Plane Crash Site of Buddy Holly, Iowa, United States

4.5 (275 reviews) Spent Ranking #2 in Clear Lake Points of Interest & Landmarks

A SOMBER VISIT

After visiting the Surf Ballroom, I made the 6-mile drive down a dusty dirt road to the the site where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens died in a plane crash in February 1959. You end up driving down a dirt road until you see a large pair of black glasses on the shoulder of the road. Park here on the shoulder then you have to walk a little over a quarter mile down a path in a corn field to the actual crash site. The crash site is marked by a small makeshift memorial with the names of those who died here. It is a somber walk but one many music fans have made over the years. While it was not crowded while I was there there were several other visitors making the walk to the site. If you are near Clear Lake you should visit the Surf Ballroom and then make the drive out to the Crash Site.
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Address

Gull Avenue Crash site is located west of intersection of 315th Street and Gull Avenue., Clear Lake, Iowa, United States.

Current local date and time now

Friday, May 03, 2024, 4:15

User Ratings

4.5 based on (275 reviews)

Excellent
56%
Good
31%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%

Reviews

  • 5Hadfield Parker 5:00 PM Apr 18, 2022
    Cool Buddy Holly Experience
    The site is really neat. Google maps will send you to the wrong side of it. Look for 315th/Gull streets and that is where the entrance is by the glasses. Surreal experience. Make sure you go visit the Surf Ballroom (5 miles away) to see the last place that the 3 of them performed at. It’s still functioning and just like it was in 1959. Really cool experience.
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  • 5Jason R 5:00 PM May 13, 2022
    Iconic location in Iowa
    There are two markers that are worth noting. First, there’s no parking. You’re on the side of a gravel road in rural Iowa. Just park it out of the way and start walking. There are a set of glasses right by the road. There is nothing else there, other than some graffiti (people signing their names) on the posts that hold them up. To get to the site you walk west, along the fence line for about a half mile. You’ll find a couple of permanent markers out there, and often there are flowers, wreaths, and of course, glasses. The marker sit in the spot where the plane came to rest. Buddy and Richie were found in the field, about 30 feet behind you. The Big Bopper was found in the field on the other side of the fence. The fence line has plenty of use, so there is bare dirt, and mowed grass, making it an easy walk, considering there is no sidewalk.

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