CLEAR LAKE IS AN IOWA town with character.
Downtown Clear Lake offers an abundance of locally rooted eateries.
It’s memorable in the sort of way that’s good. Main Street good. Welcome to our town good. Meander through the shops, dine in home-grown eateries good.
Relaxing outside a Clear Lake floral and gift shop, The Red Geranium.
People watch. Kick back on a bench. Dip your toes in the lake or dig them into sand.
Even the backs of buildings possess visual charm.
Fish or shop. While away a day or two. Take in the local history of the Surf Ballroom. Or simply amble downtown, right into a Norman Rockwell type scene.
Larson’s Mercantile, like an old-fashioned five-and-dime, has a back corner devoted to fabric.
Walk the aisles of the mercantile.
Hanging baskets line the alley behind Larson’s Mercantile.
Take the back route through the alley.
Order a treat from South Shore Sweet Spot, shaped like an ice cream cone.
Eat ice cream. Drink beer. Grab a burger.
From a window side counter (common in Clear Lake eateries) in a downtown restaurant, I photographed these guys crossing Main Avenue.
Come in your cowboy hat or no hat.
Something I’ve never seen until visiting Clear Lake: a drive-through convenience/ liquor store.
Clear Lake beckons with Americana charm rooted in character and small town Iowa friendliness.
FYI: This concludes my seven-part series on Clear Lake. Check back for more posts from my recent overnight visit to Iowa.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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