Mason City is a ridiculously creative town in North Iowa USA. From music, to architecture, to puppetry to ‘street’ art, it has it all! It has some pretty big famous connections too! In this guide I share 11 fun things to do in Mason City Iowa!
Disclosure: Thanks to Visit Mason City for hosting my stay (complimentary stay, food and attraction entrance). As always opinions are 100% my own.
Updated: January 2022
Things To Do In Mason City, Iowa
Museums in Mason City
Charles H. MacNider Art Museum
🗺303 2nd St SE, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
As a European, I’ll start with the one that relates the most to me! Before I went inside I found myself drawn to the building, why? Because its design is similar to how English Tudor houses look! The inside of the museum feels HUGE, despite the outside looking so small!
There are several different galleries but my favourite was the ‘Bil Baird: World of Puppets’. Bil Baird was a puppeteer that grew up in Mason City. A well known part of his collection are those that appeared in ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ scene in the Sound of Music film.
Summer 2017 I was filming my Mum running across an Austrian mountain singing ‘the hills are alive with the sound of music’ while dodging cow poop and now I was seeing the puppets in IOWA…I was kinda starstruck!
His puppets are amazing, there are several other ‘groups’ from his Wizard of Oz and Winnie The Pooh productions, along with some others!
Find out more at: macniderart.org
Rancho Deluxe
🗺500 2nd St NE, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
Rancho Deluxe is completely free to visit. The best way to describe it, is an outdoor street art and sculpture garden! It’s made up of lots of random items from Mason City and around North Iowa, from old signs to bicycles. It reminds me a lot of Bottle Tree Ranch on Route 66 in California.
You can find concrete blocks that have been painted by local artists as creator, Max Weaver, wanted it to be a place that the community could enjoy too. There is even a small concession stand that is open during the summer on certain days.
River City Sculptures on Parade
Carrying on with sculptures, the River City Sculptures on Parade is a 1.7 mile looped, self guided walk around Downtown, where you can enjoy over 50 sculptures. The sculptures change each year, however a few of the pieces are permanent works of art and the others are actually for sale. A few of my favourites are: Mr Eggwards, Beaver, Circle of Friends and the King of Spades!
You can find the walking tour map here.
Music Man Square
🗺308 S Pennsylvania Ave, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
River City…Mason City…The musical ‘The Music Man’ was written by Meredith Willson who was born in Mason City, and you can even tour his boyhood home! The Music Man came out in 1957 and in all honesty I hadn’t heard of it, I don’t know if that’s because of my age, or coming from England, but before I visited Mason City, I put in my research and ended up in the black hole that is Youtube.
I watched the film version and even found videos of Hugh Jackman singing the opening song…THEN discovered that the real P.T. Barnum (The Greatest Showman) took the circus to Mason City (and Waterloo and Cedar Rapids)…it just gets better and better!
River City is based on Mason City (there’s another connection further down so keep reading!!!). When you visit Music Man Square, you are greeted with a set recreation of a 1912 streetscape INSIDE the building complete with a street made out of wooden blocks. Mason City resident streets were made out of wooden blocks back when horse and carriages were used, as they dampened the noise of the hooves.
There’s lots of Meredith Willson and Music Man memorabilia. The film also won the very first Grammy, which is also on display. I then found out that Meredith Willson wrote the Christmas song ‘It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas’, so I had heard of him all along (thanks to my very first full-time job working behind a bar in an American/Italian restaurant)!
Upstairs has real music rooms and a recording studio that can be hired! The Candy Kitchen also has great ice cream…see below 😉
The Visit Mason City website has details on visiting the Music Man Square
Make sure you visit the Meredith Willson ‘The Music Man’ footbridge too. It offers great views of the Willow Creek river!
Cannonball 457
🗺802 3rd St NE, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
The Cannonball 457 is the last Minneapolis and St Louis Railway steam locomotive and was built in 1912. It’s free to visit on weekend afternoons between May and October, but you can still see it through the fence ‘out of hours’. I’ve been on steam trains before (including the Hogwarts Express route in Scotland!) but this engine seemed absolutely ginormous!! I don’t know if that’s because there is no platform around it, but it is huge!
It’s located in East Park which is a lovely outdoor space with 2 rivers and play areas. In the summer, concerts are held in the band shell.
Kinney Pioneer Museum
🗺9184 265th St, Clear Lake, IA 50428, United States
I only got to experience a small (but very large!) section of the Kinney Pioneer Museum. It celebrates trade and life in Iowa through the years. Their collection is very impressive and includes cars, replicas of old stores with authentic items and furniture, a collection of cameras, old fashioned clothes and toys and so much more…including a ‘two legged pig that walked like a chicken’!
I didn’t even get to see the outdoor ‘living history’ Pioneer Village! I really loved the music box (which sounded like an ice cream van) and was like an even older version of a jukebox that played records! It’s a bargain to visit too. Adults are $3 and child entrance is $1. It’s open during May and September between 1pm – 5pm (closed Mondays).
Architecture
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Historic Park Inn Hotel
🗺7 W State St, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
I became a little bit obsessed with architecture when I discovered Antoni Gaudi’s work in Barcelona. Frank Lloyd Wright was alive during the same time period but had a totally different style of design. Gaudi very much has no straight lines anywhere, whereas Wright was all about the lines, everything is very square and rectangular!
The Historic Park Inn is the last remaining HOTEL designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (there were 6 altogether including the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan).
The hotel was built in the early 1900’s. Just like the story behind The Music Man, it was popular with sales men that arrived in Mason City looking to stay somewhere cheap to sell their products and then go.
The building held a bank, law offices and a hotel that originally had 41 small rooms with shared bathrooms, which sounds similar to some of the hostels I’ve stayed in with private rooms with shared bathrooms, so it’s an idea that still rings true today for budget travellers! However a newer hotel opened up nearby offering more facilities, so the Park Inn began to suffer…the bank also ironically went bankrupt and this part of the building was remodelled for retail shops.
It ended up falling into ruins and then became a subject of controversy. The building even ended up on eBay for something ridiculous like $1 and it was never bought. In 2009 a restoration project began much to the annoyance of some of the locals, saying it was a waste to spend so much money ($18 million) on it. And in 2011, 101 years after it first opened, the Historic Park Inn opened its doors for guests once more.
They did an amazing job at restoring it to its original design. Parts of the hotel had been spread out all over the place, the stained glass roof ended up in someone’s attic, the railings in the bank was someone’s garden fence in Clear Lake. It has a similar history to that of the Hotel Julien in Dubuque, having to piece it back together to its original state after ‘restorations’. The ‘retail end’ was put back to how it looked when it held the bank and now acts as a conference room.
There are less rooms, 27, because they now have private bathrooms (with heated floors!). The ‘Lounge’ is a lovely place to hang out (complete with a 100 year old billiard table), the 1910 Grille has amazing food and there’s even a fitness room! For $10 you can take a guided tour of the Historic Park Inn Hotel to find out more about the history!
Another building in Mason City designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is the Stockman House which is also open for tours. The ‘Prairie School’ architectural design can be seen in other buildings in the city.
Where To Eat In Mason City Iowa
Suzie Q Cafe
🗺14 2nd St NW, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
I absolutely loved my stop at the Suzie Q Cafe! This is a teeny tiny little ‘greasy spoon’ with only 10 seats, which has been in business since 1948! One of their specialities is the ‘Spic N Span’, a giant pork tenderloin deep fried in a peppery PANCAKE batter served on a bun with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles. It was so big I could only fit half of it in the bun! The tiles on the walls have been signed by visitors from all around the world (including me)
Candy Kitchen in Music Man Square
🗺308 S Pennsylvania Ave, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
The Candy Kitchen is a 1912 style ice cream parlour and is one of the ‘store fronts’ along the street that you can actually go in. I recommend the Amaretto Cherry ice cream, complete with big chunks of cherries!
1910 Grille
🗺7 W State St, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
As mentioned above, the 1910 Grille in the Historic Park Inn Hotel does awesome food (and cucumber water!) but their desserts are amazing too! The gelato comes with 3 scoops of vanilla, mint and chocolate and is topped with white and milk chocolate curls and a white chocolate edible Historic Park Inn logo! The cheesecake is worth a mention too…the slice is HUGE, I swear I’ve never seen a piece of cheesecake THAT big!
Birdsall’s Ice Cream
🗺518 N Federal Ave, Mason City, IA 50401, United States
If you’re looking for ice cream, look no further than Birdsall’s! They have been serving homemade ice cream (made on site!) in Mason City since 1931! Their fresh peach ice cream sundaes are a popular summer favourite with the locals. After a short break, they reopened again in 2021 under new management.
Clear Lake IA
Why not combined a trip to Mason City with visit to Clear Lake? Clear Lake is just a few miles down the road! This little lake town is home to the Surf Ballroom and Museum. The Surf Ballroom was a popular Rock ‘n Roll music venue, hosting many big named artists. It is also unfortunately associated with the night of the death of Buddy Holly, as it was after his show at the Surf Ballroom, when his plane crashed and he died. There is a memorial to him at the crash site, 6 miles north of Clear Lake.
There are several little beach areas and you can even glamp in a yurt at the nearby McIntosh Woods State Park. Cabin Coffee is a lovely little coffee shop and Starboard Market does great food! If you want to get out on the lake, ‘Lady of the Lake‘ cruises start from Memorial Day for the summer season.
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Iowa has never really been on my radar as a travel destination. After reading this post I might have to reconsider taking a trip to Iowa! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yeah it was never on my radar either until I ended up marrying someone from here! It’s opened my eyes!
Rancho Deluxe looks like a whimsical, totally strange place—which is probably why I’d love it! I was actually born in Iowa (though I never lived there… long story), so it makes me smile to see my birth state get some love. 🙂
Yay! That’s awesome! I now live here but am still looking at it through the eyes of a tourist! Rancho Deluxe is really cool!
What a fun destination for American history buffs! Stepping into Suzie Qs would be like stepping back in time to your grandparents’ era!
Yes! I loved the atmosphere of Suzie Q’s, it had a great social atmosphere!
Oh my goodness there is soooo much to do, I never would have thought that! We are hoping to take some roadtrips with our boys soon.. I bet they would LOVE this!
That’s awesome! I never realised there was so much to do either! It makes you wondered what we’re missing out on in other towns! The world is just too big haha
Wow I’ve never thought about going to Iowa at all. But you made it look pretty cool. That Birdsalls ice cream place really caught my attention.
I never thought about coming here either until it was kinda ‘chosen’ for me! It’s been fun discovering a place I’d have never have thought to travel to otherwise! Birdsalls was so yummy!
That Suzie Q looks nothing short of amazing, and the way you described the food makes it sound so good! Wish that there was an actual picture of it – or maybe not, because then I’d just be disappointed I can’t actually taste it myself x)
Haha I’ll have to include one!
You’re absolutely right! It is a ridiculously artistic little town! I reckon I’d be fascinated by Rancho Deluxe where its all full of knick knacks and yet they somehow all belong together. Suzie Q cafe is so cute! I bet my daughter would love that place. Great stop over for some ice cream:)
Yeah it’s such a creative town! I never really thought of it that way, but they do all come together so well!
I had no idea the Music Man was based on a real place, but looking at your photos it makes total sense — the real town looks just like the set pieces! Seems like a fun place to visit —classic Americana.
Definitely!! I did ask and check I was like Mason CITY…River CITY…ARE they the same place? And they said yes, it wasn’t filmed IN Mason City but it was inspired by it!
Those sculptures really are something else, haha. Iowa isn’t really a place I’d ever think of traveling to, but perhaps that is naive of me. It definitely seems like there is lots on offer.
I was the same! The closest I got was Illinois and Missouri when I drove Route 66 but it was only after I married someone from here that I really started to learn about the Midwestern States!
Great post! I’ve never been to the Rancho Deluxe before but it sounds like I need to check it out!
It’s so cool! So many random things!