Attractions

ATTRACTIONS:

Arnold’s Park – http://www.arnoldspark.com/ — Arnold’s Park amusement park was built in 1889. It’s famous for it’s old wooden roller coaster-the 13th oldest in the United States, built in 1927. (It’s small, but terrifyingly rickety.) The kiddie roller coaster was a huge hit with my bridesmaid Lyndsay & I back in the day. I would recommend most rides for younger kids-ages 3-7 or so. Anyone old enough to have experienced a Six Flags-type roller coaster will be bored to tears. $16-20 for unlimited ride or $2-6 for individual rides. It might be fun & economical to go just for a few rides and pay as you ride, because the park is not that big. It would be hard to stay for an entire day.

You can also play arcade games or go-kart race or play mini-golf in the park. The Park opens daily at 11 a.m. I highly recommend a treat from the Nutty Bar stand near the park. You can eat your ice cream on the floating dock with a beautiful view of the lake.

Also at Arnold’s Park, The Queen, the famous boat that gives tours around Lake Okoboji. The tours leave every couple of hours during the day and the trip lasts 75 minutes. It’s a great way to find out about the local history or just enjoy looking at the lake & the lakeshore homes. $12 / person. Liz likes to take out-of-towners on a Queen trip.

For watersports, try Extreme Watersports to rent pedal boats, kayaks, jetskis, pontoons, & motorboats-or to parasail over the lake! They are located next to the Park. 712-332-5406.

For local history, the Maritime Museum next to the Park is free and open to the public. This small museum has lots of old boats & old photographs from the Lakes area.  In Spencer, another small museum, The Parker Museum is the place for local history.  If you go, ask for Cindy McGranahan-Liz’s great friend Devan’s mother and wedding guest. Ask her if you can see the taxidermied calf born with scales.

Boji Splash Indoor Waterpark – http://www.bridgesbayresort.com/waterpark.php — we’ve never been to this water park, but it would be a good rainy day option. There’s water slides, a lazy river and a 500-gallon dump bucket. It’s $15 or $10 after 4pm. 712-332-2202.

RESTAURANTS:

The Dry Dock and The Wharf are good places to go if you’re more concerned with having a beautiful view than gourmet food. They both offer deck seating right on the water, with burger-with-fries type food.

Maxwell’s Beach Cafe is one of the nicest restaurants at the lakes, and one of the priciest at $20-30 dinner entrees.  Many of Liz’s cousins worked there.

Mrs. Lady’s Mexican restaurant was and is Liz’s favorite Iowa restaurant. Do not expect Mexican food-expect midwestern food with a Mexican influence. It is doubtful than anyone Mexican has ever worked there. The insane taco is a crowd pleaser-and no matter what you order, unless you have a teenager-sized appetite, “mini” is the way to go.  While the main dishes may not appeal to everyone (think lots of ground beef) may not appeal to everyone, you can also stop in for an ice cream cone.  It’s located right on Highway 71 north of Arnold’s Park-anyone would be able to tell you how to get there:

Hwy 71
Spirit Lake, IA 712-332-7373

Hy-Vee, both in Spencer and in Okoboji, is a grocery store that also has a great and affordable cafe:

(Spencer)
1014 11th Ave SW
712-262-2443
Spencer, Iowa, 51301

(Lakes)
1500 18th Street
Spirit Lake, Iowa, 51360
712-336-4302

For good coffee, we definitely recommend Shaky Tree Coffee in Spencer or Arnold’s Perk in Okoboji:

Shaky Tree Coffee
5 W 2nd St
Spencer, IA 51301
(712) 580-3033

Arnold’s Perk
140 W. Broadway St.
Arnold’s Park, IA 51331
712-332-6232

SHOPPING:

The most fun places to browse around at the Lakes are the shops at Arnold’s Park or the Emporium. There are also a lot of places to look for antiques both on the main street of Spencer and in the Lakes area.