Iowa City Travel and Things to Do Guide

Welcome to Cvent's Meeting and Event Planning Guide to the Iowa City/Coralville Area, a guide for meeting professionals. A spirited metropolitan area with a wealth of cultural and recreational attractions, the Iowa City/Coralville Area serves as a fantastic meeting destination, fueled by its state-of-the-art facilities, beautiful accommodations, excellent service, and small town atmosphere with big city fun. Meeting travelers find an abundance of activities here (including 13 museums, seven theater companies, Big Ten athletics, and much more), making it easy to enjoy downtime in this scenic area set along the Iowa River.
Conveniently located in the center of Iowa, the Iowa City/Coralville area is continually energized by the academic, artistic, athletic, and medical strength of Iowa City's University of Iowa, one of the nation's most respected public universities. The University of Iowa contributes greatly to the area's cultural strength and reputation as a center for the arts; in fact, Iowa City is one of the seven UNESCO Cities of Literature in the world, and the only one in the U.S., thanks in part to the university's Iowa Writers' Workshop, which pioneered the teaching of creative writing at the university level. Downtown Iowa City, the city center and cultural gathering place of this metropolitan area, beckons with its tree-lined Pedestrian Plaza of local shops, restaurants, street vendors, and entertainment, as well as its Old Capitol Cultural District, 450-acre University of Iowa campus and parkland. Fast-growing Coralville features fantastic shopping and the popular Iowa River Landing mixed-use development, home to more than 330,000 square feet of retail, dining, office, and entertainment space perched along the Iowa River and accented by walking trails, green spaces, and even a sculpture walk.
Considered the anchor of the Iowa River Landing, the beautiful Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center features the largest meeting space in the Iowa City Area, totaling 60,000 square feet. Meeting facilities include a 30,000-square-foot exhibition hall, two ballrooms, eight meeting rooms, and two boardrooms. The 286-room hotel also features onsite dining, walking trails, and the very unique, 800-volume Iowa Writer's Library, which houses manuscripts from the country's oldest society of writers. The hotel is two miles from the University of Iowa and about 20 miles from Eastern Iowa Airport, which serves as the nearest airport to the Iowa City/Coralville Area. Eastern Iowa Airport offers nonstop flights to major markets throughout the country, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, and many other destinations.
Aside from the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, the Iowa City/Coralville Area is home to a range of unique venues perfect for group gatherings and private events, as well as nationally respected festivals, museums, and galleries, practically designed for group downtime. The Old Capitol Museum and Museum of Natural History both offer private event capabilities, enabling groups to hold events in Iowa's first state capitol building or among an impressive one-million-specimen collection gathered during university-sponsored expeditions and research missions, or donated by private collectors. For a dramatic event, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts houses a 472-seat auditorium perfect for large events, while the Englert Theatre in the heart of Iowa City welcomes groups to gather throughout its facility and gallery areas. The Old Creamery Theatre in nearby Amana features a main stage, studio stage, conference room, and picturesque courtyard for private events.
If it's history your group is after, consider holding a private event at the nearby Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum. Set within the 187-acre Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, the library and museum traces the history of the 31st president, as well as offers private event spaces throughout its galleries, and in its auditorium and conference room. Thirsty groups can head to nearby Cedar Ridge Vineyards, a family-owned vineyard, winery, distillery, and event space that features tastings, tours, dining events, and more throughout its 7,000-square-foot facility, complete with a 200-person event center.