Looking for Fun Things to Do in Ames, IA?
From hiking and biking to shopping and savoring the cuisine scene, you'll get your fill of fun and food in the Heart of Iowa.
Ames and its surrounding communities – 15 of them in all – have loads of places to explore and things to experience. From Ames to Zearing, there are events, museums, breweries and wineries, and ways to get active, making the region an exciting place to visit and try something new.
In This Article
1. Get Sporty
SportsIowa is a huge indoor complex offering programming for everything from baseball and lacrosse to soccer and volleyball. Ames Parks & Recreation offers a roster of sports leagues for both adults and kids, and the region boasts a number of fun-to-watch college teams. The Iowa State Cyclones offer a wide variety of men’s and women’s sports teams.
Did You Know?
The High Trestle Trail and Bridge in Slater runs 25 miles and includes a trestle bridge with 41 lit steel frames representing coal mines.
2. Enjoy Life on a Farm
This region offers plenty of places to enjoy the pastoral countryside on a day trip. At Center Grove Orchard, you and the family can pick apples, play games and take a hayride. Black’s Heritage Farm lets you pick corn or pumpkins, and at Berry Patch Farm, all sorts of berries are ripe for the picking.
3. Check Out a Local Event
Residents love a reason to celebrate, whether it’s the Fourth of July festivities in Slater, Boone’s Pufferbilly Days paying tribute to the area’s railroad history over three days in August, or Zearing Days, when a carnival, festival, games, a 5k run, vendors, food and a car show take over City Park.
4. Discover Local Breweries
The Ames MSA has a burgeoning craft beer scene, where breweries of all types await. In Ames, Alluvial hosts live music, while at Torrent a spacious patio is a great place for a brew. In Huxley, try Fenceline Beer Lab’s experimental nano brews.
5. Play Some Games
Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition? In the Ames MSA, there are plenty of options, like Time Out, an over-21 venue after dark that has karaoke, game rooms, pinball and vintage arcade games. At Perfect Games, there’s bowling, laser tag, mini golf, a Kid Zone and an arcade.
6. Take in Area Landmarks
The Ames region offers countless cool landmarks to check out, from diving into local history to discovering art and architecture. In Maxwell, a living history museum offers a glimpse of life in the past using over 10,000 artifacts. The Brunnier Art Museum in Ames features a collection of decorative arts inside ISU’s performing arts complex and near the university’s Reiman Gardens.
7. Raise a Glass to Region’s Superb Wines
While Ames and its surrounding communities aren’t necessarily nationally known for their wine, the dozen wineries peppering the region offer a pleasant surprise that will make you wish you knew about this area sooner. At wineries like Prairie Moon Winery, you can tour, taste, enjoy the grounds and listen to live music. Get ready to sip your way through the Ames MSA.
8. Catch Live Music
There are plenty of ways to soak in the music, whether it’s orchestras and national acts at Iowa State’s Stephens Auditorium, free summer concerts in Roosevelt Park or music at local breweries, wineries and other venues.
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9. Explore the Great Outdoors
Central Iowa’s rolling hills offer spectacular scenery. At Hickory Grove Park in Colo, you can kayak, fish, boat and swim. The Heart of Iowa Nature Trail is a 32-mile trail, used by bicyclists, pedestrians, equestrians and snowmobilers, that passes through several areas including Slater.
10. Beat the Summer Heat
While the Ames MSA enjoys four seasons, the dog days of summer can get steamy. Luckily, the region offers a great option where residents can cool down. The Furman Aquatic Center features a 5,000-square-foot pool with a zero-depth entry, a play structure with slides for little swimmers and spray features. It has two 200-foot waterslides, a 50-meter pool with a drop slide, platform, springboard and a 550-foot lazy river. Get your season pass and jump in!
So we just gave you 10 fun things to do in Ames and the surrounding communities. But wait, there’s more!
Don’t Fore-get Great Golf!
River Bend Golf Course in Story City, which opened in 1971, offers a player-friendly nine holes with trees and water throughout the course. Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames, owned and operated by Iowa State University, has been the host of the Iowa Masters since it opened in 1938. Twin Anchors Golf Course in Colo is a nine-hole public course that hosts community events like Fourth of July fireworks.
Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone is an 18-hole championship course. The original nine holes are believed to be among Iowa’s oldest.
Indian Creek Country Club in Nevada is a public nine-hole course with rolling hills and a clubhouse that serves lunch and dinner. At Ballard Golf & Country Club in Huxley, members can enjoy all the perks of club membership, along with a nine-hole course that accommodates all skill levels. The Back Nine Bar and Grill is open to the public for lunch and dinner.
Get to Know the Ames MSA
Want to learn more about living and working in Ames, Iowa? Check out the latest edition of Livability Ames, Iowa And the Greater Boone & Story County Region.
