HAVE A (GOLF) BALL

Golf outings are easy to add to a meeting itinerary in Iowa, thanks to an abundance of golf courses. Many are top ranked and have inviting clubhouses offering hearty food, ample meeting spaces and views of the golf courses that they anchor.

In Iowa’s middle, just north of Des Moines, the Tournament Club of Iowa is the only Arnold Palmer Signature Course in the state and one of its best-known courses. The challenging 18-hole course uses the region’s bluffs and rolling hills to good advantage, and an elegant clubhouse looks out over the course. To the east, the 18-hole course at Amana Colonies Golf Club winds through the forests of eastern Iowa and is convenient to the new Hotel Millwright in Amana. South of Iowa City, the Blue Top Ridge Golf Course is part of the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, so it comes with a luxurious hotel, gaming, four restaurants, a 12,000-square-foot event center and other amenities.

Golf isn’t absent in Iowa’s far corners either. Spirit Hollow Golf Course, in the southeast near Burlington, was ranked the No. 1 course in Iowa by Golfweek magazine. After playing the tough 18hole course that meanders through the Mississippi River Valley, hungry golfers can converge at the course restaurant, Lambo’s, for pub food and pizzas. North of Sioux City in Sioux Center, the Ridge Golf Club stretches across serene plains interrupted by four lakes. An event hall at its clubhouse is adjoined by a roomy, covered patio, a pleasant place to watch golfers in action.

Hotel Fort Des Moines has 290 rooms and 13,000 square feet of meeting space.

and 37 meeting rooms, and is attached to the 330room Hilton Des Moines Downtown Hotel with its own 14,000 square feet of meeting space. Just a few blocks away, the city’s largest hotel is the Des Moines Marriott, with 413 rooms and 28,000 square feet of meeting space. Also downtown, Hotel Fort Des Moines is a historic hotel restored as part of the Hilton Curio Collection. It seamlessly blends opulent touches like ornate chandeliers and rich wood paneling with modern amenities like 55-inch smart TVs in its 290 rooms and 13,000 square feet of meeting space.

Des Moines is home to the Iowa State Fair Grounds, which hosts expos and other large-scale events when it’s not hosting the renowned state fair each August. At West End Architectural Salvage, guests can peruse four floors of antiques and refurbished furniture while enjoying cocktails and coffee.

catchdesmoines.com

Cedar Falls and Waterloo

Cedar Falls and Waterloo, two towns six miles apart on the Cedar River, pack a big punch.

Cedar Falls revolves around the University of Northern Iowa toric downtown district with locally owned breweries, bars and boutiques. The UNI-Dome, UNI’s campus stadium, has over 16,000 seats and suits large events like trade shows. Several of Cedar Falls’ 11 hotels have conference facilities: the 126-room Holiday Inn and Suites Hotel and attached VenU Event Center, with 37,000 square feet of event space; the 113-room Hilton Garden Inn and Cedar Falls Convention and Event Center 14,000 square feet of event space; and the 130-room Hampton Inn Cedar Falls Downtown, with views of the Cedar River and downtown.

“To have these event spaces to accommodate hundreds, if not thousands, of people and still be able to give them the small-town feel of being in a Mid west community helps us stand out,” said Adam Bolander, sales and market ing coordinator at the Cedar Falls Tourism and Visitors Bureau.

In Waterloo, the Waterloo Convention Center at Sullivan Brothers Plaza recently underwent a $10 million dollar renovation and expansion. The center has more than 19,000 square feet of exhibit space, four meeting rooms, a conference room and a divisible 12,000-square-foot ballroom. It is connected by skywalk to the 168-room Best Western Plus Hotel. Also downtown, the 166Courtyard by Marriott Waterloo-Cedar Falls is built in the historic John Deere Factory, near the Young Arena and its hockey games, the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum and Waterloo Center for the Arts. The arts center, with event spaces indoors and out, overlooks the Cedar River.

cedarfallstourism.org | experiencewaterloo.com

Ames

Ames is known for Iowa State University, which gives the city varied large and small meeting spaces, particularly during the summer months. Iowa State Center consists of a cluster of campus venues right next to each other, including the Scheman Building, a three-floor, 38,000-square-foot venue with a wide selection of breakout rooms and exhibit spaces. Stephens Auditorium is the center’s largest auditorium and hosts Broadway musicals. The Hilton Coliseum, home of the Iowa State Cyclones, has seating for over 14,000 and is used for sporting events and trade shows. At Reiman Gardens, another campus venue, 17 acres of gardens, a conservatory and event spaces, can be a lush event setting.

The CPMI Event Center in the Iowa State University Research Park is a flexible space, off campus, that accommodates banquets of up to 350. The 180-room Gateway Hotel and Conference Center, an easy walk from campus, has over 17,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.

“Our meeting venues are all within the university setting, so it’s young and vibrant,” said Kevin Bourke, president and CEO at Discover Ames. “We have a phenomenal downtown with a lot of nightlife, a lot of restaurants and great retail shopping.” discoverames.com

Iowa City

Long ago, Iowa City was the capital of Iowa. Now the city of 75,000 is best known for the University of Iowa and its renowned graduate programs — the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the Nonfiction Writing Program. Those programs have also solidified the city’s reputation for creativity and the arts, which is apparent in a downtown vibrant with public art, literary-themed walking tours and performance venues.

Stacey Houseman, vice president of sales and event experience at the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said its arts connection is what earned Iowa City its designation as a UNESCO City of . “It was the first city in the U.S. to be given that designation,” said Houseman.

Graduate Iowa City, the lobby mimics a library in honor of the city’s literary heritage. The 231-room downtown hotel has some 9,000 square feet of event space. The Courtyard by Marriott University , with 140 guest rooms, 11,000 square feet of event space and a rooftop terrace, is west of downtown, next to campus. Artsy venues like