Clear Lake

Clear Lake is a city in North Central Iowa.

Get in

Located at the junction of Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 18.

See

• Surf Ballroom, 460 North Shore Dr. The historical theater and final venue for Ritchie Valence, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper before that fateful night in 1959. 
• 1 Buddy Holly Crash Site (you have to walk about a mile in from the closest farm road). open 24 hours. The site where the Beechcraft chartered plane carrying the three music stars went down in a snowstorm on Feb 3, 1959. Buddy Holly had chartered the plane in lieu of taking the bus to the next concert tour location, but the pilot was inexperienced and weather foul, and the flight only lasted 6 minutes before ending in this cornfield and indelibly changing the face of rock n roll in America. 
• Central Gardens of North Iowa, 800 2nd Ave N, ☏ +1 641-357-0700. Daily 7AM-8PM. The only public botanical garden for miles around. 
• Kinney Pioneer Museum, 9184 265th St, Ste G, ☏ +1 641-423-1258. Tu-Su 1PM-5PM. perpetuating history of North Central Iowa. 

Do

• Clear Lake State Park, 6490 S Shore Dr, ☏ +1 641-357-4212. Clear Lake recreation with beach/picnic area. 
• City Beach Park, S Lakeview Dr, ☏ +1 641-357-7010. Daily 5AM-11PM. another Clear Lake beach, this one with the distinction of holding a wintertime kite festival over the ice. 

Sleep

• Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Clear Lake, 1305 N 25th St. Utilitarian. +1 641-357-0966

Go next

Routes through Clear Lake

Minneapolis/Saint Paul ← Albert Lea ←	N  S	→ Jct W E → Ames → Des Moines
Junction N S ← Britt ←	W  E	→ Mason City → Prairie du Chien