Things To Do In Mahaska County

This ten-foot wide and 14 mile concrete trail  traverses around Oskaloosa through native prairie, wooded areas, the city park, interactive conservation center, the animal shelter, ponds, streams, our solar system display, and more. Find trail map, trailheads and more here. 

Take the Trail Tram Tour!  May through October for free! One of our guests ordered   Breadeaux pizza  towards the end of their tour and had it delivered to the shelter on Green Street ending their fun with a picnic. 

Oskaloosa has an active disc golf community and three frisbee golf courses for varied challenges and a change of scenery. One is on the Edmunson Park grounds adjacent to outdoor picnic areas, fireplaces, Edmunson Swimming Pool, and one of the trailheads. Another is near the miniature golf course and the other is behind our Conservational Center. 

Enjoy Tee time at one or all three of Oskaloosa's golf courses, one is overlooked by the deck of our favorite dinner spot in town, the other owned by a PGA tournament champion 

Loved by families for generations!  Keomah State Park springs flowers, floats kayaks, leaf or snow carpets your path, and freezes over to offer fishermen a twist to their sport. Lake Keomah is currently under renovation, however nature is still abounding at the park!  

"With a blend of forest and prairies, 225 total acres, and over 3 miles of trails, Cedar Bluffs Natural Area can easily take up an entire afternoon to explore. The north end of the trail features an overlook with a breathtaking view of the Des moines River. This is even more rewarding after climbing the bluffs to get to it." - Jacob Glandon in Explore Mahaska County 2022 issue. 

Go back in time when you visit Prine School, Littler Cabin, Blacksmith Shop, Nelson's House, Mott General Stored, and more along with the museum and library. The museum hosts a calendar of events through its open season and will schedule individual tours, if you ask! Schedule your visit to Nelson Pioneer Farm between May and October.. 

Iowa's best Lighted Christmas Parade amidst a cascade of colored lights, Sweet Corn Serenade, Annual Art Show, Fridays after Five, Thursday night city band, and each of these are an idyllic event that makes you wonder if we are in a Hallmark movie! Walk across the street to two bookstores, one in an old bank with vaults as rooms adjoined to a vintage coffee shop filled with young and old and you will be sure it must be make believe! Lots of live music, here is one example. 

The Alley is an exceptional outdoor venue for all sorts of happenings. You can reserve it for an event or simply bring a book, board game, or friend and eat or drink al fresco! in June and July enjoy Thankful Thursdays from 6-8 before the city band performs for the community. 

Our Environmental Learning Center has traveling exhibits throughout the year, and their permanent exhibits are something to stop for! This wooly mammoth replica was created from the observation of the actual bones dug up in our county, and those actual bones are on display, along with lots of other fascinating natural history and live exhibits. 

Find the swinging bridge at Russell Wildlife Area! As you explore, you'll find ponds to fish in, trails to traverse and good chance: some fossils!

Also, check out County Parks in Mahaska County link to view a description and locations of nearly twenty parks (including marshes, trails, sand dunes, and more) set aside to view and experience wildlife unique to this area. 

Set up a creating event with Brushed by Jude, add a piece to your container garden at Stam's Greenhouse, cut and arrange your own centerpiece with Farmer Meredith, or simply bring your nature journal with you on one of our trails and get painting! 

Rosso & Wine with authentic Italian products just opened their doors in Penn Central Mall! And not far from that is Pronto, where you can enjoy all kinds of Italian lunch options.  Tassel Ridge Winery offers wine tasting, scheduled dinner and wine events and tours of the wine making process.  

Near Tassel Ridge Winery, experience the cheese-making process and try samples of various ages and flavors of their gouda. Call 641-204-222 for hours and to pick the best time for your trip here. 

Smokey Row Coffee Shop  is a spot for all of us! Enjoy a full menu in addition to the treats and sit long and talk much! You could always start with dinner at delicious Tasos and follow  up with a latte to keep the conversation going, maybe even a piece of Tiramisu with Espresso drizzled on top or a generous serving of Affogato! Walk through the door to the bookshop and browse if your sipping solo! 

Axe throwing competition anyone? How about pinball or PacMan? Maybe Duckpin Bowling or Laser Tag? Stop at Penn Central Mall for all this fun and let Heather feed you something delicious at Wanderlunch while you're there! 

 This 350-acre abandoned coal mine is now approximately 20 miles of riding trails with steep hill climbs, deep pits, and four motocross tracks. One of the tracks is dedicated to novice and beginning riders and another called the "gravity cavity" is for riders after a bigger challenge. 

For more information, call 641-670-0240.

Rent kayaks from Nostalgic Rides, bring your own or stay at The Cabin and use the kayaks and pedal pontoon boat there for you . While our state park is being renovated, enjoy White Oak Conservation Area Lake and Trails! 

The Book Vault is a favorite from lots of guests! Beautifully merchandised book & gift store housed in a historic bank with themes in various vaults! We have a long list of delectable boutiques, a shoe store like they used to be, and wonderful buyers who have brought beautiful finds to their shops. Enjoy! 

 Nostalgic Rides  rents bikes for date day  or family bike rides through town or on the Recreation Trail. 

Rent a four seater, gas golf cart from F & J Adventures! Rent by the day, week or month. Call Jason or Flor at 641-676-KART (4322) for rates and availability. 

Elmhurst Grille is at the location of our previous favorite dinner spot, Wood Iron Grille. The staff at Elmhurst are doing a wonderful job transitioning into another favorite in Oskaloosa! Outdoor dining overlooks one of Oskaloosa's golf courses. 

Our county has some treasure hunters that bring their finds to you! Stephanie at North Creek Antiques is one of those traveling buyers! Take the crew and bring home a piece of history! 

Book your wedding, baby shower, graduation party, family reunion or other grand event at Debbie's Celebration Barn in Oskaloosa.

State of the art gym right here in Oskaloosa! With all brand new equipment and the only one to have Musco Show Light Plus in the whole country - Mahaska County YMCA. Stop in and see couples playing pickle ball in the gym with a group of young men on the other end getting their cardio the basketball way! All new Select Matrix equipment in the assisted weight space, including the chin or dip assist machine and much more. The free weight room is around the corner surrounded by studios for classes. 

A short drive south east of Oskaloosa is White Oak Conservation Area, a 141 acre property maintained beautifully for your enjoyment. . What a delightful trail around lake with wooden bridges, a playground, boat ramps, a couple docks and in season berries to munch on! Located at 2647 Ventura Ave. Cedar, IA. This is 5.9 miles from our Cabin at Keomah and just a couple miles from South Skunk River Access. 

Wooly Mammoth bones were discovered and  paleontologists managed the excavation of these remains right here in Mahaska County. Observe the curated bones and this replica at our Environmental Learning Center, which also holds fur pelts of Iowa animals, live animals to feed and hold and many hands on activities for all ages. This is also a great location to enter the 14 mile recreation trail. You can head north or south on the trail from here. 

While there are events throughout the year at Barnswallow Flowers, Pick Your Own Flowers is a growing delightful event to plan! Farmer Meredith and her crew design beautiful arrangements for all kinds of events and people, and the great variety of flowers they plant are set up each year for you to make your own unique bouquet as well! 

Just west of Oskaloosa, The Nunnikhoven Farm Family is doing all the homestead things and sharing it with the public! Their first fall festival was so attended, they hired friends to organize parking on the spot! In the spring, pick tulips; in the summer pick Zinnias; early fall: pick sunflowers and be sure to attend the fall festival where there are a variety of vendors, pumpkin cannons, locally brewed beer, live music and just great community. 

Edmundson Park is the place to go for a walk at the park! The brand new playground was a combined community effort and is a popular place to play! 

This town is ready for you! From world tours to local talents, George Daily Auditorium has it all! Check out The Hobbit being performed summer 2024 and much more on the theater schedule. 

If you are staying at the Terrace or The Cabin, you have your own pool! Looking for a public pool with a splash pad, diving boards and waterslides? Check out Edmundson Pool located near the playground at Edmundson Park. 

Drive up or stand in line with the outdoorsy folk at Frosty Udder, and you will be glad you waited! If you are staying at our Terrace, Tastee street is a block away with ice cream and more! if you are into chocolate and peanut butter or espresso bean & other dipped ice cream, check out Smokey Row's ice cream bar. We recently enjoyed a Frosty Lemonade at 

Opened with a bang! We have only heard Oskaloosa Spirit Cafe's smashing reviews! Its purpose? To serve the community while giving students a work experience. You can also buy things there made by students. Their story is really good, the environment is really good and the food, we hear, is really good!  

Tasos, downtown, has been mentioned before on here, but their menu is so nice and large, it deserves a couple spots to be featured. If you are in the mood for cheesecake or pie, this is absolutely your spot! You cannot go wrong. Look at some of your options: 

• Pies: French Silk, Lemon Meringue, Peanut Butter, Coconut Cream, Caramel Apple, Cookies & Cream
• Cheesecake: Vanilla Bean topped with strawberries, chocolate or caramel. 

 History restored and you can experience this with a drink and delicious bar food in the basement of the building and soon experience fine dining on the main and second floor of Oskaloosa's post office built at the turn of the twentieth century. 

People come from all over to experience Eddyville Dunes Sand Prairie where cacti dot the trail and you can watch for box turtles, six-lined race runner lizards and a great variety of birds from the wooden bridge at the pond. 

Take the family or a friend and have fun at Oskaloosa Mini Putt in University Park, right near our amphitheater and Vennard College. Bring pickle ball rackets and enjoy a friendly pickle ball play before or after! 

For hours, call 641-660-2798. 

Eddyville Raceway Park is filled with events most weekends from spring through fall. Check out their events schedule and plan a weekend around it! 

Stay at our home midweek and save! While you are here on a Tuesday night, enjoy an event at Rosso and Wine, then go to the races on Wednesday night! 

Stay active and energized at our state-of-the-art YMCA. Featuring top-of-the-line equipment and personal training services, we'll help you achieve your fitness goals. 

Our dedicated concierge team is here to assist you in every way possible. From booking reservations to planning activities, we'll help make your stay unforgettable.