Cedar Rapids

All Rights Reserved Megan Bannister

Wandering Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village

One of the things I love most about Iowa is its unique neighborhoods and unexpected heritage sites located within larger cities. In Cedar Rapids, one of those cultural influences happens to be Czech.

Today the area just across the river from the thriving New Bohemia neighborhood is known as the Czech Village. Once home to many Czech and Slovak immigrants, this part of Cedar Rapids is filled with interesting architecture, cultural symbols, and restaurants and bakeries serving traditional delicacies.

All Rights Reserved Megan Bannister

Exploring the National Czech & Slovak Museum

If you’re not from Iowa, you might not know about the different pockets of European immigrants who have settled all across the state. There are the Danes in Elk Horn and the Swedes in Swedesburg, but did you know that Cedar Rapids is home to a large number of Czech and Slovak immigrants?

Earlier this summer we embarked on an adventure to explore the eclectic Czech Village starting with the neighborhood’s National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

All rights reserved Megan Bannister

Exploring Iowa: Cedar Rapids

After grabbing lunch at NewBo City Market, we wandered around the adorable Cedar Rapids neighborhood of New Bohemia. Before we hopped back in the car to embark on the next leg of our adventure, we stopped in at a few shops and took in some of the adorable atmosphere of this unique neighborhood…

All rights reserved Megan Bannister

Eats: NewBo City Market

A few weekends ago—on our trip to pick apples and visit the future birthplace of Captain Kirk—a friend and I found ourselves in Cedar Rapids at lunchtime. While I’d admired it from afar, I’d never visited the newly built NewBo City Market in the New Bohemia neighborhood of Cedar Rapids. So naturally it seemed the perfect place for a quick bite to eat…