Don McLean was inspired to write “American Pie” in 1972 by events that took place there on “the day the music died.” Today, you can stand where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson gave their final concert, as well as pay tribute to their lives at the site where their plane crashed on Feb. 3, 1959.

But Clear Lake, Iowa, on Interstate 35 just south of the Iowa-Minnesota border, is more than a simple memorial site alone. It’s a place where you can spend a relaxing weekend with the family, with something for every member of the family.

Clear Lake/McIntosh Woods state parks
The namesake for the city of Clear Lake offers a number of outdoor adventures for all seasons.

Fishing and watersports, in season, are popular on Clear Lake. Anglers can find healthy populations of walleye, muskie, northern pike, bullheads, catfish, yellow bass and crappie, while boaters can ski, jetski, wind surf and sail.

Surf Ballroom

The history of popular music in the U.S. in the 20th century cannot be written without mention of this historic theater in downtown Clear Lake. The Surf Ballroom was built in 1933, destroyed by fire in 1947 and rebuilt the following year. The 2,100-capacity ballroom with a 6,300-square-foot dance floor has hosted music legends from Lawrence Welk, Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa to Ike and Tina Turner, Chuck Berry and Bill Haley and the Comets. The Surf Ballroom is perhaps best known, however, for the “Winter Dance Party” concert held Feb. 2, 1959—the final performance of Jay “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly before they were killed in a plane crash shortly after take-off after the concert.

Today, the Surf Ballroom is restored to its original decor and condition from the 1940s and 1950s. Inside, you can see a collection of photographs—many autographed—of performers who have graced the ballroom’s stage, as well as memorabilia from Richardson, Valens and Holly. For the classic rock and roll fan in the family, it shouldn’t be missed. Today, the Surf Ballroom remains a destination for popular music concerts.

Self-guided tours are available during business hours weekdays and on weekends, but call or contact ahead first. For more information on the Surf Ballroom, go online to www.surfballroom.com, e-mail thesurf@surfballroom.com or call 641-357-6151.

The crash site is on private property, so visitors are asked to respect the landowner’s rights in visiting. To get to the site, go north on N. 8th St. in Clear Lake for 4.7 mile. The paved road will turn into Grouse Ave. and turn west. At this point, turn right (east) on 310th St., then immediately turn left so you are headed north on Gull Ave. Take Gull Ave. north one-half mile, past a series of grain bins, to the first fence row you reach on the left (west) side of the road. Walk west along the fence row for around one-half mile to see the memorial.

Clear Lake Fire Museum

If there’s a firefighting enthusiast in your family, stop by the Clear Lake Fire Museum, at 112 North 6th St. in Clear Lake. The small museum has a collection of firefighting equipment chronicling the 20th century, including a 1924 pumper truck and an 1883 hand-pulled hose cart as well as antique fire extinguishers and documentation of more than a century of fighting fires in and around Clear Lake.

The museum, which also features a memorial to all firefighters who have served the Clear Lake area, was created and is today maintained by the Clear Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

The museum is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. For more information, call 641-357-4823.

Fort Custer Maze

Just off I-35 lies the Fort Custer Maze, the latest addition to Clear Lake. The maze covers two acres and totals more than two miles of trails inside and includes a tower on each corner and in the middle, as well as three bridges where maze-goers can gauge their progress. Prizes are awarded weekly for visitors who make it through the maze the fastest. But, you don’t have much time to practice your route, as the paths of the maze are changed regularly. An office next to the maze also includes a small museum where visitors can see Civil War and Native American artifacts. The Fort Custer Maze is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The maze is open weekends in May and September from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors 55 and older and $4 for children ages 4 to 11 years. Children 3 years old and younger are admitted free of charge.

For more information, call 641-357-6102.

Cerro Gordo County Wind Farm Project

It’s a whole new type of farm, and northwest of Clear Lake, you can get an up-close look at one of the ways Mother Nature can help power our daily lives. The Cerro Gordo County Wind Farm Project—south of the small town of Ventura, just northwest of Clear Lake—is a 2,110-acre site where 55 187-foot-tall wind turbines generate electricity for 20,000 homes in the area. The Clear Lake area was chosen for the 42-megawatt wind farm, completed in 1999 at a cost of $44 million, because it is the optimal wind energy-generating part of Iowa. Thirteen landowners currently participate in the wind energy project.

The wind farm is easily accessible, and while there is no public access to the access roads leading directly to the base of each turbine, several paved and unpaved roads go very near many of the turbines. From Clear Lake, travel west on Highway 18 to the town of Ventura and turn left on Main St. Follow Main St.—which turns into Balsam Ave.—around four miles to the wind farm and visitor information station at the intersection of Balsam Ave. and 210th St.

For more general information on Clear Lake, Iowa, including more about other area attractions as well as lodging and dining information, go online to www.clearlakeiowa.com or call the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800 285-5338 or 641-357-2159. Jeff Caldwell can be reached by phone at 515-280-5405 or by e-mail at jcaldwell@mchsi.com.

Clear Lake, IA

Surf Ballroom

Clear Lake State Park

McIntosh Woods