LitCity

Dave's Fox Head Tavern

402 E Market St

41.663698

-91.529919

0
Donnelly's Pub

110 E. College St.

41.659230

-91.534101

1
George's Buffet

312 E Market St, Iowa City, IA 52245

41.663800

-91.531135

2
Hamburg Inn No. 2

214 N Linn St, Iowa City, IA 52245

41.664036

-91.531529

3
Kenney's Bar

125 South Clinton St.

41.659852

-91.534643

4
Kuhl House (University of Iowa Press)

119 Park Rd, Iowa City, IA 52242

41.671193

-91.542132

5
MacBride Hall / Museum of Natural History

17 North Clinton Street

41.662023

-91.535647

6
Micky's Irish Pub

11 South Dubuque Street

41.661067

-91.533437

7
Sanctuary Pub

405 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA 52240

41.656590

-91.530457

8
The Englert Theater

221 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA 52240

41.659984

-91.532279

9

Dave's Fox Head Tavern

402 E Market St

Dave’s Fox Head (402 East Market Street), on the corner of Market and Gilbert streets, has been the “Workshop bar” since at least the 1980s. From the outside it appears to be little more than a shack, and its interior has remained completely unchanged since I first stepped foot inside in the late 1970s. It’s a simple tavern—a couple of rows of scarred wooden booths, a jukebox, and a pool table. It could be 1945 or 2012 or, judging from the jukebox selection, 1967 onward. Being inside Dave’s is a little like being inside a Raymond Carver story, and although it’s often full of writers, I don’t think anyone ever actually writes in Dave’s.

- From City Guide: Iowa City by Jan Weissmiller

Donnelly's Pub

110 E. College St.

The original Donnelly’s Pub was on Dubuque Street, now at 110 East College Street, where Workshop writers Robert Lowell and John Berryman met in the 1950s, followed by John Irving and Kurt Vonnegut in the sixties. From City Guide: Iowa City by Jan Weissmiller:

The antique bar at Micky’s was moved from the original Donnelly’s Pub on Dubuque Street, now at 110 East College Street, where Workshop writers Robert Lowell and John Berryman met in the 1950s, followed by John Irving and Kurt Vonnegut in the sixties. If you order a Guinness, be assured that Dylan Thomas had more than one there before you.

George's Buffet

312 E Market St, Iowa City, IA 52245

Half a block west is George’s Buffet (312 East Market Street), another bar that hasn’t had a makeover the entire time that I’ve been in town. It, too, is a hangout for writers, although it is more apt to include a mix of blue-collar and academic regulars than Dave’s [Fox Head] is. There’s no pool table in George’s, but there are hamburgers and cheeseburgers that have quite a reputation. I haven’t had one in a couple of decades, but from all appearances they haven’t changed: a soft white bun and a piece of juicy (greasy) meat with your choice of condiments wrapped in wax paper, no sides allowed. Recently I picked up a friend in town from L.A., and the first thing he wanted when he stepped off the plane was a hamburger from George’s.

- From City Guide: Iowa City by Jan Weissmiller

Hamburg Inn No. 2

214 N Linn St, Iowa City, IA 52245

Around the corner from Dave’s at 214 Linn Street is the Hamburg Inn, an Iowa City institution since 1937 famous for pancakes and eggs. The Hamburg is open twenty-four hours a day and has a long history with writers. On April 24 a local historian, Marybeth Slonneger, released The Burg, a history of the inn with essays by a selection of writers, including poet Marvin Bell and novelist Mary Helen Stefaniak.

- From City Guide: Iowa City by Jan Weissmiller

Kenney's Bar

125 South Clinton St.

Once located on the west side of Clinton St., Kenney’s Bar was a very popular place for the Writer’s Workshop participants at this time. “Since my Iowa days I’ve heard that Kenney’s has appeared more in American novels than any other bar.” - Philip F O'Connor, “The Fellowship” A Community of Writers: Paul Engle and the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.

The former location of Irene Kenney's Bar in now Hill's Bank in downtown Iowa City. Inside the lobby at Hill's Bank, a large photograph shows the block of South Clinton in the early 1960s: in the photograph, you can see Irene Kenney's bar in the lower right-hand corner.

Kuhl House (University of Iowa Press)

119 Park Rd, Iowa City, IA 52242

Across the river from North Hall is 100 Kuhl House, home, since 1997, to the University of Iowa Press. Built of limestone from the river cliffs in the area, it is one of the oldest buildings in Iowa City. Inside are shelves upon shelves of the books director James McCoy and his talented staff have published. I am, of course, partial to the poetry series, which includes writing by some of the best poets around: Michele Glazer, Robyn Schiff, Emily Wilson, Susan Wheeler, and Cole Swensen, among them. The Sightline Books series in nonfiction is also remarkable. We at Prairie Lights are waiting with bated breath for July 25 when Carl Klaus and Ned Stuckey-French are scheduled to read from their stunning newly released collection, Essayists on the Essay. - From City Guide: Iowa City by Jan Weissmiller

MacBride Hall / Museum of Natural History

17 North Clinton Street

The Museum of Natural History was founded by order of the Iowa Legislature in 1858 and are the oldest university museum west of the Mississippi River. They combine exhibits, education resources, programming, collections, and research opportunities to support the University of Iowa and the community. With their sister museum, the Old Capitol Museum, they are part of the University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums, the "Doorways to Discovery" on the historic Pentacrest in downtown Iowa City. They are located in Macbride Hall, which they share with the Department of Anthropology and parts of several other university departments.

Micky's Irish Pub

11 South Dubuque Street

Located in the heart of downtown Iowa City, Micky's is a local favorite, serving great sandwiches, burgers, salads and specialties in a neighborhood-style restaurant and bar. From City Guide: Iowa City by Jan Weissmiller:

The first is Micky’s Irish Pub (11 South Dubuque Street). The antique bar at Micky’s was moved from the original Donnelly’s Pub on Dubuque Street, now at 110 East College Street, where Workshop writers Robert Lowell and John Berryman met in the 1950s, followed by John Irving and Kurt Vonnegut in the sixties. If you order a Guinness, be assured that Dylan Thomas had more than one there before you.

Sanctuary Pub

405 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA 52240

A mellow mainstay for writers, with refined bar bites and a large list of draft & bottled beers, in wood-paneled digs.

The Englert Theater

221 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA 52240

The Englert Theatre is a community arts center and performance space, enhancing the vitality of Iowa City’s historic downtown by preserving its last historic theater.