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Gates Tower, Grinnell College

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 from Des Moines, Iowa City or Omaha, Nebraska.

Get around

Map
Map of Grinnell

The large hotels are south of the main part of town, near Interstate 80. 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

Merchants' National Bank
  • 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 Iowa Transportation Museum (Spaulding Center for Transportation), 829 Spring Street, Grinnell, IA, +1 641 236-9860. Mon - Fri 9:00–13:30 Monday to Friday; 10:00–14:00 Saturday; 1300–1500 Sunday (May to October). Free.
  • 3 Faulconer Gallery, 1108 Park Street (Corner of Park Street and Highway 6), +1 641 269-4660, . 11AM–5PM daily; 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 from 12 noon to 7 p.m.. 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.

Buy

  • 1 Farmers' Market, Broad Street and 4th Avenue (Central Park in downtown). Open mid-May to October. 3PM – 6PM Thursdays; 10AM–12PM Saturdays..
  • 2 Bikes To You, 921 Broad Street (Downtown), +1 641 236-8600. The place to go if you need bike gear, repairs, or rentals.

Eat

  • 1 Dari Barn, 1810 6th Avenue, +1 641 236-7828. 10AM–10PM, March through October. Ice cream. Outdoor seating only.
  • 2 Pagliai's Pizza, 816 5th Avenue (Downtown), +1 641 236-5331. 5PM–10PM Sundays through Thursdays; 5PM–11PM Fridays and Saturdays. A small, family-owned Iowa pizza chain since 1957.
  • 3 Danish Maid Bakery, 818 4th Avenue West (Downtown), +1 641 236-4145. 5:30AM to 4:30PM Mondays to Fridays; 5:30AM to 12 noon Saturdays. No seating; buy what you want and take it with you. Their cream-filled coneys and other sweet treats can usually be bought through the back door when they come out of the oven after 2:00 a.m.
  • 4 Rube's Steakhouse, 118 Elm Street, Montour, Iowa (18 miles north of Grinnell), +1 641 492-6222. Opens at 5PM daily. 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 across the street at their butcher shop across the street.

Drink

  • 1 Saints Rest, 917 Broad Street (Downtown), +1 641 236-6014, . 6:30AM–5PM most days. Sundays, open at 9AM; Thursdays, close at 7PM. Coffee shop. Walk through the store to grab a sandwich from Back Alley Deli (cash on the barrelhead).

Sleep

Connect

Go next

Routes through Grinnell
Des MoinesNewton  W  E  → Jct N Template:Rtarrow Iowa CityDavenport
Des MoinesNewton  W  E  Amana ColoniesDavenport



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