Grinnell
Grinnell is in Central Iowa. It is home to Grinnell College.
Understand
Grinnell is a town with strong agricultural roots that hosts a highly rated liberal arts college, Grinnell College.
Get in
By car
Grinnell is along Interstate 80 about midway between Des Moines and Iowa City.
By bus
- Greyhound Bus Lines stops at 1115 8th Ave. You can catch a bus to Grinnell from Des Moines, Iowa City, or Omaha, Nebraska.
Get around
Map of Grinnell
You will either need a car or a bicycle, as there is no mass-transit option. Alternatively, sidewalks are plentiful in the central portion of the town, near the college and several small bed and breakfast inns.
See
- 1 Merchants' National Bank (Louis Sullivan Jewel Box Bank), 833 4th Avenue (at Broad St). One of many banks in the Midwest designed by Louis Sullivan. Built in 1914.
- 2 Faulconer Gallery, 1108 Park Street (Corner of Park Street and Highway 6), ☏ +1 641 269-4660, gallery@grinnell.edu. daily 11AM–5PM; closed holidays. Art gallery in the middle of Grinnell College's Bucksbaum Center for the Arts. Free.
Do
- 1 Strand Theatre, 921 Main St, ☏ +1 641 236-7600. Three-screen cinema.
- 2 Rock Creek State Park (North entrance is at Rock Creek East Street off County Road F-27). Bike to the park, about 7 miles west of town. Take a picnic. Go fishing, canoeing, or kayaking. Multi-use trails on either side of the man-made lake permit hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Campsites can be reserved.
- 3 Grinnell Mutual Family Aquatic Center, 120 8th Avenue West, ☏ +1 641 236-2621. Summer only. Open swimming noon-7PM. Municipal swimming pool. Lap swimming only in the mornings; hours vary. Two water slides, lap pool, lazy river. $3 or $4; discount for walking or biking to the facility.
- Grinnell Games. mid-June. Annual family-oriented sporting event featuring races, basketball, and other games.
- 4 Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve, 15148 Jacob Ave and 14892 Jacob Ave (SW of town, 2 miles west of the airport, where Hwy T38N/Jacob Ave/E 156th St N meet). This nature preserve, about three-quarters of a square mile in size, has about seven miles of trails to walk through the prairie and a man-made lake. Fishing by boat or off the wheelchair-accessible pier at the lake. Good for picnicking, hiking, and cross-country skiing. Dogs welcome, but watch for ticks. Restrooms. Free.
Buy
- 1 Farmers' Market, Broad Street and 4th Avenue (Central Park in downtown). Open mid-May to October. Th 3PM–6PM; Sa 10AM–noon. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms at the park.
- 2 Bikes To You, 921 Broad Street (Downtown), ☏ +1 641 236-8600. M-F 10AM–5:30PM; Sa 9AM–5PM. The place to go if you need bike gear, repairs, or rentals.
Eat
- 1 Dari Barn, 1810 6th Avenue, ☏ +1 641 236-7828. Mar through Oct: 10AM–10PM. Ice cream and some fast food options. Outdoor seating only.
- 2 Pagliai's Pizza, 816 5th Avenue (Downtown), ☏ +1 641 236-5331. Su-Th 5PM–10PM; F Sa 5PM–11PM. A small, family-owned Iowa pizza chain since 1957. Order a slice of cheese bread to eat while waiting for your pizza. Large pizzas for $12-20; hot sandwiches for $9.
- 3 Rube's Steakhouse, 118 Elm Street, Montour, (18 miles north of Grinnell), ☏ +1 641 492-6222. Daily from 5PM. The original grill-your-own steak house. Call ahead if you don't want to wait in line. During the day, you can buy their steaks at their butcher shop across the street.
Drink
- 1 Saints Rest, 917 Broad Street (Downtown), ☏ +1 641 236-6014, saintsrest123@gmail.com. M-F 6:30AM–4PM; Sa 6:30AM–3PM; Su 9AM–2PM. Local coffee shop. $2–4 for most coffee drinks.
Sleep
The large hotels are south of the main part of town, near Interstate 80.
Usually, it's easy to find a place to stay in Grinnell. However, you should book your accommodations early for the weekend when the students of Grinnell College return to school (end of August), family visitation weekend (end of September), graduation weekend (one week before Memorial Day), and alumni reunion (the weekend after Memorial Day).
- 1 Marsh House, 833 East St, ☏ +1 641 236-0132. Bed and breakfast in an 1892 Victorian home.
Stay healthy
- 1 Manatt Family Urgent Care Clinic, 210 Fourth Ave (at the Grinnell Regional Medical Center's main campus), ☏ +1 641-236-2378. Mon–Fri 8AM–7PM; Sat 8AM–2PM. Walk-in medical care for non-emergency issues. Outside clinic hours or for medical emergencies, look for the hospital's emergency room, just around the corner of the building.
Cope
- 5 Drake Community Library (previously, Stewart Library), 930 Park St (downtown), ☏ +1 641 236-2661, library@grinnelliowa.gov. Opens at 10AM, Mon–Sat, and at 1:30PM on some Sundays. Evening closing hours vary by day of week and time of year. In addition to the opportunity to escape the summer's heat or the winter's cold to read a book for a while, the city's public library offers free, unsecured, wireless Internet access, water fountains and wheelchair-accessible restrooms to the public.
- 3 The Grinnell Herald-Register, 813 5th Ave (downtown), ☏ +1 641 236-3113. Local newspaper, published twice each week
- 6 Grinnell Friends Church (First Friends Church), 1115 West St (1.5 miles north of exit 146 off I-80, between the airport and the Walmart), ☏ +1 641 236-6412, questions@grinnellfriends.org. Sunday School at 9:15AM, and main worship service at 10:30AM on Sundays. Quaker church. Expect one traditional silent worship period during the service.
- 7 St. Mary's Catholic Church, 1002 Broad St (downtown). Services Sun, 9AM and 11AM; Sat, 5:30PM; Tues–Fri, 8:00 AM. Office Mon–Fri, 8AM–5PM.
Go next
Grinnell is about halfway between Des Moines and Iowa City on Interstate 80 (I-80).
| Routes through Grinnell |
| Des Moines ← Newton ← | W  E |
→ Jct  N → Iowa City → Davenport |
| Des Moines ← Newton ← | W  E |
→ Amana Colonies → Davenport |