Good Eats + Great Fun up in Clear Lake, Iowa: A Highly Curated List

Less than two hours from Des Moines, Clear Lake is a great destination for a quick late-summer or early-autumn getaway. Plan your trip with these great must-do's from a long-time insider.

Wini’s note: For years, I’ve been enjoying Jane Austin Miller’s Facebook posts of her travels far and wide. Her posts on Clear Lake, however, really hit home: I’ve visited Clear Lake for a quick getaway, but I’ve often wondered if I was taking full advantage of everything this cute lakeside community has to offer. I asked Jane, a former longtime BH&G editor who also happens to have a lake home in Clear Lake, to write up this insider’s guide. Her insights gave me plenty of new finds to enjoy. Let Jane guide you to a great getaway from Des Moines!

An Insider’s Guide to Clear Lake, Iowa

by Jane Austin Miller

If spending long summer weekends, plus an occasional winter weekend, in Clear Lake for the past 10 years makes me an “insider” to this slice of small-town Americana, I’m happy to take on the moniker. I’ve …