During my formative years in Estherville, the Grand Theater was located on North 6th Street. I…read morestill remember the gruff owner telling a room (and balcony) full of hyper kids to shut up during the show. The current movie house is located within the old Red Owl Grocery building and is directly across the parking lot from Mother Nature's Bar. For small town Iowa, that's a pretty good combination a date night idea. There are 3 screens here and there's no problem seeing a popular feature. Plus, air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter is always a bonus. It's also a typical chain experience and certainly lacks the character my boyhood memories.

I frequent this theatre and have always found the staff cheerful, friendly, and helpful. I enjoy…read morethe low-price admission of $4 to $5 (where else can you find that for 1st run movies). The Grand 3 delivers and I'm so glad we have 3 movies to choose from and hope this will continue well into the future. Movies are so much better on the big screen! I live right here in Estherville, maybe I need to leave a review for Yelp - not good saying I'm from California.

The drive-in movie is a great experience to bring your kids to or to go by yourself for a good…read moreevening and fun and I wish more people would take advantage of having a driving movie or close to us

everything is good about this business. It's fun entertaining the movie start on time. They got a…read moregreat picture and not so good junk food though otherwise everything about it is great in the area is beautiful. The people that run it are wonderful and they're on my maps Aerial, seven logo maps.!!!!

My brother in law was playing Scrooge so my wife and I flew in to see the show. Great show! The…read morefacilities are fantastic and the production was very professional. They had food and drinks after the show for free. Warm Midwest vibe and polished theater experience. The lead, Mike Felton, was fantastic as Scrooge.

Don't forget the dessert !!!!!! Great location along with…read moreoutdoor seating . Check their calendar! Live music Excellent wine list Local art work / photography with some great stories!

It was late afternoon, and after a scheduled meet-up with an old High School friend went South,…read moreGayle suggested we hop in the car and enjoy a beer together at West O. I had already made my annual pilgrimage to West O the day before, and suggested something more to her liking - Wine. Since my last visit the Wine Bar and Art Gallery, the space has expanded into David Thoreson's Blue Water Studio. David actually owns the entire building and if you look behind the door in what I call the "Livingroom" addition, you'll see that his work space is alive and well. There's also an upstairs, but I have no idea what David has going on up there. As this is the 25th Anniversary of Blue Water Studios and the Wine Bar, all the art work on the walls is David Thoreson's, and what a stunning collection it is! Gayle and I hung out, enjoyed a couple glasses of wine, and wished we were here during the weekend to hear their live music offerings (played outside on the patio). Gayle and I were impressed with the wine selection, generous pours, and at a reasonable price, in addition to the comfortable space to enjoy them. And as much as I love West O, this was the right place for us to hang out and spend some time together.

Gayle and I had a fine time at the Clay County Fair last Sunday. Has it really been 12 years since…read moreI last attended? What did we experience? - Farm Equipment - Lots of that! - Farm Animals. Apparently a high school classmate's grandkids won a bunch of blue ribbons in the cattle barn. Besides that we observed pigs, horses, and the like. Gayle's favorite was the "petting barn", especially the baby pony. - Fair Food. It not being good for you is besides the point. Our choice of Lilly Fries was just OK, with the cinnamon roll with soft serve being our favorite. - Adult Beverages. As far as we could tell, only the big tent near the entrance and a Bar further back within the fair served it. I enjoyed a nice West O Beer, while Gayle struggled with only 2 choices - A sweetish Moscato and a house red. I think I heard "I just can't..." a few times. - Art. We stopped by the "Art Barn" to say hi the Lissa and Perry. Gayle was surprised that I didn't buy anything, but I already have a number of their pieces. - Stuff. There are several buildings stuffed with these and other exhibits. One's mind gets numb after awhile. - People Watching. The fair was well attended, but not really crowded. I did run into a guy with a Fulham jacket leading to a nice discussion about English football. - Politics. I really wanted a Rob Sand yard sign for the Lake Cabin, but they had already run out. Gayle and I left wondering how badly the local Dems wanted to enhance the campaign. - Fluffy! We attended and very much enjoyed the evening Grandstand performance of Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias and some equally funny opening acts. If we would have been at Cabin a few days more, I would have come back.

They were very rude and disrespectful when I was trying to get a stamp on my hand all I wanted to…read moredo was go back to the car to change out of my hot pants and the ladies in the ticket booth, the lady under the tent to go through. We're all being very mean and judgmental, and looked me up and down like I was a lower ranked human.

This was a really cool find in Arnolds Park! It's a museum full of old currency (money) from the…read morelate 1800s and on. It features lots of old money from different Iowa towns and cities of course, but has currency and change from every state as well. The museum curator (who is from Wisconsin) is also incredibly knowledgeable and helpful as well. He was very friendly and honestly, made the museum experience for us an unforgettable one. Definitely check this out! And it's for the low, low price of FREE to experience as well, though a donation would be nice of course.

Money, Money, Money - Must Be Funny - In the Rich Man's World…read more... The Higgins Museum is a quirky place that I didn't expect to find in the middle of the Iowa Great Lakes Region. It's been on my list for a few years now, and during one of my Gayle-permitted "wandering" times, I decided to stop in and look around. And since my grandfather's bank failed during the Great Depression, this was another personal historical journey that I sometimes like to take. What's inside is the chance to view and enjoy the largest collection of National Bank Note issues on permanent exhibit anywhere in the country. The Higgins Museum opened in 1978, with its stated purpose being the acquisition, preservation and display of the National Bank Notes. There's also a few cool historical displays including a money making machine, a bank teller window and vault, and a bullet safe. Many people regard these notes as America's commemorative paper money. The Landing of Columbus, the embarkation of the Pilgrims, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and other great events of our history are illustrated on the notes of the first charter period. All of the notes honor the towns (including one for Estherville), the banks, and many thousands of individuals who played key roles in the development of our country and its resources.

Event venue at Arnold's park. it's a nicely done venue. we went to see hairball during Winter…read moregames. they could have used a couple more bartenders. no wine cooler type drink. Just seltzer crap. the seltzer wasnt shown anywhere so I assumed they didn't have anything like that. so I ordered a Malibu pineapple, couldn't find the pineapple juice, so they had to use on which was fine, but then the drink was $12! Then I saw some one with the seltzer, so went with that the rest of the evening. bathrooms are clean. no paper towels, have to blow them and then use your jeans. the concert headliner was Hairball. no where on the website did it say there was an opening band. the opening band was Buzz Worthy. They were really good. I just don't think they got enough credit, no acknowledgment. Hair ball did great as usual.A good time was had by all.

The last of 2 reviews for the Pearson Lakes Art Center (PLAC) was 10 years ago? This place is a…read morereal treasure, and this place has always been on my "must go" list when I'm visiting the Iowa Great Lakes. It's located right next to the Okoboji Summer Theatre, with its impressive building sitting on a nice piece of land with a pretty northern view. Gayle and I are members, even though we live way out here in Genoa Nevada. Gayle and I fell in love with the Iowa Art shown here years ago, and as we've contacted some of the artists (particularly Hank Hall and Daniel Ruf), we've grown to deeply appreciate the imagination, professional skill, and great friendships coming from their work. PLAC is a well-regarded anchor for these regional artistic endeavors, via their gift shop, annual auction, and specific exhibits. On the main floor, PLAC has a nice gift shop and a couple nice galleries. The front one changes themes fairly frequently, while the one in the back has featured Russian impressionism for at least the last few years. There's another gallery downstairs and a hallway that features the work of local artists. If I lived in the area more regularly, PLAC offers classes, children's programs, and a fairly impressive live entertainment calendar.

My sister is an artist, so I knew we had to head out and check this one. Very lovely permanent…read morecollection...as well as lovely local artist collections. It was a beautiful building, had friendly staff, and was free when we went!! (Thursdays!) Great way to add a bit of culture to a stay at the lake.