Surf Ballroom
Under $25Tour the Clear Lake ballroom where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson played their final show in 1959.

Photo: Gcardinal101, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
An art museum in Mason City, Iowa, known for American art and a collection of Bil Baird puppets.
303 2nd St. SE, Mason City, IA · Mason City, IA
The museum in Mason City, Iowa, was first envisioned in 1964 and opened to visitors in 1966. It occupies a former convent and holds a collection centered on American art, including paintings, prints, drawings, ceramics, sculpture, glass, and textiles. Visitors can also see a special collection of Bil Baird marionettes, hand puppets, and related materials, including pieces used in a scene from the film The Sound of Music. The museum offers studio art classes, tours, children's programs, and events throughout the year.
The closest stops to Charles H. MacNider Art Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
Tour the Clear Lake ballroom where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson played their final show in 1959.
9.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Theater & Events
An early Iowa state park in Hancock and Winnebago counties, known for its CCC-built lookout tower, a rare floating bog, and trails.
19 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
A Franklin County state park centered on a 99-acre reservoir, known for fishing, shoreline hiking, and a photographed dam.
26 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Learn the story of SPAM through interactive galleries, pop culture displays and free samples handed out by museum staff.
Transit: reachable by public transit
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A museum on the site of a former Minnesota state residential school for wards of the state, with a restored boys' cottage and a children's cemetery.
65 mi awayMore like this
One-hour guided tours of the 38-room 1910 mansion Dr. Charles H. Mayo built outside Rochester, furnished with original family pieces and run by the county history center.
67 mi awayMore like this