Can you believe it? Clear Lake just set an ice-out record, the sun’s been playing peek-a-boo, the birds are chirping their little hearts out which means Spring Break Clear Lake is finally knocking on our door! Let’s dive into the fun!
Take a look at the fun activities you can enjoy in Clear Lake during Spring Break at Clear Lake:
Be a Local Champion
Shop Local
Update your closet and home for spring with a Clear Lake shopping spree! Explore the charming boutiques and shops, and support the local community while finding unique items to refresh your wardrobe and living space. Don’t forget to check out new products at your favorite retailers, and try to discover a new shop you’ve never explored. Click here for our shopping guide.
Dine Around
Clear Lake, known for its scenic beauty and warm hospitality, is also a wonderland for food enthusiasts seeking memorable dining experiences. Whether you’re a local looking to rediscover your hometown favorites or a visitor eager to savor the unique flavors of Clear Lake, this curated list of Bucket List Bites is your passport to a culinary adventure.
Join us as we chow down on our favorite standouts of Clear Lake’s food scene in 2024. “Bucket List Bites” isn’t just a list; it’s your guide to munchin’ like a local. Grab your sunnies, kick back, and savor the flavors that will undoubtedly earn a spot on your own culinary bucket list! Click here to read the full list.
Be sure to add the annual KC Irish Stew to your calendar on Sunday, March 17th serving 11am-2pm. The special recipe Irish Stew is a perfected blend of tender meat, carrots, onions, turnips and potatoes, all delicately spiced and simmered to perfection. Also included on the menu are crackers and cheese along with an assortment of delicious homemade pies. Click here for more details!
Stay at the Shore and Explore
Clear lake has many lodging options to anchor your stay at the shore. Cool hotels, fun vacation rentals, an award-winning bed & breakfast await your arrival! Bonus: off season rates mean more money to shop! Click here to find your perfect stay.
Get Active
Boyer Pool & Wellness Center Extended Hours
Take a dip in the heated indoor swimming pool and hot tub, plus get access to the gymnasium, where you can enjoy pickleball, basketball, indoor walking, ping pong, corn hole and more! Head outside for their disc golf course and enjoy the spring weather!
March 11-15, 2024
Monday 6am-8pm, Tuesday 6am-5pm, Wednesday 6am-5pm, Thursday 6am-2pm AND 3:30pm-8pm, Friday 6am-5pm
Day passes are available for $5 per person, memberships also available.
Clear Lake Athletics & Wellness Center
Tag, you’re it – welcome to Spring Break Open Gym at the CLAW! Over Spring break we will have Open Gym Time on Monday March 11th -Friday, March 15th from 1pm-3pm. Games, crafts, and free time will all be available, cost is $25.00 for the week or $5 per day, Click here to register. The CLAW also has day passes for adults to enjoy the center, plus the Lion’s Den indoor playground for the little ones to enjoy.
Everybody Plays Inclusive Playground
Check out Clear Lake’s newest playground located at 109 S 15th St (next to the Aquatic Center). Officially open in fall 2023, this park is the only one of it’s kind within 90 miles. Everybody Plays Inclusive Playground allows children and adults of all abilities to play together.
Geocache
Clear Lake is home to hundreds of caches! A modern-day treasure hunt that will take you on some amazing treks, this family-friendly hobby gets you outdoors and active. Be sure to search for Clear Lake Tourism’s cache series that includes a special takeaway in each one; including “That’ll Be The Day You Cache Clear Lake,” Iowa Geocachers Association’s Most Creative Mystery Cache for 2023. Grab your mobile phone, download the Geocaching app, and go treasure hunting! Need help? Stop by the visitor center for a quick tutorial.
Go on a Storywalk®
“Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons” by Eric Litwin and James Dean is the newest installation at the ORC (12th Ave S). The StoryWalk® features pages from a picture book combined with prompts to keep you moving and develop literacy skills. Follow the 20 story posts starting at the south parking lot and spread over half a mile. This story includes braille and will be up until late May.
Library Adventures
Clear Lake Public Library
The CLPL has a bunch of fun activities planned for Spring Break for families to enjoy!
Monday, March 11 at 1pm: Interactive Family Movie
Join us for a free, family-friendly, interactive adventure. Watch a popular kids/family movie, but with prompts that keep the whole family entertained. Interactive movies get the audience involved by providing cues and prompts for them to say or do things as the movie plays. Everyone is invited to sing along (subtitles provided)! Click here for the movie title!
Of course, the weekly writing group will also meet on Monday evening at 6pm.
Tuesday, March 12th: It’s LEGO Day at the Library
First, enjoy a morning of lego building from 10am-12pm. We provide the materials, you provide the imagination! Children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult.
From 3-4pm, all ages are invited to build a Lego Derby car and race it down our Pinewood Derby track. Families can race against each other, friends, or strangers during this hour-long program. Registration required, click here to register.
Wednesday, March 13: Get Messy
Little Learners Story Time for children age 5 and under is held at 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday, year-round. Story time consists of stories, body movement activities, songs, and rhymes, helping children grow the skills they need to become lifelong readers.
Messy Art Wednesday: One of our most loved programs during Summer Reading was Messy Art, so we’re bringing it back over Spring Break! Join us in the meeting room for some messy crafts from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. This is a come and go event.
Thursday, March 14: Pi Day Escape Room
Race the clock and solve the clues in this Pi Day themed escape room! Can you finish in time to win the prize? This escape room is designed for all ages, so gather your friends and your family to see if you can solve the room before 30 minutes is up! Escape room is open 12-5pm
Click here for details on Cards & Creativity, Homeschool Hangout, and Book Club!
Friday, March 15: Beach Playdate at the Library
Is it truly spring break without a trip to the beach? Join us in the meeting room for some fun beach-themed games and activities from 10am-2pm. Geared toward ages 6 and under, but all are welcome.
Experience Art & Culture
Clear Lake Arts Center
Open Tuesday – Saturday 10am-4pm. Enjoy the current exhibit, “Pastel Places,” a beautiful collection of landscape pastels by Colorado artist, Linda Mangan.
Surf Ballroom & Museum
Immerse yourself in the rich history of Clear Lake by visiting the Surf Ballroom & Museum, Iowa’s 27th National Historic Landmark. Visit Three Stars Plaza, located one block west of the Surf’s main entrance, this circular park plays off the musical significance of Clear Lake and features an art deco inspired central spindle holding three 45 records in position “ready to play.” After visiting the Surf Ballroom, head to the crash site to complete the final piece of rock ‘n’ roll history with a trek to the Three Stars Memorial Site where the plane came to rest just 5 miles north of Clear Lake.
The Surf is open Monday-Friday 8am-4pm for self-guided tours.
Lake Theatre
Kung Fu Panda 4 (PG) After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Golden Globe nominee Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems.
First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position. Even worse, there’s been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po’s Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm. So, Po’s going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Golden Globe winner Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable.
In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.
Showtimes have been added for Spring Break! Monday, March 11 & Tuesday, March 12 at 7pm and Wednesday, March 13 at 1pm & 7pm plus the usual showtimes: Thursday & Friday 7pm, Saturday & Sunday 1pm, 4pm, & 7pm. Tickets are $5 adults, $4 children 12 and under. Click here to buy your tickets online!
Freedom Rock Park
Part of a 99-piece mural throughout the state of Iowa, Clear Lake’s 16 ton Freedom Rock pays tribute to Captain Henry Irving Smith, who was the only soldier from Cerro Gordo County to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Civil War hero was awarded the high honor in 1865. Pick up a Freedom Rock map at the Visitor Center to explore them all!
BINGO + Bags
Clear Lake loves BINGO, and you have FOUR opportunities to play during Spring Break in Clear Lake! (Insert B4 BINGO joke)
Lake Time Brewery
BINGO at the Brewery is the epitome of Sunday Funday at the lake! Grab your friends, family, or anyone who loves a good time and make your way to the taproom at 2pm Sundays in March for some exciting bingo action and a chance to win amazing prizes including beer, merchandise, and more! (March 10 & March 17)
VFW BINGO
Besides the good ol’ fashioned fun, the veterans and auxiliary volunteers donate all proceeds from the BINGO games to community charities and veteran causes. BINGO Night is held at the VFW the 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Must be over 21 to play. (March 11)
On Wednesdays the VFW hosts their weekly bean bag night. Drop in and sign up at 6:30pm, play begins at 7pm. There is a $1 entry per person and prize money is awarded each week. Bring a snack to share if you like! (March 13)
173° Craft Distillery
Kickstart your adventure every Wednesday at 173° Craft Distillery’s BINGO Night! Savor expertly crafted cocktails, mingle with others, have fun, and win prizes. Game card available with purchase of food or drink. (March 13)
Trivia & Puzzles
Lake Time Brewery
Gather your friends, savor the flavors, and compete for bragging rights and fantastic prizes at the Brewery’s weekly trivia night! Thursdays from 7-9pm. (March 14)
St. Patrick’s Day Puzzle Competition
Live Music
Danny Grouse returns to TAP’d at 9pm Friday night with a mixture of country, blues, funk & rock. His favorite artists to cover are Eric Church, Zac Brown Band, & Chris Stapleton, plus his Midwest CMO Song of the Year “Man on a Mountain”!