The Music Man Square in Mason City, Iowa
When traveling through the cornfields of the midwest, it can be difficult to find fun places to stop and stretch your legs. Luckily for us, we stumbled upon Mason City, Iowa and found an entire little town ready to be explored!
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Mason City…or River City?
If you’re familiar at all with the Meredith Wilson masterpiece The Music Man, then Mason City might sound familiar! Mr. Wilson loosely based his musical on his hometown, Mason City, Iowa. Sitting about 120 miles North of Des Moines, this little town is a great place to stop and stretch your legs when road tripping or for a weekend away.
Music Man Square
If you’re a musical theater buff then you must make Music Man Square your first stop.
Outside you will find a statue of Meredith Wilson, as well as his boyhood home. Tours of the house are available for ages 8 and up. To schedule a tour, call 641-424-2852.
If you continue walking a bit past this area, you will come across another building, which houses the main museum. Inside are several different exhibits:
1912 Streetscape of the fictional River City
Within the storefronts are the pool hall, a real ice cream parlor (extra fees apply) and of course a gift shop.
Additional Museum Exhibits
Further along the museum is the ’76 Trombones’ room which is also a replica of the park from the show.
You can also learn about the famous Wells Fargo Wagon-
There is even a scavenger hunt to keep less enthused members of your party occupied during your visit. Here’s a hint:
Where
The historical home of Meredith Wilson and museum dedicated to The Music Man is located at
308 South Pennsylvania Ave.
Mason City, IA 50401
We parked for free across the street from the Square at the public library.
Hours and Admission
The museum is open April 1st – November 1st, Tuesday – Saturday 1:00 – 5:00pm and closed on holidays.
Admission to the museum is:
- Adults– $10
- Students through age 18– $5
- Age 7 and under– Free
The admission price of $10.00 (adults) or $5.00 students includes the 1912 Streetscape, The Meredith Willson Museum, and the Meredith Willson Boyhood Home. Tour and school groups are also welcome.
More in Mason City
For the casual The Music Man fan, it will probably take about an hour to get through the museum. Luckily, Mason City has more to explore.
Frank LLoyd Wright Architecture in Mason City
Mason City boasts more than one Frank Lloyd Wright building.
Visit the Historic Park Inn Hotel, the last remaining Wright designed hotel on Earth! To see what tours and events are available, visit their website at www.wrightonthepark.org
Additionally, you can visit The Stockman House. Wright’s fireproof home design was built in the early 1900’s, it was refurbished and moved to its current home in the early 90’s. You will begin your tour next door at the Robert E. McCoy Architectural Interpretive Center. For all of the information see www.stockmanhouse.org.
Prairie Park Playground
This is a great place for the kids to burn off some energy. Featuring a large wooden playset, there’s plenty of space to run and play. There are also plenty of benches for the grown-ups! If you have a train lover in your group, be sure to stop here and admire the ‘Cannonball 457‘ engine that is on display.
Lime Creek Nature Center
Located at
3501 Lime Creek Rd,
Mason City, IA 50401
The Lime Creek Nature Center is home to several hiking trails and even a scavenger hunt. It is open 7:30AM-4:00PM.
Visiting Mason City, Iowa
While definitely not a place I ever realized I needed to visit, Mason City was a happy surprise! Around town are interesting sculptures and fantastic architecture. The town square could only be described as charming. This would be a perfect place for a romantic weekend getaway.