather interesting place to hit up. Studio 13 is an LGBQT based nightclub with nightly drag shows and a nice dance floor. Another positive is that you only have to be 19 years of age to get in. So, if you are underage and looking for something to do at night without the risk of police trouble, this is a nice place to hang out, laugh, and have some fun regardless of your sexual orientation.
12. The Iowa Memorial Union
A staple for every person on campus, the Iowa Memorial Union has much to offer. From leadership offices to the IMU ballrooms and the Iowa House Hotel, this is an essential place on campus everyone should visit. Oh, they also host movies and other interesting events on the weekends. And the annual Dance Marathon is held at this location, an event I recommend everyone to participate in.
11. Carver-Hawkeye Arena
The spot to go to if you want to watch almost any sport that is not football, baseball, swimming, soccer, or golf. Carver-Hawkeye Arena is a place full of Hawkeye fans who want to cheer on their basketball, volleyball, wrestling, or gymnastics teams. The atmosphere at the basketball and volleyball games in my mind is underrated, and is actually very fun and entertaining.
10. Blue Moose Tap House
While this is not a popular bar on campus, it does house many musical performances throughout the year. Recently, I saw a guy on my floor who is a musician perform, and plan on returning to this venue in April to see Yung Gravy take the stage.
9. The Union Bar
I have only been to this bar twice, and that was to see Vic Mensa, and later, Wacka Flocka perform. This bar houses excellent performers a few times a year, and has a much bigger dance floor than a majority of the bars in Iowa City. If you want to get groovy without people pushing you around on the dance floor, this is the bar to go to.
8. Molly's Cupcakes
If you have never tried Molly's Cupcakes, I'm sorry but you are missing out. On the heart of Clinton Street, this store sells the most delicious cupcakes I have ever eaten. I am sure many in Iowa City would agree with me.
7. The Airliner
While this establishment herds in crowds of rowdy college students on Friday and Saturday nights, it also is a very nice restaurant. The pizza served here is better than any chain pizza you will find on campus. On Sundays, you can get slices of this amazing pizza for just $1 each.
6. The Summit
Without a doubt, this bar is mine, and many other students favorite place on campus. On football Saturdays when the Hawkeyes are on the road, many students flock here decked out in black and gold to watch the team on one of their many televisions. As for me, I also love the collection of Chicago Blackhawks jerseys on the wall, so this place does in a way, remind me of my favorite city and NHL team. During the nighttime, this place is a total party atmosphere.
5. Any house party in Iowa City
Ever since the University banned fraternities from hosting parties at the chapter houses, parties at students houses have become one of the top places to hit up on Friday and Saturday nights. Typically, the atmosphere will be very crammed since these houses are not equipped with sufficient space to properly host 50+ people. Despite that, it is always a thrilling night out to get an address to one of these houses to drink and hang out with friends. Especially a great place to play some beer pong.
4. Sports Column
One of the bars I hit up frequently, the Sports Column is a very nice location to spend a night out with friends. If you are a die-hard Hawkeye fan, you may love this place, as they have jerseys of NFL players who are Iowa alums hanging on the wall.
3. Any tailgate on Melrose Court
The University of Iowa has a huge fanbase for football. With a huge fanbase comes a huge tailgating scene. The best (and most popular) tailgates can be found close to Kinnick Stadium at multiple houses on Melrose Court. Hundreds of students show up in the backyards of these houses on Saturdays of home football games to pregame the Iowa City way.
2. The Field House Bar
My favorite bar on campus, this place has a phenomenal atmosphere for hard party-goers. Banners of every Big Ten School hang down from the ceiling, and on top of that, many Iowa sports memorabilia is present throughout the establishment. The most fun part about this bar comes with the dance floor. Every Friday and Saturday night, students crowd the dance floor beneath the DJ blasting tunes for people to get groovy and dance along with.
1. Kinnick Stadium
This is the one place that will never get old for any Iowa fan. Over 70,000 fans come down to Kinnick Stadium on fall Saturdays aggressively cheering on their beloved Hawkeyes. The fan atmosphere is just incredible, and my first year attending games in this stadium was made extra special with the introduction of the famous "Hawkeye Wave" to the kids battling cancer at the Stead Family Children's Hospital next door. My best experience at Kinnick Stadium was easily when the Hawkeyes trounced the highly ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and we all got to storm the field. Oh yeah, I was in the front row for that game too.