Iowa City, IA Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

IOWA CITY , on I-80 55 miles west of the Mississippi, is refreshingly young at heart. The restored gold-domed Old Capitol is a reminder of its days as state capital, before government was transferred to the more central Des Moines. Residents were placated by getting the University of Iowa instead. The arty shops and sidewalk cafés of the compact downtown touch the east end of campus, but its red and gray buildings, closeted by tall dark trees, remain aloof from the rest of the town. About 12 miles east of Iowa City, the tiny Quaker town of West Branch attracts a steady stream of traffic from I-80 for its Herbert … more »