Ways To Explore Panthers on Parade
posted
on Tuesday, September 10, 2024
By Erin Murphy
Trails
For our Cyclists and Runners out there, finding the TC mascots through the trails is a great way not only to workout but to see parts of Cedar Falls maybe you haven’t before. You can do it this by yourself, with a partner or do what team @SarahJoyfullyRunning did and grab a group! She and her group Trail Sisters (a group anyone identifying as a woman can join through their Facebook page), took the opportunity as a way to connect with their community to do something they enjoy. And it didn’t take her long to see all 27 mascots, logging 25 miles by foot!
Biking/trails
For the best experience, we suggest breaking up the 23-mile ride into three days in order to have more of a leisurely ride. If you are feeling adventurous, you can try to do all 27 mascots in one to two days. Here is how we would suggest breaking it up: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47081944
- Panthers 1-6 starting along the Cedar Prairie Trail. Start Your adventure at the Cedar Falls Visitor Center at Panther 1 Purple Rain. Then take the trail halfway around the lake to exit into the Industrial Park, riding side streets to Fit Courts and Martin Bros Food Mart in order to hit Panthers 2 and 3 Bright Future and Here Come Martin .Then return to Prairie Lakes to the trail leaving the park on the Prairie Lakes Trail, crossing the Mayor’s Bridge connecting to the Cedar Prairie Trail in the direction of Brandilynn Blvd to see Panther 4 Valley Cat in front of Scheels. From there head east on the trail to Veridian Credit Union to see Panther 5 GC (Giving Cat). Finally, head north to see Panther 6 Ever Loyal at Western Home Communities, returning to the Visitor Center via trails.
- Panthers 7-9 and 10-19. If continuing your journey from Panther 6 Ever Loyal, take the trails along Prairie Pkwy, Greenhill Rd, and Cedar Heights Dr to Panther 7 The Future of UNI at Cedar Valley Dental Associates on Cedar Heights Drive. Just a short distance away on University Ave stop to see Panthers 8 and 9 Fang and Good Neighbor on University Avenue.
Continuing on the University Ave Trail towards UNI stopping at Hy-Vee to see Panther 10 Ace, Panther 11 The Cat at Witham Auto Center, Panthers 13 and 12 Forever Young (at Peters Construction) and Aqua Cat (at the Falls Aquatic Center). From Aqua Cat, head west through the UNI campus to hit Panthers 14-17 (located at UNITE Credit Union, Alumni Plaza on campus, the UNI Bookstore, and on College Street - in that order.) Take Seerley Street onto Main Street for some food at Panther 18 Mac located at the Soifer Family McDonald’s.
3. Panthers 19-25. Catch the Cedar Prairie Trail off of Seerley Blvd to complete Panthers 19-24, stopping at Hansen’s Dairy, hopping back on the trail to Downtown Cedar Falls for Urban Pie, First Bank, The Brass Tap, Structure Real Estate and Community Bank & Trust. Grab a quick beverage or a bite to eat before (or after) riding west along First Street Trail to The Wild Hare to see Panther 25 Super TC. You’ve done so much already!
4. Panthers 26 and 27 are located in Waterloo. If you are adventurous, ride the South Riverside Trail from downtown Cedar Falls to the John Deere Museum to find Panther 26 Powerful Possibilities. The last Panther Botanical Cat will be a little more challenging. From the John Deere Museum ride the Sergeant Road Trail to the Shaulis Road Trail to Hess Road to reach Arboretum Dr. On the Hawkeye Community College Campus and the Cedar Valley Arboretum you will find your final TC.
As another option for these, you could park downtown and find Panther 26 Powerful Possibilities at John Deere and then take the trail for a longer stretch out behind the South Hill Golf Course to find your last Panther, Botanical Cat. You could go downtown Waterloo to grab food or drink by taking the Waterloo Cedar Falls Valley Trail or South Riverside Trail then drive to Hawkeye Community College to ride the path to Panther 26.
For an afternoon or weekend activity if you are adventurous or looking for ways to get active, biking the trails would be a fun experience with lots of opportunities to rehydrate and refuel along the way!
Referenced Trail Map
Family, Friends, Pets
Do you and your friends or roommates love a hot girl walk? Does your dog need to go on a walk or help with your outdoor workout? Does your cat want to see places it normally wouldn’t? We here at Cedar Falls Tourism love to see your photos with your friends and family while doing Panthers on Parade!
The Cedar Falls Downtown District holds a plethora of panther mascots to find! You can check out some of our previous blogs if you need ideas on other places to stop in along the way. The downtown area is a great both starting and stopping point. Pop in for a craft beer at Brass Tap to celebrate yourselves for visiting all 27 or with a wood fired pizza and margarita flight from Urban Pie.
Near Campus
If you haven’t been near or on campus in a while now is your chance! With one directly on campus and two right off of campus, its a great time to check out The Original TC Mascot and pick up some merch in the bookstore or head over to College Hill and see Katsumi in front of the Octopus along with the other College Hill Partnership businesses.
Supporting (Local) Businesses
One of the best parts about Panthers on Parade is the opportunity to see and support all of the locally owned and small businesses around Cedar Falls. Some of the favorite stops so far have been, The Cow, with its sponsor and location being Hansen’s Dairy as well as Super TC, in front of The Wild Hare. Honorable Mentions to Aqua Cat at The Falls Aquatic Center, and Bright Future at Fit Courts. Make sure to stop and support these locally owned businesses!
It doesn’t matter how you prowl on Panthers on Parade, as long as you have fun! When you are all done, you can stop downtown for a drink and bite to eat or get a sweet treat at Hansen’s Dairy! For More information on Panthers on Parade and how to see all 27 please visit: Tools to Explore- Cedar Falls Tourism
- cedar falls
- cedar falls visitor center
- panthersonparade
- summer adventure
- tcinthecv
- university of northern iowa