A Clear Lake guide
Things to do in Clear Lake
Where to eat, what to rent, which beach — and how to find the crash site on the first try.
01
Where to Eat
The Chamber keeps the full directory — seventy-odd listings, and more current than anything I could maintain here. Coming up to look at houses? Ask me before you book. Half of knowing a town is knowing which night the…
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Boats, Carts & Rentals
You don't need to own anything to have a good weekend here, and most people's first summer is spent renting.
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Beaches, Parks & Trails
Three to choose from, and none of them have lifeguards .
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The Surf & the Crash Site
460 North Shore Drive, and the reason people who've never set foot in Iowa know the name of this town.
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The Year Here
The Fourth of July is the week and has been since 1973 — a carnival ringing City Park, a 10am parade with a hundred-plus floats, the Freedom 5K, a water-ski show, and fireworks over the lake around ten, simulcast on…
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Good to Know
Straight on I-35, about two hours from Des Moines and two from the Twin Cities, with nothing comparable in between — which is the whole reason this town has a second-home market and the towns either side don't. Mason…
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Ask me anything
Text me before you come up and I’ll tell you what’s worth doing that weekend — what’s open, what’s on, and where to eat. No appointment and no pressure. I do it for people who have no intention of ever buying a house here, because that’s the town, not the job.
Places open, close and change their hours. Everything here was right when I wrote it — check with the venue before you drive across the state for it.