Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls is a city in Northeast Iowa.

Understand

Home to University of Northern Iowa, the third-largest public university in the state of Iowa. The city gets its name from the Cedar River which flows on the city's eastern side. On the other side of the river is the more populous Waterloo; collectively these two are known as the "Cedar Valley".

In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate was 36,940, while the Cedar Valley has a population of more than 100,000.

Visitor's center

Cedar Falls Visitors and Tourism Bureau, 6510 Hudson Rd. (Go N on Hwy 20, exit 224), ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-F 8AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM. 

Get in

By plane

Waterloo Regional Airport, 2790 Livingston Ln., Waterloo (From IA 58, take US 218 S exit, merge onto IA 57, IA 57 becomes US 218 S, exit Broadway, turn left onto Airport Blvd.), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Delta Air Lines has flights available.(ALO ^IATA). 

By bus

• Greyhound Bus Lines, 4116 Sycamore St., Waterloo, ☎ [phone]. 
• Metropolitan Transit Authority, 1515 Blackhawk St., Waterloo, ☎ [phone]. 

By car

Traveling east/west on U.S. Highway 20 or north/south on U.S. 218 are the most common routes.

See

• Ice House Museum, 1st and Clay Streets, ☎ [phone]. Wed 1-4PM, Sat 10-4PM, Sun 1-4PM May through October. Built in 1921, this unique round structure was originally home to the flourishing Cedar Falls Ice and Fuel Company. It stored six to eight thousand tons of ice each year cut right from the frozen Cedar River. $5. 
• Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, 8201 Dakota St., ☎ [phone]. Gallagher-Bluedorn hosts over 150 performances each year from major stars like Bill Cosby and Kathy Mattea to hit Broadway shows like "Cats" and "Mamma Mia". 
• Hearst Center for the Arts, 304 West Seerley Blvd., ☎ [phone]. Tues, Thurs 9AM-9PM, Wed, Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat, Sun 1AM-4PM. The center's permanent collection was started by farmer poest James Hearst and has a variety of regional, national, and international exhibitions. Free. 
• Oster Regent Theatre, 103 Main Street, ☎ [phone]. Built in 1910 and restored in 1994, this 500 seat theatre is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. It houses a resident theatre company producing five plays and hosting several other presentations and events each year. 

Do

The university has all the things you'd expect a public university to have, including music events, theater, sports, and guest speakers. The campus is home to over 90 undergraduate majors, including Iowa's No. 1 teaching program, and 50 graduate programs. The major venues on campus are Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, UNI-Dome and McLeod Center.

• Cedar Valley Trails. Over 106 miles of hard-surfaced trails configured in a series of loops offers users a variety of experiences through wooded areas and along our lakes and streams. 
• College Hill Arts Festival. mid June. This festival showcases 75 Midwest artists, presenting original works and offering demonstrations in various media. 
• Sturgis Falls Celebration. late-June. The original name for the city was Sturgis Falls, and for over 35 years, locals have been celebrating the city with a parade, carnival, talent shows and food. 
• 🌍 UNI-Dome, 2401 Hudson Rd, ☎ [phone]. This 16,400 seat multi-purpose venue hosts an estimated 125 events each year including UNI Panther Football, indoor track and field meets, Iowa High School Football Playoffs, and other trade shows and concerts.  

Buy

Cedar Falls is known for its selection of unique, locally owned gift shops. At the same time, it offers national retail chains including Von Maur, Aeropostale, Buckle, and Scheels.

Eat

The closest restaurants to campus are on The Hill on College St., northeast of campus. Popular standbys include Sub City (where they say the meat is piled high and they don't lie), Beck's, and the Other Place (O.P.) for pizza. Main Street downtown is a popular spot for a variety of restaurants, those of which are finer dining. Many restaurants, mostly chains, are located on University Ave.

• The Brown Bottle, 1111 Center St., ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 4PM-10PM daily. A long-time favorite serving Italian fare. After a meal one can stroll alongside the river just across the street. Gluten-free menu available. $11-23. 
• Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub, 620 E 18th St., ☎ [phone]. 11AM-late. 2 floors with 40+ TVs to watch your favorite game. Wings, sandwiches and a wide range of alcoholic drinks. $8-13. 
• Mulligans Brick Oven Grill and Pub, 205 E 18th St., ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Another popular place to both eat and watch sporting events. Mulligan's Brick Oven combines old world hearth baking techniques with some of the perks of modern pizza ovens. $7-17. 

Drink

College Hill

• Beck's Sports Grill on the Hill, 2208 College St, ☎ [phone]. Winner of the area's best burger for eight consecutive years and best sports bar five years. 
• The Library, 2222 College St, ☎ [phone]. Sit and relax with a patio out back and jukebox available for tunes. 
• Octopus, 2205 College St, ☎ [phone]. Small bar with a great beer selection that features vinyl records. 
• Sharky's (The Tank), 2223 College St, ☎ [phone]. Bar by day, dance club by night. 
• Suds, 2223 1/2 College St, ☎ [phone]. Small bar with adjoining outside beer garden. Jukebox and pool tables. 

Main Street

• The Hub, 406 Main St, ☎ [phone]. Pool table, dart board, TV's, and acoustic stage. Features the area's best live music 6-7 nights per week. 
• Montage, 222 Main St, ☎ [phone]. Award-winning wine cellar with 1,000 plus bottles. 
• The Stuffed Olive, 117 Main St, ☎ [phone]. Over 100 martini choices. 

Sleep

• Blackhawk Hotel, 115 Main St., ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 
• Comfort Suites, 7402 Nordic Dr., ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. Oversized, all suite rooms, a family friendly zero-depth entry pool, and a free hot breakfast. 
• Hilton Garden Inn, 7213 Nordic Dr., ☎ [phone]. Opened in 2012 with meeting space, restaurant, bar, pool, and spa. 

Connect

Area code is 319.

Wireless

Most buildings on UNI's campus offer Wi-Fi. One of the most popular places is Maucker Union, which has food and drink vendors.

• Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe, 6403 University Ave. 
• Starbucks Coffee Company, 6421 University Ave. 

Go next

Routes through Cedar Falls

Fort Dodge ← Jct N S ←	W  E	→ Waterloo → Dubuque
Owatonna ← Austin ←	N  S	→ Waterloo → Cedar Rapids