Really easy airport!…read more Seamless check in and nice staff! Bathrooms are clean, chairs are very cozy and they even have an outdoor patio with a fireplace by gate 1 & 2! Never seen something like this at an airport. Not many food options but the door has a restaurant, the Java House coffee shop (which has THE BEST CHAI) and a little snack shop. You can usually get through TSA within 8 minutes or less, I have TSA precheck and get through within 3 minutes!

I flew in and out of CID during my most recent visit to Iowa. This trip involved seeing my 97…read moreyear-old Dad in Ames, a side trip to Des Moines, and then over to Iowa City for my semiannual University of Iowa Chemical Engineering Alumni Board meeting. Compared to flying in and out of DSM, I found the amount of required driving to be pretty even. CID is an impressive small-medium airport, with modern features and nice natural light. I counted 13-14 gates, which seemed more than enough to handle existing air traffic and future expansion. I didn't notice any Southwest movement, but I did see American, Delta, United, Allegient, and Frontier business. Who's left? JetBlue? Sun Country? Alaska? I also appreciated the easy walking distance and navigation between Check-In, Security, Gates, Baggage Claim, and the Rental Car Parking Lot. This is the Airport that DSM is probably modelling as they work through their own expansion and modernization plans. TIP: Check out the gift shop for the Iowa Hawkeye Tchotchkes, with a few Caitlin Clark items thrown in. CID is definitely Back in Black.

Ellis gold course I think it's the best public golf course in the Cedar Rapids area, Nice views,…read moregood greens, well maintained course. There is a few water hazards, and can be a challenge for the begineer.

First time at the park and my dog got attacked to the point she was bleeding and there's a gash on…read moreher back. This is right outside of the park, we just got out of the car. We Paid for the permit, read all the rules, waited patiently in the car for the training section, did everything by the book. My dogs not aggressive at all, they was excited to go and meet other dogs (I have two standard poodles a 3 year old and 1 year old). Then this old dude pulled up with his husky and mutt, he saw us getting out the car, my dogs was on leashed when he decided to let his aggressive dog out of the car off leashed and attack mine, drew blood! Caused a gash on her back. Incompetent, ignorant, irresponsible, illiterate human being caused pain to my dog! We will be back and I hope and pray I see him again so I can sue him for the damages he caused. I hope the city put that aggressive dog down before that dog cause serious injury! My dog now in shock and in pain. Sometimes it's not you, but other irresponsible people! Now we got a problem.

I looked up this dog park when I first I decided to move to the area and we immediately made it…read moreinto our personal backyard. It's a HUGE fenced in space, divided into three sections - training, small dogs, and general. Plenty of space to play together or branch off by yourself. There is a gravel path that goes around the entire play area where human parents usually just walk laps to keep up with their fur babies. I've noticed about as much forgotten/missed poops as I have at other parks, but the backdrop of this one is so soothing. It's tucked back in Squaw Creek Park by the driving range, surrounded by wild grass and a community garden plot. The park is maintained by CR Parks and K9COLA, which hosts small events at the parks every so often (Halloween treat hunts?!)

World Class library in a mid-size Iowa city. Was it really necessary to spend so much dough on such…read morea lavish repository of books? Time will tell. However, it is a very nice welcoming facility. Very technological in nature, but don't let that scare you off. The staff is very friendly and professional. Your library card can be used at both Cedar Rapids libraries as well as Hiawatha and Marion. The parking lot is very small in size, but with helpful tutoring from library staff you can park on the street and in the adjoining parking ramp for two hours with no charge. Just ask how to do it. I'm looking forward to nice weather so I can sit up on the expansive, expensive 'green' roof. That should be delightful.

Cousin got married in the Whipple auditorium of the library yesterday, and the reception was at one…read moreof the conference rooms close by. Initial plans were to hold the ceremony up on the roof, but outdoor temperature and humidity, coupled with daily forecasts of thunderstorms, necessitated the change in plans. No worries, as they were all still able to get photos of the wedding party up on the roof and at other library locations. Since we were all here for rehearsal and wedding the two days I visited the library, I was not able to explore much, except for the Greyhound Deli & Cafe on the first floor, which was right underneath the conference room where the reception took place and the nearby Whipple auditorium, which were on the second floor. The space outside the conference room had tables, chairs, and couches and was designed so that you may look into the cafe's "courtyard" below. Oh, and I really enjoyed checking out the "green" roof and the porcelain patio furniture! Nice views of Pepsi's delivery areas... Hehe! All three levels are easily accessed by stairs and elevators. Would like to explore more on a return visit sometime in the future.

This is Jones Golf course and is either my second or third favorite golf course in the area prolly…read moresecond, they were out of business after the flood for a while but there are back at it, and the course is really nice. This used to be a 9 hole course but they have 18 holes of great golf. I'm not sure if there shop is back yet they had a little trailer they were running everything out of last year and I have yet been back this year but when I come home from traveling for work you will find me here!

So glad Jones is open. Played this weekend, beautiful, great course! Staff very helpful, beer so…read morecold you couldn't drink it, lol! GO PLAY JONES GC!

Nice newer library for the west side of Cedar Rapids to replace the old one at Westdale Mall…read more Well lit, user friendly, very convenient. Bike parking, EZ drive up to return books. Plenty of parking too.

There are only two study rooms here, unlike the downtown library. This one is a little quitter…read morethough, but it's an open floor plan so if anyone speaks or types too aggressively you can definitely hear them.

Old MacDonald's Farm is donation-based petting zoo is a good way to entertain young kids for 30…read moreminutes to an hour without spending much. With a suggested $1 donation per person, visitors can step into the goat and pig pens to feed, pet, and interact with the animals. Feed is available for just 25 cents per small handful. In the back area, you'll find ducks, with pictures identifying males and females. It operates seasonally, opening in early May and closing near the end of September, so be sure to check their website for current hours and information. When we first arrived, some animals, like the bunny, pigs, and goats, were asleep, but my son still enjoyed seeing and identifying them. Young kids (3-5 years olds) can also enjoy riding and racing small tractors. While the number of animals is limited, it's an affordable way to experience farm animals. Watching the ducks was my favorite part, while my son loved seeing the goats bump heads up close. It could use some updates in certain areas, but given its affordability, I'm grateful that the Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Department continues to run the petting zoo. I hope it remains accessible to visitors for years to come.

We LOVE this place. Perfect for toddlers. It's pretty small and not a lot to see. But if you have…read morevery young kids who want to walk around and try their mini tractor/tricycles and pet a chicken... it's just perfect. It's right next to (or part of?) a large pond area with ducks and a walking path.

There's a museum for everything, isn't there?…read more Not all of 'em are good. Some of them have fancy names, but clearly the museum founders' idea was grander than the reality. Some of 'em look funky or cool on the outside, but are just a dumpy old house on the inside. And some of them sound puzzling, but turn out to be pretty cool. This one is one of those. It IS good. No, it's GREAT. Goes in the "small-ish but well-thought-out and interesting" bin. Lots of things you didn't know, probably hadn't considered before. Nice section on how it might feel to be forced to be a refugee by your own country, and what it feels like to try to make a home in America - completely different in too many ways from where you came from. And surprisingly unwelcoming in too many ways, as well. Even the gift shop is fun. Take a look at the cookbooks. Your (or your friend's) aunt from the Old Country with the thick-but-cool accent probably made you a couple of recipes you'll find in there. You probably liked them, rolling home stuffedly after a filling, tasty lunch. Mm. Won't take you more than a couple of hours to go through the place, so you'll have time to do other stuff - UNLESS you stop in the library. If you have any family connection at all to Czechia or Slovakia or the neighborhood, you'll WANT to stop in there. If you think about it, bring your best version of your family tree. The library has lots of fun books to dig into, from books about the countries to books containing manifests of ships bringing refugees covering many decades. With the help of a very nice research librarian, we found mention of a Kabatnik coming over some time in the late 1800s. Might or might not be related, but it was fascinating to not only see the name in a passenger list, listen to the librarian's surmise about why they came here when they did. He also gave us more ideas about where and how to look for more information (hint - ancestry.com ain't all it's cracked up to be). Go there. If you're of Czech or Slovak ancestry, you GOTTA go there.

On my way through Iowa, I planned a stop at this museum because I wanted to explore my heritage and…read morelearn more about where my family came from. It's a very well put together museum, not large, but I learned a lot and I spent a good hour going through the exhibits. I think there was a film but I skipped it in the interest of time. I feel a bit bad because I was the only visitor in the place and I hope they get more visitors. It's a very nice museum and considering the contributions that the many Czech and Slovak immigrants have made to America, worthwhile to see.