Live-music venues worth the trip in Cedar Falls, Iowa

A honky tonk in Cedar Falls since 2015 with hardwood floors and a large dance floor, Deringer’s own site says most Saturdays bring touring country artists to its stage, with live DJs typically on Fridays and line dance lessons on Thursdays.

Octopus is a College Hill club in Cedar Falls whose own site calls it a friendly live music venue booking the best in Cedar Valley and Iowa bands, with original bands most weekends alongside a blues jam every other Thursday, a monthly new-band night and a Wednesday songwriter open mic.