Surf Ballroom

A little bit of history. The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. This is the place where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens played their last concert before their plane crashed in a corn field outside Mason City. 

This venue has been a northern Iowa historic spot for decades. Now it is officially on the national historic registry. That’s fantastic. The dance floor has been updated but most of the interior is the same. I loved seeing the stage and the tiered booth seating around the dance floor.

The street in front of The Ballroom has a view of Clear Lake, a popular boating spot. You enter the Ballroom through large glass doors, the long coat-check bar is to your left. The well-organized cloak room is accessible through four doorways covered in red velvet drapes behind the desk. Inside the cloak room, rows of numbered hangers still await the coats and wraps of hundreds of guests. 

The grand dance floor awaits you straight ahead. One can imagine the music engulfing you as you walk towards the dance floor. Such a grand place. 

The Ballroom was apparently closed in the 1990s. A local family bought the building and has worked to restore the historic charm. It is open for self-guided tours. It appears to also be available for special events. Concerts are being held there again also.