Rating Summary
“Put on a smile and stay awhile”
- love to travel, family traveler, budget conscious traveler, appreciate nice things, daily computer user, seafood lover
- Pros
- Fine Cuisine, Fun, Water activities galore, Museums, Theaters, Amusement Parks, Historical Areas
- Cons
- some activites expensive
Okoboji —
As a traveler of old US Highways and two-lane roads, my bride of 40 years and I came upon the beautiful great lakes of Iowa on US Highway 71. The Iowa Great Lakes are composed six lakes named Spirit Lake, West Okoboji, EAst Okoboji, Upper Gar and Lower Gar. There are endless activities for all who enjoy leisure time. All the active boating activities are present plus two amusement parks, eight golf courses, go-cart racing, mini-golf, tennis and over 20 trails which can be used for biking, hiking, jogging, roller-blading, walking and just plain fun to enjoy the lush areas and sight seeing. Camping, picnicing and local parks abound throughout the area.
Every month of the year has something special going on for all to do something special. The attractions for visitors to the area are top-notch which include intertainment, museums, theaters, historical attractions and even a scenic ride on the Queen II which takes you around the Lakes. Evening entertainment includes bands, comedians, dances, concerts and shows of all kind. We especially liked the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum which also has a short film to view on the history of the Lakes themselves. The museum was free to attend. We also went to the Iowa Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame Museum which was quite small, charged a nominal fee of a dollar, but somewhat interesting for a quick look see.
For those with children, there is the Treasure Village Children's Theatre and mini-golf, plus two amusement parks with rides of all kinds to include a child friendly roller coaster. (I didn't ride it being an oldster, but the kids looked like they were having fun). I saw lots of fishing going on too with almost any kind to catch!! Catch the Abbie Gardner Historical Site if you are a history buff. It tells of the violent conflict between American settlers and Native Americans and is located near Arnolds Park in what became known as "The Spirit Lake Massacre". It is also well worth a peek see!! They also celebrated their 52nd Season of Okojobi Summer Theater. So if you like live shows and music, this may be your cup of tea to see!!
I highly recommend a stop here if you are traveling on US Highway 71 and are a water fan. Others will love the rest of it I bet.
