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    Devonian Fossil Gorge

    4.8 (16 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Jenni H.

    I've spent twenty years of my life (mostly childhood) in Iowa City and I'm ashamed to say I had never been to the Devonian Fossil Gorge until last weekend. What a treasure! At lease ONE good thing came from the floods of 1993. While deep down, I drove up fully expecting a scene from the beginning of Jurassic Park. With grandiose fossils at an obvious excavation site of some kind... I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. My kids could hop from rock to rock, point at moss and algae in both wonder and disgust ALLLLLL day. The little ecosystems within the gorge are a delight. Plus, the rocks show a glimpse of what the ocean floor resembled something like 375 million years ago. It's a scavenger hunt of sorts with a brochure (and number to call for a tour) leading you around to explore. Although our maiden voyage was less about the fossils and more about exploring our surroundings. My kids and I will without a doubt be back. I could see my three year old's brain working hard and my five year old's smile was undeniable. Who knew rocks could be so fun?!

    Matt U.

    Echoing the sentiments of some fellow Fossil lovers - this place is legit! On a nice day, there are few better things than getting outside and wandering around, while playing explorer. Everything is accomplished whilst visiting the Fossil Gorge! The place is basically a large ancient river with a limestone base that we're now able to explore and play paleontologist! There are a number of larger fossils that are marked with large numbers. The water is delightfully murky and covered in slime, making for some good searching for frogs and what not. Do be careful however, as the area around is incredibly slippery and we witnessed at least one kiddo fall it. Not life-threatening....just gross! Plenty of parking, a couple drinking fountains (KEY ON THE WAY OUT FOR THIRSTY LITTLE DUDES!) and some lovely signage explaining the area, along with a lovely water feature. A great spot to go explore and get your learn on for a bit.

    James M.

    If you're visiting Iowa City and have some time, pop out to the coralville dam and visit the devonian fossil gorge. The fossils were exposed by significant floods over the coralville dam in 1993 and 2008. It's well worth your time to drive here and spend 90 minutes or so on what is a free and very well marked fossil exhibit.

    A fossilized shell found at the gorge.

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    Great little spot to explore for an hour or two. Brought two kids - 5 and 7. Everyone enjoyed crawling around the rock formations.

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    Review Highlights - Devonian Fossil Gorge

    Run by the Army Corps of Engineers - so very well maintained.

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    The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

    The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

    4.5(11 reviews)
    4.0 mi

    A wonderful day at the museum. The sloth is definitely our favorite. This museum is wonderfully…read morekept up and we always enjoy our visits.

    Love, love, love this museum. Nestled right on the Pentacrest of The University of Iowa campus, we…read morereally do have an amazing resource in our own backyard (for those of us who live in the Eastern Iowa corridor area, at least). The museum hasn't changed much since I last visited 10+ years ago, but that's okay. Rusty the Sloth and the polar bear in the gift shop are staples. Macbride Hall houses the Department of Anthropology at U of I. Wouldn't it be cool to see these artifacts every day as a student? The pair of lions in Mammal Hall were placed in an enclosed case in 202 (previously not enclosed) and a nice mural was painted behind them. From what I could tell, that's the most recent update to one of the museum's exhibits. Museum is free, but a donation is suggested. Please don't skip the donation box located near the guestbook in the gift shop. As indicated in a previous review, some of the exhibits have become quite 'well-loved.' Interactive features no longer work, particularly in the Hall of Birds. Mammal Hall is my most favorite, but there's so much to learn from each area of the museum. The museum covers 3 floors of Macbride Hall. Take the stairs and work those quads! Elevator available as well. Due to the summer season museum hours are a little different, so I'd call ahead or check the website for details. Parking during the summer on the street is easy to find. $1.50/hour. Highly recommend!

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    The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
    The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
    The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

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    Iowa City Public Library

    Iowa City Public Library

    4.3(20 reviews)
    4.3 mi

    Having been going to the Coralville library for recent years, the Iowa city location was a welcome…read moresurprise. Once you get over the parking and charging for printing, this is a far superior option with little offices and cozy reading nooks that you just don't get in Coralville. Really love this layout

    This is really the only library I've ever really known. I'm a two decade user of the ICPL. And…read more.. it's like a fine wine guys. The older you get, the better it gets. As a kiddo-- story time, summer reading programs, movie nights, computer games to play and a plethora of toys scattered throughout the secluded children's section! Not to mention books, movies, video games, puzzles and more to bring home. As a college kid-- a quiet, air conditioned spot that has newer movies as well as video games to checkout for free. (Take that Redbox. And you, Netflix for not having the movie or season I reallllly wanted to watch!) They also loan equipment like bluray players, laptops and hotspots. Plus, study rooms on the second level are available. As an adult-- THEY LOAN ART, ya'all! A Digital Media Lab also lives here with Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Software. And their digital library is impressive with Kanopy, Local Music Project, RBdigital and more! Parking CAN be an issue-- I'd recommend the Dubuque Street Ramp, which is a block away. First hour free. The staff at the ICPL is wonderful. So helpful and knowledgable, with a smile worn MOST of the time. Also, don't forget a reusable bag for all your checked out goodies!

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    Iowa City Public Library
    Iowa City Public Library
    Iowa City Public Library - 2nd floor

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    2nd floor

    The Englert Theatre

    The Englert Theatre

    4.6(16 reviews)
    4.3 mi

    The Englert Theatre is an Iowa City treasure…read more I had the pleasure of attending the Nutcracker with my family this past weekend and The Englert Theatre did not disappoint. The theatre is well maintained; it's a cozy space and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Additionally, the staff is passionate and insanely helpful. The Theatre was opened over 100 years ago (1912) by a husband and wife (the Englerts) -- it actually used to be a stable. Mr. Englert passed away in 1920 and it changed ownership (of which ended up running the theatre for 80 years before selling). It almost burned down in 1926 but after a huge amount of fundraising, was rebuilt to its 1920s glory and charm. Eventually, the City of Iowa City was persuaded to purchase the theater and hold it in trust until funds could be raised for a newly formed nonprofit to purchase and renovate the space. In 2004, after an immense amount of fundraising, the Englert returned to the community with its first live performance in over 40 years. Truly, a Downtown Iowa City, gem. The Englert has two huge festivals each year -- Mission Creek and Witching Hour. Beside that you can catch a plethora of different shows throughout the year-- all of which seem to be priced accordingly. I'd probably give this closer to a 4.5 rating, vs 5. I only say that because in my nearly 30 years as an Iowa City resident, I can't say many of the shows have attracted me to attend. Additionally, concessions are limited. I must note: my mother-in-law wasn't insanely thrilled with how handicapped accessible the bathrooms were. (Though there is an elevator and there are wheelchair accessible seating areas on both floors.) Iowa City has a parking problem, so it's not the Englert's fault. I'd recommend the Dubuque Street Parking Ramp. But all in all, how lucky are we to have The Englert live and thrive in Iowa City?

    It's our holiday tradition to have a nice dinner and see the Nutcracker. We had a wonderful time…read morelast night. It was a beautiful night and the Englert sign lights up so nice. The theater has plenty of seating and we always choose to sit on the balcony. They have a variety of refreshments for before and during the show. It was a great show and we are already looking forward to next year!

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    The Englert Theatre
    The Englert Theatre - Old theatre. Fully seated.

    Old theatre. Fully seated.

    The Englert Theatre - Deluxe Bakery Cookies

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    Deluxe Bakery Cookies

    Devonian Fossil Gorge - hiking - Updated May 2026

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