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Travel
Iowa State University (ISU) is located in Ames, Iowa. The closest airport is Des Moines International Airport. Ames is just off Interstate 35, approximately 35 minutes north of Des Moines International Airport. There is a shuttle service available between the airport and ISU (see below).
Other major airports are also within driving distance, but require renting a car. Ames is 3 hours south of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, 3.5 hours north of Kansas City International Airport, and about 2.5 hours east of Omaha Airport. Click here for ISU on Google Maps.
Shuttle service to and from Des Moines International Airport
Executive Express offers shuttles approximately every 90 minutes ($36 one-way; $56 round trip)
Car Rental
Car rental agencies are located in the baggage claim area in Des Moines International Airport.
Driving directions:
From Des Moines (≈ 35 minutes)
>35 North (34 miles)
>Exit 111B to US 30W (3 miles)
>Exit 146 to ISU
Des Moines to Iowa State University
Getting to the Conference Venue
Conference sessions will be held on campus in the Memorial Union, 2229 Lincoln Way, Ames Iowa 50014.
Pay parking is available in the Memorial Union Parking Ramp, adjacent to the conference venue. For more information, visit http://www.mu.iastate.edu/parking–maps/parking/
Other parking is available on campus by obtaining a Visitor Parking Permit, which would allow you to park in a General Staff or Student parking lot and walk to the Memorial Union. Visitor Parking Permits are free, but are required to park on campus during the week. More information can be found at http://www.parking.iastate.edu/visitor.
Parking on campus on the weekend does not require a permit, but please make sure to check the signage at the entrance of each lot to ensure it is open for non-permitted vehicles.
Ames’ bus system
Ames CyRide bus system offers safe, reliable, and friendly service for navigating around Ames. The Red, Blue, and Green lines feature the most frequent service and run 7 days a week. The Iowa State “MyState” app (pictured below) offers a nice CyRide GPS interface that shows in real time where buses are with respect to your current location. Many students use this app. You can search for this app in Apple’s App Store and Google Play. (Nice CyRide and Ames map here.)
Hotel Information
There are many hotels around Ames, and some have a group rate for rooms reserved for the nights of September 15, 16, and 17 (check out Sept. 18). Conference attendees will need to contact hotels directly to book rooms and let the hotel staff know that they are part of the American Association of Corpus Linguistics/TSLL Conference group to get special rates. Please note that to take advantage of blocked rooms at the group rates, reservations must be made soon (see below for specific hotels and dates). In addition to hotels, there are numerous economical options via Air BnB in the Ames’ area.
Options with Group Rates:
2 closest to conference site:
Gateway Hotel and Conference Center (Blocked rooms at group rate held until August 25th)
2100 Green Hills Dr.
515-292-8600
http://gatewayames.com/
Group rate: $119.00
CyRide Brown line serves this area, but only on weekdays.
Holiday Inn Ames Conference Center (Blocked rooms at group rate held until August 15th)
2609 University Blvd
515-268-8808
www.holidayinn.com
Group rate: $109
Group code when making reservations online is: ACL
CyRide Brown line serves this area, but only on weekdays.
West side of town:
Sleep Inn & Suites (Blocked rooms at group rate held until August 25th)
1310 Dickinson Ave
515-337-1171
www.sleepinnandsuites.com
Group rate: $114-$119
CyRide Red line serves this area.
East side of town:
AmericInn (Blocked rooms at group rate held until August 15th)
2507 SE 16th St.
515-233-1005
www.americinn.com
Group rate: $84.15
Options without Group Rates:
Iowa House
405 Hayward Avenue
515-292-2474
www.iowahouseames.com
3 blocks from the conference site (Memorial Union)
*Iowa House is a unique option. Formerly a fraternity house, it was converted to a hotel and is located in ISU’s “campus town” just a few blocks from the Memorial Union (conference site on campus). It has received stellar reviews on trip advisor.
Hilton Garden Inn
1325 Dickinson Ave
515-233-8000
www.hiltongardeninn.com
CyRide Red line serves this area.
*Near Sleep Inn (above) and served by the Red line which is the most frequently running line in town. Cafes, restaurants and conveniences stores within walking distance of this hotel.
Days Inn Ames
229 S Duff Ave
515-232-0280
www.daysinn.com
CyRide Blue line serves this area.
*Days Inn is about a 10-minute walk to Ames downtown Main Street which features shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, and a farmers market on Saturday mornings. CyRide Red and Green lines go between Main Street and campus.