Cedar Rapids, Iowa | One of the most LGBTQ+ Cities You've Never Heard Of
We hadn’t heard much about Cedar Rapids before we visited, but from our research it seemed like a cute & quaint midwestern town. We were invited the tourism board to see how LGBTQ+ friendly the city truly was, and we were not disappointed! The Midwest gets a bad rep for being anti-LGBTQ+ (rightfully so in terms of their politics), but we always say there are LGBTQ+ havens that exist in these places, you just have to know where to look. Cedar Rapids is 100% one of those LGBTQ+ gems in the Midwest. We visited so many LGBTQ+ friendly businesses, saw lots of Pride flags waving, and we even got to meet the Mayor! Besides the LGBTQ+ inclusivity, Cedar Rapids is a small town with a lot to enjoy. Keep on reading to see why we fell in love!
Where to Stay in Cedar RApids
Hotel Kirkwood lobby bar
We stayed at Hotel Kirkwood and absolutely loved it! Hotel Kirkwood is a boutique hotel, with a restaurant, that is about a 10 minute drive from the Eastern Iowa Airport. Our room was massive and we loved the decor of the lobby! The food was also decent and the drinks at the bar were delicious. We also really loved the hospitality, and would highly recommend staying here when visiting Cedar Rapids.
Find other Cedar Rapids accommodations on Hotels.com!
How to Get Around Cedar Rapids
In Cedar Rapids you definitely need a car to get around. If you are roadtripping through, we would recommend renting a car. If you’re flying into the CID airport, it will be really easy to pick up and drop off your car as well! We always use Expedia when renting cars during our travels because they are trustworthy and reliable!
Find the best car rental deals here on Expedia!
Best Things to do in Cedar Rapids
Paramount Theater
Bloomsbury Farm
Czech Village
Prairie Patch Farm
Visit the historic Paramount Theater - The Paramount Theater is a historic theater in Cedar Rapids and they host concerts & live events. It was registered on the National List of Historic Places in 1976 and is one of only 300 movie palaces left in the USA
Walk with llamas at Prairie Patch Farm - This was one of the most unique and coolest experiences we’ve ever done! At Prairie Patch Farm you can go oh a little hike with their llamas, and it was so much fun! We had never done that before while traveling and now we have new llama best friends.
Explore Downtown Cedar Rapids - here you will pass iconic building like the Alliant Tower (which was lit up rainbow when we visited!) and the mill where Crunchberry Capt’n Crunch is made! Cedar Rapids is famously known for producing Capt’n Crunch cereal and you will see Crunchberry themed items all over! Some people even say the city smells like cereal too
Visit Bloomsbury Farm - Bloomsbury Farm is a local farm with seasonal events! They are famous for their Annual Fall Festival, but if you visit during the summer it just might be baby animal season! It was when we visited and we got to pet and hold so many baby animals, it was such a cute, wholesome activity.
Do a tasting at the Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery - Cedar Ridge produces their own liquors and wine, and their Distillery is huge! They have tons of indoor and outdoor seating and their food is delicious as well. They are most known for their bourbon, so make sure you try that if you’re popping by for a visit.
Walk Around the Czech Village - settled by Czech and Slovak immigrants and home to Grant Wood (who painted American Gothic at his studio in downtown Cedar Rapids), this area (also known as New Bo/New Bohemia) has many cute shops and tons of culture! We loved this area of Cedar Rapids the most, there were lots of local shops, thrift stores, restaurants, bars, and New Bo City Market
Find other Cedar Rapids tours & activities here on Expedia!
Where to Eat & Drink in Cedar Rapids
350 First Crunchberry Cocktail
Cedar Ridge Distillery
Lion Bridge Brewery
Cobble Hill
Caucho
New Bo City Market (lots of food vendors inside)
Bari
350 First (here they have a Crunchberry cocktail!)
Cedar Ridge Distillery
Lion Bridge Brewery (here they have Crunchberry beer!)
Sweet Mercantile (old-timey soda shop)
Rodina
The LGBTQ+ Scene in Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids really surprised us with how LGBTQ+ friendly it was. We visited so many LGBTQ+ friendly shops, restaurants, bars, and just overall felt extremely welcomed during our time there. We got to met queer locals who told us how much they loved their hometown, and why some of them even moved back there to settle down and start a family. There were lots of inclusive signs in businesses, and we saw tons of Pride flags all over the city. If you are LGBTQ+ and you visit Cedar Rapids, we are sure you will have the best time.
If you want to see exactly what we did during our time in Cedar Rapids, make sure you check out our Cedar Rapids vlog on YouTube!
Thank you to Cedar Rapids Tourism for bringing us on this trip! As always, all opinions are honest and our own. Some links on this post are affiliate links of which we receive a small commission, but the price is the same for you.