Staying in Iowa City this summer?  What a coincidence.  Although I’ll be busy taking a few summer camps and working, I still want this to be a great summer.  So, I’m planning on taking a few trips with some of my friends who will also be in IC. Since we’ll all be busy with school, work, and internships, a vacation isn’t really an option. So, we’re planning on doing a few “staycations” to some fun places in Iowa that we can do on the weekends. Here are the top five mini-vacation ideas around Iowa City:

1.  Camping. 

There’s actually a campground about 15 minutes away from campus.  It’s called the F.W. Kent park and they have facilities available for as little as $10 a night.  So grab some friends, a tent, a few coolers, and some wood for a bon fire! Don’t worry, they have a shower house and real bathrooms, so if you’re a little high maintenance, they’ve got you covered.  They have a beach and some hiking trails too.

2. Theme Park.

Adventureland is a theme park located in Des Moines—a little under 2 hours away from campus.  They have a lot of crazy rides, like the sidewinder that combines both swinging and spinning (I’ll pass), and the Splash Over which is also known as the human washing machine. They have tamer rides too, as well as plenty of other attractions. If you’re going to visit, you might as well make a weekend of it and get a hotel in Des Moines and check out the nightlife there. 

3.  Water Park.

Just 2 hours away is a water park resort in Dubuque, IA.  It is a 25,000 square foot water park with a lazy river and various other fun attractions.  The price to visit just the water park is between $5-$18 per adult, depending on the day.  But if you decide to stay at the resort, which is super cute by the way, its about $150 for 4 people per night.   They even have a Tony Roma’s restaurant in the resort!

4. The Iowa State Fair

There is perhaps, nothing more Iowan than visiting the state fair, This year the fair will be held in Des Moines between August 8^th-18^th.  Carly Rae Jepsen will be performing on the 17^th with special guest, The Wanted.  Toby Keith and Kip Moore will be there on the 15^th.  There will be a parade, plenty of rides, artwork, tons of food and drinks,  and live music.  It should be a lot of fun—something you definitely need to experience if you’re going to be in Iowa this summer.

5.  Concerts

There will be a lot of good concerts in Des Moines this summer.  Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Heroes will be Simon Estes Amphitheater on June 5^th.  Taylor Swift will be at the Wells Fargo Arena on August 1^st.  There will also be performances by Toby Keith, Train, and yes, even Justin Bieber.

I'm pretty excited about my first summer staying in Iowa City, especially now that I know there's going to be so many fun things to do.  My goal is to do all five of these "staycations" as well as numerous trips to the Res and going back and forth to visit my friends and family in Chicago.  How I'm supposed to focus on finals now, I have no idea!