Cedar Rapids, United States: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Looking for things to do in Cedar Rapids? This Iowa city brings together historic religious buildings, museums, architecture, performing arts, and cultural institutions shaped by the Cedar River and the communities that settled here. It is a rewarding place to explore on foot, with landmarks ranging from the oldest still-standing purpose-built mosque in the United States to a Queen Anne-style mansion and a restored 1920s theatre.

Neywo has a free audio guide for Cedar Rapids with 11 narrated places, available in 11 languages. For a wider trip through the state, you can also explore our guide to Iowa.

What to see in Cedar Rapids

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library brings Czech and Slovak history and culture together under one roof. Established in 1974, it moved to its Cedar Rapids site in 1983. The institution was severely affected by the Iowa flood of 2008, but rebuilding and expansion were completed in 2012, when it reopened.

African American Museum of Iowa

Near the Cedar River in downtown Cedar Rapids, the African American Museum of Iowa preserves and shares African American heritage and culture in the state. Its permanent exhibition, Endless Possibilities, is presented alongside a temporary exhibition that changes annually. The museum also creates traveling exhibitions and offers tours, educational programs, and special events for audiences across Iowa.

Paramount Theatre

The Paramount Theatre is a restored 1920s vaudeville and movie palace with 1,693 seats. It remains an important performance space and is home to Orchestra Iowa, the Cedar Rapids Area Theater Organ Society, and Community Concerts. Its restored Wurlitzer theatre organ can rise from below the stage when used.

The theatre was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and later became a contributing property in the Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District. Its story also includes the devastating June 2008 flood, which submerged most of downtown and damaged the building. Restoration preserved its movie-palace character while keeping it active as a live-performance venue.

Museum of Art Cedar Rapids

Established in 1905, the Museum of Art Cedar Rapids presents collections, exhibitions, and programmes for both local residents and visitors. Its downtown home combines two chapters of the city’s history: the former Cedar Rapids Public Library building and a neighbouring structure designed by post-modern architect Charles Moore and built in 1989.

The museum acquired the former library building after the library moved elsewhere in 1985. Together, the buildings reflect the institution’s changing role in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Cedar Rapids Scottish Rite Temple

Also known as the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, the Cedar Rapids Scottish Rite Temple is a Classical Revival landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Consistory Building Number 2. Pennsylvania architect Henry Hornbostel designed the building, which was constructed by Loomis Brothers Construction in 1927.

The temple was built onto an older building from 1910, now hidden from view from the front. Its architectural history makes it one of the city’s notable historic buildings.

First Church of Christ, Scientist

The former First Church of Christ, Scientist is a red-brick Neoclassical building designed to feel more approachable than traditional religious architecture. Its main façade has a portico supported by four Doric columns, with a centred raised gable roof above.

Christian Science reached Cedar Rapids in 1886, and the congregation became an official branch of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston in 1891. Construction of this building began in 1914, and it was dedicated the following year. The congregation has since moved to another facility, but the former church remains part of Cedar Rapids’ architectural history and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

St. Paul United Methodist Church

St. Paul United Methodist Church is especially notable for its connection with architect Louis Sullivan. The building has been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985 and is also a contributing property in the Second and Third Avenue Historic District.

For architecture enthusiasts, it is one of the most significant stops in downtown Cedar Rapids, linking the city to Sullivan’s influential work.

Brucemore

Brucemore is a 26-acre, park-like estate in the heart of Cedar Rapids. Its grounds include a Queen Anne-style mansion, formal gardens, a children’s garden, a night garden, a pond, an orchard, and woodland.

The mansion was built between 1884 and 1886 by Caroline Sinclair, widow of pioneer industrialist Thomas M. Sinclair. Three prominent families later lived at Brucemore, using the estate as a centre for culture and the arts. The three-storey mansion contains 21 rooms and is marked by a steeply gabled roof, five chimneys, and several turrets.

Mother Mosque of America

The Mother Mosque of America is a modest but historically important Cedar Rapids landmark. Completed in 1934, it was once known as the Rose of Fraternity Lodge and is considered the oldest still-standing purpose-built mosque in the United States.

Earlier mosques in the country were sometimes converted from existing buildings, while other purpose-built examples in Michigan and North Dakota were later sold or fell into ruin. That history gives the Mother Mosque a distinctive place in American religious heritage.

St. James United Methodist Church

St. James United Methodist Church presents a modern interpretation of Gothic Revival design. Its gabled form and Tennessee quartzite stone give the building a strong presence.

The present church was completed in 1954 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. Its congregation grew from a Sunday school organised by Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, and the church’s later development reflects the changing religious and architectural history of Cedar Rapids.

First Universalist Church of Cedar Rapids

The former First Universalist Church of Cedar Rapids, also known as the Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist, no longer stands, but its history remains part of the city’s story. Built in 1875, it served Cedar Rapids’ Unitarian Universalist community for more than 135 years. The congregation voted to sell the building and its grounds in May 2010, and the church was demolished in October 2011.

Explore Cedar Rapids with a self-guided tour

A Cedar Rapids self-guided walking tour is a simple way to connect these places without joining a group. Neywo offers three walking tours and one bike route:

• Flood, Czech Roots and Louis Sullivan: Downtown Cedar Rapids — 4.11 km, 94 minutes, 7 narrated stops
• Temples, Sullivan and the Queen Anne Mansion — 3.63 km, 77 minutes, 5 narrated stops
• From the Paramount to the Mother Mosque — 3.3 km, 75 minutes, 5 narrated stops
• Downtown Cedar Rapids by Bike Lane — a 2.2 km route, 11 minutes, 4 narrated stops

The routes include the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, African American Museum of Iowa, Paramount Theatre, Museum of Art Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids Scottish Rite Temple, First Church of Christ, Scientist, St. Paul United Methodist Church, Brucemore, St. James United Methodist Church, and the Mother Mosque of America.

Download the Neywo Cedar Rapids audio guide

Download Neywo to explore Cedar Rapids with its free audio guide and 11 narrated places. The app tells the story of each landmark as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Choose a walking tour or the bike route, follow the city streets, and let the narration bring the buildings and their histories to life.

Cedar Rapids is part of the United States, and nearby destinations such as Dubuque, Waterloo, and Muscatine offer more places to discover in Iowa.