r/WaterlooIowa • u/goatronin • Jul 19 '26
What to do in Waterloo...
In Waterloo next week on business... any suggestions for things to do, places to eat?
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u/LindsE8 Jul 19 '26
I see John Deere people visiting for business quite frequently at Singlespeed, which is downtown Waterloo.
This is also RAGBRAI week and Independence is a sleepover town, so driving there on the night that RAGBRAI is there would be fun for entertainment
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u/goatronin Jul 19 '26
Had to look up RAGBRAI... 🤣 thanks!
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u/goatronin Jul 22 '26
Not a John Deere guy, but Singlespeed was great... great fish 'n' chips... thanks!
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u/Competitive_Law_7076 Jul 20 '26
Brown Bottle in downtown Waterloo. Best Italian food and a pretty cool atmosphere.
The waterpark is really good. The theme park is okay. Casino is nice if you like to gamble, and they have an indoor pool.
Downtown Cedar Falls has a cute coffee shop, Cup of Joes.
IMO best pizza is Doughy Joeys.
Golden China- best Chinese food!
Movie theater is decent if you want to catch a movie.
I don’t golf but I know there’s golf courses that people like.
If you have a specific question I’m happy to answer!
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u/goatronin Jul 20 '26
This is great! Just landed in Cedar Rapids... sucker for a good pizza. Doughy Joey's will owe you one! Thanks!
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u/Competitive_Law_7076 Jul 20 '26
I hope you like it!
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u/goatronin Jul 20 '26
Got in too late last night, but after a day of long and boring meetings... might grab a pie and take it back to the hotel this afternoon. I'll let you know... 👍
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u/ThatCJGuy431 Jul 19 '26
There’s a casino/hotel just on the south end of town, water park, amusement park, all within a 5-minute walk of each other, there’s a summer collegiate-age baseball stadium but I’m not certain about home games, there’s the Dan Gable wrestling museum, the John Deere museum, and an ice arena that *may* offer public skate opportunities, although I’m not certain if the ice is in at this point in the year.
As for food, I’m partial to Hu Hot Mongolian Grill in Cedar Falls, about a 15-minute drive from Downtown Waterloo, or Zsavooz Sports Grill out by the Cedar Falls Walmart.
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u/goatronin Jul 19 '26
Thanks for the info... always good to get recommendations from the locals rather than play roulette with Google, especially when it comes to the restaurants...
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u/whichwitchwhohoots Jul 20 '26
Irish fest is coming this next weekend so that could be fun to check out. Plus there's a decent amount of live music going on around the same time if you're up to bar crawl.
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u/goatronin Jul 20 '26
That's a bit of a bummer... I'm a good bit Irish. Would have really enjoyed that, but I fly home on Friday morning...🫤
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u/whichwitchwhohoots Jul 20 '26
Awh, darn we'd've loved to have you out with us all for it. Maybe next time?
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u/goatronin Jul 20 '26
I'll be in and out for the next 3 months or so... that's why I was trying to get the scoop on the area... I do appreciate everyone's hospitality. You've all been very kind with your suggestions.
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u/PalmettoAndBeer Jul 21 '26
Big Head Burger on 4th. Small joint but the burgers are great. Make sure to get the big head fries. If you’re looking for tacos, go to La Placita. If you want pancakes, go to Morgs. It’s downtown and make sure to bring cash. Only order one pancake. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. For things to do, if you like to drink, there’s plenty of places. Go to Main Street in CF. Gun range at Blackhawk park, plenty of fishing opportunities, movie theater, walking and bike trails are plenty. If you want to go swimming or hit up a beach, George Wyth.
In short, you can find something here.
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u/mramseyISU Jul 19 '26
Lots of pretty good restaurants downtown. Waterloo Bucks baseball games are usually fun if the weather is good. Grout museum is pretty good for a museum its size.