Should you find yourself out in these parts likely passing east-west barrelling down I80 to get to your destination as swiftly as possible, but find you need to take a break for a while and perhaps even lay up for the evening, then the Walmart Supercenter here in little known Grinnell might just be the spot for you. It’s conveniently located just about 5 miles north of I80 where you’ll just need to get off on exit 182 (Iowa 146) and pass through a few lights before winding up at this oversized Walmart that will be on your left.
While Grinnell is referred to as the ‘crown jewel of the prairie’ for some reason that I do not know, it is well known for the ivy league-like university that you’ll find here – arguably the only college of its caliber in the state. And while the downtown will remind you a bit of a scene with Marty McFly right out of Back From The Future (minus the hoverboards), there’s not a whole lot to this place, although the people you will come across are incredibly welcoming and hospitable.
As for the parking lot itself, it is fairly massive and wide open. The obvious place to park overnight would be in the NE corner by the Pizza Ranch, although you might also have luck behind the Walmart, which would give you a bit of added protection, privacy and less noise. There was decent lighting at night when we were there and, in general, because, you know, you’re completely out in the middle of nowhere, there is a pretty extreme sense of feeling safe.
Looking for a bite to eat? Well, there is the Pizza Ranch, which you’ll easily be able to spot from the NE corner of the Walmart parking lot where likely you would have pitched your RV or 5th Wheeler at. They offer a pizza buffet, which sounded interesting, although we did not attempt it when we were in town. Instead, you may want to try out what every good Midwestern town has plenty of these days – great Mexican restaurants! In this case, there’s Casa Margaritas Mexican Restaurant as well as Los Girales, of which I highly recommend the former and do be sure to try out there pretty amazing Margaritas. If you want something more traditional, then check out West Side Family Restaurant for some Midwest comfort food. If you go into Grinnell proper, you’ll find: McDonald’s, Jimmy Johns, Maria’s Fresh Mex, Subway, Chuong Garden and Frontier Café.
Beyond the restaurant scene, if you need to load up while here, of course there is the Walmart Supercenter you are at that would be the most logical choice, but if like me, you really don’t shop at Walmart, there’s a Hyvee Supermarket that is just up the road and that is awesome. there’s a Fareway Grocery and Mc Nally’s Foods in downtown Grinnel. Oh, and in every little town that you come across in Iowa and Illinois, there’s both a Dollar Tree and Dollar General.
Should you want to get out and stretch your legs, there is both Arbor Lake Park (which ironically does not have a lake, or at least one we could find) as well as Lake Nyanza, which is located just opposite this first non-lake park, of which this latter named lake park does indeed have a lake. If you would like to grab a slice of more substantial nature, just head about 20 minutes northwest of Grinnell to Rock Creek State Park, which has more of a lake and less of a creek. Wow, it seems as though Iowa needs to spend more time on correctly naming their natural abundance more accurately. ;-)
While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot:
Convenience: 4
Safety& Security: 5
Quality: 4
Peace& Quiet: 5
Amenities: 4
Overall, I scored this location a 4.
Happy Overnighting!
Overnight Parking
