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Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, IA

Photo: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Theater & EventsHistory BuffIconicRainy-Day Pick

Surf Ballroom

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

460 North Shore Dr · Clear Lake, IA

About Surf Ballroom

The Surf reopened in 1948 after a fire, rebuilt across the street from the 1933 original, and a 1990s renovation restored its 1948 look, with ocean murals, bamboo and rattan furniture and fake palm trees beside the stage. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson gave their last performances here on February 2, 1959. A self-guided tour covers artifact exhibits and the 6,300-square-foot dance floor, and the ballroom still hosts concerts.

  • #music history
  • #historic ballroom
  • #buddy holly
  • #concert venue
  • #rock and roll museum

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