Iowa Park Named a Top 20 Summertime Lake Town in the US

If you love lakes, a small town in Iowa is one of the best places to visit this summer according to a major national website. Arnold's Park got the nod as one of America's great cities near a fun body of water.

What fun body of water? Talking about Lake Okoboji of course. That's one of the main reasons why Arnold's Park just made the top 20 lake towns in the US just shared by Thrillist. Here's a small taste of what they said about Arnolds Park in their ranking:

Time abandoned Arnolds Park long ago, leaving this “City of 5 Lakes” riddled with kitsch and nostalgia. A resort town since the late 19th century, it now’s so vintage it’s back in style—picture wooden roller coasters, tiny colorful Ferris wheels rising just above the lake, popcorn and lemonade stands, and families taking glass-bottom boats out for wholesome Sunday afternoons on the water.

Before the pandemic changed the world, this is what a typical summer near Arnolds Park would look like.

It might not seem like a big deal to make an internet list, but this national site puts South Lake Tahoe, California, Branson, Missouri and other heavy hitter tourist sites that commonly are thought of as desired destinations near water. Pretty impressive that Arnolds Lake here in Iowa gets mentioned in the same breath as those.

You can check out the full Thrillist ranking if you're looking for some road trip ideas as there are several in the Midwest in Minnesota and Michigan that are an easy day trip away.