Things to do & places to visit in Mason City, Iowa, United States

Mason City city in Iowa, United States. Timezone: America/Chicago, current date and time: Friday, May 03, 2024, 0:17.

Top things to do (23)

Top places to visit (29 attractions)

5.0 Stockman House Museum (207 reviews)
- Another great Wright designed house
Friday: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites

This is the only Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Style House open to the public in Iowa. Private tours are offered on a daily basis by reservation. Check our website for more detailed information. As of May 22, 2021 no masks are required either by visitors or volunteers. For current hours, please visit our web site. See more..
5.0 Historic Park Inn Hotel (198 reviews)
- Great Stay at a Historic Hotel!
Friday: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings

We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel. Being Frank Lloyd Wright buffs made it a special treat. The hotel has been beautifully restored and great thought has gone into making the hotels rooms modern and yet in the appropriate style. Don't expect large rooms - but expect beauty and comfort. Make sure you wander and enjoy all the other lovely spaces in this hotel. We stayed on a Monday night so were not able to enjoy the restaurant or bar. Next time we will! See more..
5.0 1910 Lounge (12 reviews)
- Nice place to sit and chat with someone
Friday: 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM Historic Sites • Bars & Clubs

My wife and I go there to have a quiet talk and enjoy an appetizer. A very friendly and unhurried atmosphere. See more..
5.0 Market 124 (8 reviews)
- Coolest Place To Shop!
Paint & Pottery Studios • Lessons & Workshops

Amazing selection of unique, eclectic gifts by original artists. Well laid out - every turn offers something charming and collectible! Very friendly staff; not the type that hound you every 10 seconds, but there when you need help or a question answered. The best kept shopping secret in the Midwest! Don't miss it!! See more..
5.0 Oak Leaf Comics & Collectibles (5 reviews)
- Get your nerd on
Friday: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Speciality & Gift Shops

Oak Leaf Comics & Collectibles carries a large selection of Comic Books, Pop Culture, Game and Toy related items. Customer favorites include Squishmallows, Pokemon Plush, The Large Pop Culture Magnet Selection, Posters & Tin Signs, Vinyl Records, Barbie, Sports Cards, and Board and Card Games. We carry one of the largest selections of Comic Books, from Modern to Golden Age, in the Midwest. We also stock nearly 4000 Graphic Novels, TPB’s & Japanese Manga books. Crossroads Candles are a Christmas favorite! Funko Pop Figures, Jigsaw Puzzles, Harry Potter, & Nightmare Before Christmas Items will always make a great gift. You will also find supplies for most of your collecting needs. Just in case you can’t decide, we offer Gift Certificates in any amount you would like. See more..
5.0 Rancho Deluxe (5 reviews)
- Excellent Place
Friday: 6:30 AM - 10:30 PM Speciality Museums

Just stopped in here for a couple of cocktails and an appetizer.The service was excellent with super friendly servers.It is located right in Downtown and I would highly recommend it. See more..
5.0 Mystic Lanes (2 reviews)
- Great Pasttime!
Friday: 1:00 PM - 12:00 AM Spent 1-2 hours Bowling Alleys

My family and I had a fun time here! We ended up bowling a second game. And the prices are cheap too! See more..
5.0 Spikes Tap Bar (2 reviews)
- Great place-- fantastic people and great drinks!
Friday: 2:00 PM - 2:00 AM Bars & Clubs

From the minute you walk in this place, you know you are someplace special. Dave Despenas, the owner, treats everyone like family. Friendly bartenders attend to patrons around a big, horseshoe shaped bar. The place is a converted, hundred-year- brick building right off the main street, Federal Ave, on 7th street SE. It used to be an Eagles Lodge. You can play pool, dance to bands, sports on big-screen TV's, and kibbitz with friends in a clean, fun atmosphere. Drink prices are reasonable, just high enough to keep the low-life's out. Ample, off-street parking provided. Don't miss this small-town bar when you are in Mason City! See more..
5.0 Salon 220 (1 review)
- Big city amenity, small town hospitality--Best spa service ever!
Spent 1-2 hours Spas

If you should find yourself in the vicinity of Mason City or Clear Lake, Iowa, for any reason, my recommendation is to beat a path to Salon 220 in downtown Mason City for a spa treatment. My spa specialist was Jessica and after having had spa treatments around the country, my conclusion is she is the best. The price was surprisingly inexpensive (sugar rub, steam shower, and massage: $50!) and though schooled in cosmetology, her true calling and education is in the healing art of massage therapy. The massage room is new-age cozy and since the space is private, I never felt uncomfortable. Jessica is a true professional and before some bigger salon spirits her away, please enjoy a big-city amenity in the quaintness of a small town. Located on the second floor of the old Brick and Tile Building downtown Mason City, Salon 220 has made a wonderful re-use of former office space. Treat yourself. Go to Salon 220. I’m glad I did. See more..
4.5 Music Man Square (173 reviews)
- Visit Mason City, for sure!
Speciality Museums • Historic Walking Areas • Theaters

If you're in the area, you should stop here. Meredith Willson wrote the Music Man and this place is a tribute to him, you can even see his Emmy. They have replicated the Main Street from the movie. If you forget your trombone you can borrow one of the 76. It's located in historic downtown so plan to spend a day or two here. So much to see! Check to see if it's open as they operated with limited hours due to the pandemic. See more..
4.5 Charles H. MacNider Art Museum (99 reviews)
- A gem!
Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Art Museums

The Charles H. MacNider Museum is a non-profit, municipally owned institution conceived in 1964 and opened by 1966 in Mason City, Iowa. Everything the Museum does is educational or aesthetic in nature centering around working with objects of art. The museum exhibits and interprets a permanent collection of American art; temporary exhibitions of art; provides art classes for all ages; offers enriching arts programs; and maintains an art library. See more..
4.5 Meredith Willson Boyhood Home (70 reviews)
- Meredith Willson Home
Historic Sites

Willson, composer of "The Music Man," grew up in this Mason City house. See more..
4.5 Lime Creek Nature Center (41 reviews)
- walk in the woods
Friday: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM Nature & Wildlife Areas

a nice walk in the woods , But we should have brought water along. next time we will pack a lunch and spend some more time exploring the other trails See more..
4.5 Fat Hill Brewing (30 reviews)
- Great Place for Outstanding Craft Beer
Friday: 4:00 PM - 11:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Bars & Clubs • Breweries

Fat Hill Brewing is a locally owned/operated 7-barrel craft brewery that opened in Mason City in December 2016. Our brewing facility and tap room in the long-vacant historic building at 17 N. Federal Avenue features sixteen taps, space for 140 patrons, and a busy calendar full of live music and special events. We have a creative, ever-changing beer menu in which we try to spotlight Iowa ingredients when we can, including wildflower honey from Nora Springs, aronia berries from Fertile, herbs from Mitchell, and hops from Cedar Falls. Our brewer, a FHB co-owner, loves to brew classic old-world styles like a dopplebock or porter, but also gets a kick out of adding his own spin on familiar beers (hibiscus in a saison, matcha in a wit, etc.). We are especially proud of our barrel aging program and our hazy citrus-bomb of a NEIPA. We strive for impeccable customer service and a strong sense of community in our tap room, as it's the only place in the world you can find our beer. See more..
4.5 Rock Crest - Rock Glen Historical District (23 reviews)
- Wonderful
Friday: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites

Wright on the Park is the nonprofit organization that restored, owns and maintains Frank Lloyd Wright's Historic Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank in Mason City, Iowa. The hotel is the last designed by Wright left in existance. As part of their mission Wright on the Park conducts docent led tours of the historic hotel and the neighboring Rock Crest - Rock Glen Historical District. See more..
4.5 East Park (16 reviews)
- Beautiful
Parks

Any season east park is an amazing place! It’s one of the most beautiful parks in Iowa for its natural beauty. It’s one of the best parks in Iowa located in Mason City IA - East Park. See more..
4.5 Kinney Pioneer Museum (13 reviews)
- A great way to spend a few hours with history
Spent 1-2 hours History Museums

Experience life on the Iowa frontier through the vintage exhibits and living history. Visit a pioneer village with a one-room schoolhouse, log cabin, old jail, blacksmith shop. Home to the only remaining Colby car - manufactured in Mason City. Demonstrations of pioneer crafts and trades during special event days. Call ahead for schedule. Open May-Sept, Tues-Sun 1pm-5pm. See more..
4.5 Mason City Visitor Information Center (10 reviews)
- All these years, a hidden gem!
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent < 1 hour Visitor Centers

Our friendly personnel are here to provide you with the most accurate visitor information available. Travel Specialists are available Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm. 24-hour access to brochures and community information. Mason City souvenirs also available. See more..
4.5 Willow Run Lounge (7 reviews)
- As the willow turns
Bars & Clubs

It’s like Pringles. Once you pop you can’t stop I dare you to only go once. Everyone becomes family before you know it. See more..
4.5 Cinema West Theatre (3 reviews)
- A Great Theater
Movie Theaters
A clean, spacious theater with very current movies at great prices. They have the re liners for those who prefer them. See more..
3.5 Mason City Brewery (5 reviews)
- Small
Friday: 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM Breweries
I thought this place was nice but the space was very small. It seems like a "regular" hangout since people were looking at us when we walked in; we were in town from Mpls and they obviously knew we didn't live in town. Beer was good. See more..
2.5 North Iowa Golf (3 reviews)
- Great for mini golfing!
Spent < 1 hour Miniature Golf

My family and I had a great time mini golfing there! There were plenty of fun holes. It is starting to become a little run-down, but still a fun place nonetheless! See more..
Highland Park Golf Course (0 review)
Spent More than 3 hours Golf Courses

Highland Park Golf Course is an 18 hole golf course located in North Central Iowa. It is comprised of two very distinct nines. The par is 72 with distances of 6,200 yards for men and 5,600 yards for women. The clubhouse also contains a pro shop for merchandise and a full concession stand to grab a burger after you have played. See more..
The Yard (0 review)
Spent 1-2 hours Health Clubs
The Yard is the only indoor batting cage facility located throughout North Iowa. Come in and swing away! See more..
Inhale Sales (0 review)
Speciality & Gift Shops
We're Inhale Sales, a vape shop here in Mason City, IA. We carry American-made one-of-a-kind items such as pipes, hand-blown glass, metal signs, tobacco accessories, and much more. We're looking forward to growing our business to continue to serve the community of Mason City. We'd like to personally invite you today to stop by for your next vape purchase! See more..
The Place 2B! (0 review)
Bars & Clubs
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Burke's Bar & Grill (0 review)
Friday: 10:00 AM - 2:00 AM Bars & Clubs
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Trinity Lutheran Church (0 review)
Churches & Cathedrals
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Stebens Theater (0 review)
Friday: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Theaters
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