My Fun & Festive Weekend in Cedar Rapids & Amana [GALLERY]

I can't remember the last time I had a weekend full of THIS much Christmas spirit!

On Saturday and Sunday, I spent a lot of time out and about with friends shopping, eating, and checking out Christmas lights in both Cedar Rapids and the Amana Colonies. There are so many great places to visit in Eastern Iowa right now if you want to get into the Christmas spirit!

On Saturday night, we made a reservation at LP Street Food in Cedar Rapids for the JOY Holiday Pop-Up. The restaurant does allow for walk-ins when there's space available, but they HIGHLY recommend making a reservation. We made ours just a few days ahead of time, and it was really nice to not have to wait for a table.

The inside of LP is a CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND. From the second you walk in, you're surrounded by endless lights and decorations. They even have Christmas-themed menus with all sorts of fun cocktails! We tried the North Pole Girl and the Frosty Tai. For appetizers, we went with the white bean hummus and the cheese curds, and then for my meal I ordered the Nacho Burger. It was smothered in queso!

After dinner, we made the short walk from LP Street Food over to the McGrath Amphitheatre for Five Seasons Lights. The lights are on daily from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and on weekends they have live entertainment, food/beverages, and visits with Santa. We had a lot of fun hopping around the different displays and taking pictures.

On Sunday morning, I decided to take a little trip over to the Amana Colonies. They are currently in the midst of their month-long Prelude to Christmas festival, so I knew there would be a whole bunch of Christmas spirit. We started by visiting the Amana General Store's International Christmas Market and buying some fun Christmas ornaments. After stopping at a few more shops, we made our way over to the Tannenbaum Forest inside the Festhalle Barn. The attraction features more than 80 Christmas trees decorated by local businesses and organizations, as well as a 17-foot German Christmas Pyramid! It's open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through December 22nd and the recommended cost of admission is a $3 donation to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

The very best part of my weekend? I officially finished my Christmas shopping! I am DONE.

Here's a little photo tour through my festive weekend:

If you're on the hunt for more fun holiday activities this month, you can check out a list of holiday light displays HERE, and a list of Eastern Iowa events HERE.