Things to Do in Waterloo, IA - Waterloo Attractions
Things to Do in Waterloo
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- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
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What travelers are saying
- cenztIowa5,831 contributionsGreat trip. We arrived at approximately 9:30 am and made our way towards the entrance of the museum. Admission into the museum was free, which is always a plus. The museum was quite large, and contained several informational plaques that detailed the history of John Deere and his company. There were also many tractors out for display, along with several hands on exhibits. The museum also contained a theatre, that played a short movie about the history of John Deere.
Tip: I recommend spending 2.5 hours here if you truly want to see everythingWritten February 17, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - LadyProfessorMamaIowa City43 contributionsOur family (kids aged 12 and 16, husband and me) have been going to Lost Island Water Park for years and made our first trip to the theme park in late August as a summer send-off. It was a beautiful Sunday and the crowds were still very light.
Theming: The attention to detail across the park’s “realms” is phenomenal. Each area represents an element (fire, water, air, earth, spirit) and has a unifying color scheme, characters depicted on signage and in queues, and music that creates a specific vibe for each realm. The gift shop even sells a dictionary for Lost Island’s fictional language! A+++!
Rides: Great variety with a few stand-outs. Volkanu is a cool 3D interactive indoor ride (for the nerds: award-winning Sally Dark Ride! Trackless! Two animatronics!). Matugani is a very fun though short roller coaster with inversions (Intamin launch coaster, great air time!). Amara Aviators is a unique glider ride where you control the thrill-level by moving the wings on either side of your seat. There is something for everyone here! One critique: the purple Nopuko Air Coaster is a *very* rough ride and needs significant adjustments.
Food: It was fine! We had lunch at the Whalebone Grill. Standard theme park fare plus some nicer items like coconut shrimp. Our afternoon treat was pineapple Dole Whip (also available at the water park).
Staff: Friendly! Safety is definitely a priority and this (along with inexperience, maybe?) sometimes made load/unload a bit slow, but it was also reassuring.
Park layout: Easy to navigate, mostly because the park is not too big. If you go on a hot and sunny summer day, be advised that shade is minimal because the site was a farm field a few short years ago. Trees will take awhile to mature. In the meantime, additional canopies would be nice.
Overall, it was a very fun day (6 hours in the park) for all of us. Highly recommend!Written August 27, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Mary WEstherville, IA87 contributions$1 each for us during spring break got us into the museum. Kids had a great time with the scavenger hunt and it even included the planetarium show. You just have to sign up early in the day for the planetarium show.Written March 21, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- KJ McGrawKansas City, MO2 contributionsWaterloo - 10-star experience & value…we took the entire family (14 of us including grandkids) for Thursday excursion. We booked our villa late in February (a week later there wasn’t one available) it was a great move. Has a private bathroom included, safe, refrigerator, and staff that constantly check if you need any food or drinks which they’ll deliver. The Villa looks out over the wave pool and across a lot of the park. Our group ranged from 9 month old, toddler, pre teens, all the way up to us Grandparents. It’s safe to say this park has something for everyone. Our Grands (and our kids/spouses) ran hard all day. We lasted till about 6 pm leaving with everyone exhausted. Not surprised this is one of the best water parks in the USA, we WERE Wisconsin Dells frequent visitors, Lost Island is way better experience!!! Way cleaner, crowds were nicer, tons of slides with reasonable waits. Staff was great, parking no problem. I noticed a lot of families went back to their vehicles for parking lot picnics, the food options inside are not great but they offer you either picnic outside then renter or they have pizza/burgers/dogs/fries/ice cream inside. Buy a refillable cup for pop, it’s worth it. All our family agreed this was a more enjoyable experience than going to the Dells (CONSIDERABLY LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THE Dells). We didn’t try the mini golf, zip line, or go carts only because we remained entertained in the water park. The amusement park side is still expanding, we look forward to trying it in a few years when the youngest grands are older.Written August 5, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- cenztIowa5,831 contributionsGood trip. We arrived at approximately 1:30 pm and made our way towards the entrance of the gardens. After paying the admission fee, we received a quick tour of the grounds and were left to explore on our own. There was a paved walking path that encompassed the entire garden. There were also informational plaques alongside several of the plants, that detailed exactly what we were seeing in front of us. The gardens were on the smaller side and were able to walk though them pretty quickly. There was an outdoor play area geared towards kids, along with an area dedicated to weddings/events.
Tip: I recommend spending 45 minutes here if you truly want to see everything.Written February 22, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Peggy GLa Porte City13 contributionsEverything about the Pavilion is great. I wish this was around when my children were little. My grand kids were entertained the entire time we were here and traveled from exhibit to exhibit to see what lay ahead. All the hands-on entertainment made me the best grandma for the day.Written October 12, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- SMLeek69Tucson, AZ368 contributionsThe 1.5 mile concrete walkway provides an easy walking surface to enjoy the park & river. Many water fowl were nearby and I was able to get video/photos up close. A disc golf course is adjacent to the path so aware for flying discs.Written June 9, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- CONNIE TODD9 contributionsMy daughter and I had a great time going to the musical. She didn't believe that she would enjoy it. It sounded strange and set in the future. It was fun.Written December 6, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Mike HSaint Louis, MO307 contributionsWe have gone to Young Area for the open ice skating as well as Black Hawk hockey games.
If you go to a game, you have to try the cheese curds!Written January 10, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - RaleighNCtravelRaleigh, NC470 contributionsIf you are a wrestling fan and/or a Dan Gable fan, this is the place for you. It contains lots of history and memorabilia from college and amateur wresting plus a small section from pro wrestling (which seems out of place). It is well organize with lots of variety.It is best to begin with the 45 minute video about D Gable to better understand him and what he accomplished. There is a small charge of $6/pp. The Director is very friendly and made us feel at home. It is in downtown Waterloo but has a small but adequate parking lot.Written October 3, 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Mommy1IndianaScottsburg, IN285 contributionsWonderful stop on our trip! The only thing that didn't make it 5 stars was not having water hookups. Our site #8 was very spacious. New playground, bath house is old but amazing water pressure in showers. There is a store on the lake nearby that offers canoe, paddleboat etc rentals. Tons of paved trails, and one of them is American Discovery Trail, a national trail from coast to coast. You can even take the trail 15 minutes to Cedar Rapids (with a very popular ice cream shop at the end)! No campground or park maps, everything is online since they are short staffed. There are non electric sites on Cedar River for great views as well.Written July 16, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- SMLeek69Tucson, AZ368 contributionsMy visit to Riverfront Stadium in early June 2019 was to attend Northwoods League games involving University of Arizona Wildcats players. My seats for the 2 games were in the reserved box seats adjacent to the visiting teams, Mankato, Mn. MoonDogs, dugout.
The ballpark is located in Waterloo's Edgewater Park on the north shore of Cedar River with plenty of free parking.
The stadium has been nicely maintained and provides a comfortable venue to watch a baseball game. The staff members I encountered were friendly and helpful including waitress service at you seat so you do not miss any of the game. The pre game and between innings activities were enjoyable. The video scoreboard provides player stats and other info. Job well done by the entire organization!
The games were both competative, guality college baseball with both teams winning a game.
I will be returning to Riverfront Stadium on June 25 for the LaCrosse, Wi. Loggers game.Written June 9, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - SmallTownIAGirl17 contributionsMy son played in a basketball tournament at the SportsPlex this weekend, and it was an impressive facility. We saw 2 basketball courts with nice floors, and the bleachers were very nice (something that seems to be an after thought at some places). The restrooms were clean, and the concession stand had quite a bit of variety. The only negative thing I have to say is that parking was across the street in a gravel lot and was very limited (there was an archery event going on at the same time).Written December 11, 2018This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Slot King DreamIndianapolis, IN793 contributionsO k, this is my first time here. This place is okay the casino. Is not as big as I thought it would be. You can tell they kind of favor towards the locals a little more. Because of the size of the casino, they have a nice place to eat. It's only one spot, oak brothers or something like that. But no fancy steakhouse or anywhere else. They have a bakery spot that you can get some nice coffee and some pastries.... Seems like the slot machines are nice. They announce a few jackpots but for me, There's really not much around to do if you want to leave....Written October 29, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Julie and Jerom... VNorth Liberty, IA5 contributionsWe had a great time between the 2 18 hole mini golf courses, go-karts, and jumping pillow! There was also a driving range. Fun for all ages!Written June 3, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Waterloo
- The top attractions to visit in Waterloo are:
- John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum
- Lost Island Water Park
- Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum
- Phelps Youth Pavilion
- Cedar Valley Nature Trail
- The best outdoor activities in Waterloo according to Tripadvisor travelers are:
- Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens
- Cedar Valley Nature Trail
- George Wyth State Park
- Hope Martin Memorial Park
- Get Air Trampoline Park
- The most popular things to do in Waterloo with kids according to Tripadvisor travelers are:
- John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum
- Lost Island Water Park
- Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens
- Phelps Youth Pavilion
- Cedar Valley Nature Trail