Do you ever truly grow out of wanting to ride go-karts? At 31 years old if someone asks me to go ride some karts, my answer is always going to be yes. One of the first big dates my fiance and I went on was at a go-kart track. No, I was not a gentleman and I never let her win. I was a speed demon that day. I set the course record, just ask me.

Gabe
Gabe
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I'm on the search for the highest-rated go-kart tracks in Eastern Iowa. Whenever I do one of these highest-rated types of articles I always like to set a few rules before I start. They have to have a rating of at least 4 stars or better. I don't want to go any further than east of Cedar Falls. I will also add a google review to each location if I can find one and I'm just going for family fun types of tracks.

I'm going to leave out any course where you'd have to bring your own kart or that has legitimate race nights to keep track of points. Some of these "more serious" tracks look like an absolute blast but that's not what I'm going for here. I'm looking for places you can just go joke around with your friends and family. Let's do it.

Palmer's Family Fun 

Coming out strong we have Palmer's Family Fun, located in Waterloo, Iowa. With a great score of 4.7 stars out of 5. I love that they allow kids to participate in the fun. While not all kids are able to drive the go-karts, at least they're able to sit shotgun and ride along. Palmer's also has a ton of other activities to enjoy, including a driving range and various other activities. I'm a sucker for anything to do with golf, so they make the list.

According to Edward Denner "Great Family Fun! There's so much to do and the prices are very reasonable."

Lost Island Waterpark & Adventure Golf and Go-Karts

If you're from Iowa chances are you've already heard of or been to Lost Island. Located in Waterloo, Iowa, the park comes in with a great score of 4.5 stars. This theme park is incredibly popular throughout the state and according to its Instagram, they were voted number 2 for USA Today's best outdoor waterparks in the U.S. If we're strictly talking about the go-kart course, once again I love that the kids can get involved and ride along. Monaleo's Speedway is one of the longest go-kart tracks in the midwest. There are different hours for the go-karts than at the water park, which you can find on The Lost Island website.

Soggy Potato said "You have to get the seasonal pass. I used to go every week of summer before COVID-19. Very fun to bring family and friends, lots of variety."

Speedeezz Indoor Karting

Another strong reviewed go-kart track with a 4.5-star review. Speedeezz Indoor Karting located in Cedar Rapids, looks like a great place to bring a party. They have a kid's birthday party venue that can accommodate 40 people. My competitive side might show up if I ever find you on the track at Speedeezz. They not only have indoor go-karting, but they also have karting leagues. How sweet is that? If they're setting up leagues for you to drive their karts in, you know they take their go-karting seriously.

Dave Barnhart's review says "Kids took me there for a birthday, had an outstanding time. Everyone there was very friendly. More fun than you can imagine. Would recommend it to everyone all ages."

I don't want to leave out 61 Kart Way LLC, located in Delmar, Iowa as they have an amazing track and are highly reviewed. I will say the reason they weren't totally included in this list is this location has legitimate races. They have practice sessions, points, and standings. The track is meant for practicing until race nights. They have racing every Friday night starting at 7 and Sunday starting at 1.

I was going for public family fun type of go-kart tracks, hence why  61 Kartway gets a mention but is not included in the list. I just wanted you to be able to see this course.

There you have it. Not a giant number of places to choose from when you go by the rules I set for myself but it's nice to know they're out there. Go-karting at any age is an absolute blast and I hope you can check out some of these places this summer.

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