Waterloo Expo

Took the plunge today, booked off 3 weeks in July to head down for the last expo. Never been that far east into the states, it's about a 25 hour drive from here (Edmonton Alberta area).

Any advice in terms of the show? Do i order tickets ahead of time for admission?
I will be booking hotel rooms in the next couple weeks, any places to avoid?

Never Been to any major tractor show, we only have tractor pulls around here.

Any must sees in the area?

I went Last year and wish I had more time to see the sights. This year I will be smarter. Factory tours are good and you lessen/see a lot. Call each place and book a tour. Tickets are at the door, pretty casual. I stayed at the what ever hotel (rasmeden sp?) They said had a free shuttle. Wasn't bad, but after the first day ended up driving so I wouldn't have to wait for them. Did a little touring pig the country side, but will plan More this year. Everybody thought I was nuts coming from cal.

Thomas, to add a little to Patsdeere's response, I live just a few miles away from Waterloo and can offer the following information:

Don't worry about tickets or admission ($5US for adults) to the EXPO. There are admission booths at the two entrances to the grounds and as Patsdeere stated, that aspect is pretty low key.

Regarding hotel/motels, there is a Radison Hotel in the heart of downtown Waterloo and is probably the closest to the Cattle congress of any, but it is older and doesn’t seem to have very good ratings. So about 5 miles southeast of the Cattle Congress grounds where the EXPO is held is a big cluster of motels on a major route and close to a shopping center (Crossroads Mall & outlying shopping area). There you'll find Days Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield Inn & Suites, and several others. A little farther south is the Isle Casino and Hotel - if you enjoy losing money. Right next door to this is the Lost Island Water Park, the largest in Iowa. Another cluster of motels is in Cedar Falls, Iowa (6 miles from the cattle congress) and there you'll find Comfort Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Super 8, and several others nearby.

There's not a lot of world-famous attractions around here (unlike the Edmonton Mall), but we do have a lot of Deere facilities such as TCAO (Tractor Cab and Assembly Operations), DTO (Drive Train Operations), SPO (Service Parts Operations), Foundry, Engine Works, and the Product Engineering Center. Tours are offered at TCAO and Engine Works. Check Deere’s website for tour information. You must have reservations for the tours.

2 ½ hours away is Moline, IL with the John Deere Pavilion and the John Deere World Headquarters, both of which you should visit. You’ll be crossing the mighty Mississippi River to get to those areas and you should also do another factory tour of the Harvester Works in East Moline while there.

And I forgot to mention the new John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum in Waterloo. Definitely a must-see for any John Deere Tractor enthusiast.

Thanks for the information gentlemen! Sounds like quite a bit to do while in the area, glad I chose to drive rather than fly.