Note: Updated for the 2024 season.
Adventureland Resort in Altoona IA is a fantastic place to have a fun filled day for the whole family. There are many places to eat within the park and lucky for you, yes there are some gluten free food options available. I’ve created this guide to Adventureland Resort Theme Park gluten free foods to help you find safe gluten free options during your visit to the theme park.
Speak with the food service team at the time of your order to inform them of your allergy needs and concerns. Confirm that your selection will be prepared gluten free and ask any questions you might have regarding ingredients and cross contamination avoidance. Be aware that many of the warm gluten free foods will need to be specially requested and prepared for you. Expect an adequate wait while your order is being cooked.
It is worth mentioning that Adventureland Resort does not keep all food locations open at all times. During peak occupancy times there is more likelihood of any particular location to be open. I’ve experienced this myself, arriving to the Potato Patch ordering window just to be told they are in the process of closing. People have also reported that certain items are out of stock, especially the Amy’s Mac & Cheese. I advise to be ready to be flexible with your plan.
My family have been repeat season pass holders at Adventureland Resort for many years. There is no better place in central Iowa to cool off for a swim on a hot day than Adventure Bay. Of course we also go for the fun assortment of thrill and family rides. After a recent diagnosis of Celiac Disease I needed to figure out what gluten free food options are available and where I can get them.
I’ve acquired the below information from the food services team at Adventureland Park and have compiled it into an easy to browse guide to help you plan your trip. You can look up gluten free options by menu item or by location in their respective sections below.
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Adventureland Resort Theme Park Gluten Free Menu Items
In this section we will look at the list of Adventureland Resort Theme Park gluten free foods by menu item and where to find them. If you want to instead search for GF menu items listed by location you can skip further down to the next section.
Amy’s Mac & Cheese – Ask food services staff to prepare it for you. This gluten free food option marks a lot of allergy and dietary check boxes for Adventureland. As well as being gluten free it is organic, dairy free, and vegan. This is also one of the best options to choose to avoid cross contamination since it is cooked in its own container. I’ll leave you to make your own judgement on flavor.
Locations:
Doc & Leone’s
Grub Hub
Parrot’s Perch
Cotton Candy – There are many locations around the Adventureland Resort Theme Park where you can find cotton candy. You will find it at various carts and stands around the park.
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Dole Whip – Dole Whip is a fruit flavored soft-serve frozen dessert created by Dole Food Company. According to Dole all flavors are gluten free as well as being lactose and cholesterol free.
Locations:
Cone Zone
French Fries – The majority of french fries found at Adventureland Resort Theme Park in Altoona Iowa are cooked in shared fryers with gluten contaminated oil. Avoid ordering french fries at those locations if you need to avoid cross contamination. Near Draken Falls you will find Potato Patch. To my knowledge they do not cook any gluten ingredients in their fryer. You can choose to smother your french fries in cheese sauce and bacon pieces or pork and barbecue sauce. The ingredients list for the cheese sauce and the BBQ sauce did not show any gluten ingredients when I last checked. That could however be subject to change. You can check with staff at the order window to verify.
Locations:
Potato Patch
Grilled Chicken Breast on a Gluten Free Bun – Ask food service staff to prepare it for you. There is an additional charge for gluten free buns. Food service management at Adventureland Resort has advised to confirm that all meat is not cooked using a fryer as the fryer oil will be gluten cross contaminated by breaded fried foods.
Locations:
Chicken Shack
Hamburger or Cheeseburger on a Gluten Free Bun – Ask food service staff to prepare it for you. There is an additional charge for gluten free buns. Just as with the other meats the foods department at Adventureland recommends making sure the meat was not cooked in a fryer.
Locations:
Coca-Cola Cafe
Doc & Leone’s
Grub Hub
Outlaw Gulch
Rathskeller
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Hot Dog on a Gluten Free Bun – Ask food service staff to prepare it specially for you as gluten free. There is an additional charge for gluten free buns.
Locations:
Coca-Cola Cafe
Bernie’s Doghouse
Outlaw Gulch
Parrot’s Perch
Ice Cream – Some flavors contain wheat ingredients. Check with foods staff to ensure you select a flavor that is free from gluten. Make sure the ice cream scoop is rinsed with clean water if you need to avoid cross contamination from other ice cream varieties that contain gluten.
Locations:
Cookies & Cream
Main Street Creamery
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ICEE Drinks – According to ICEE all of their products are free from wheat and other sources of gluten.
Locations:
ICEE Mix-IT-Up
Alpine Foods
Oasis
Frozen Lemonade
Nachos – Nachos made using yellow corn tortilla chips are available at several locations.
Locations:
Taco Villa
Parrot’s Perch
Popcorn and Kettle Corn – There are many locations to find popcorn and kettle corn throughout the park.
Walking Tacos – Walking tacos contain Doritos chips. Although Doritos are not certified gluten free they don’t contain gluten ingredients, according to the label. There could be a potential chance of cross contamination during manufacturing.
Locations:
Taco Villa
Adventureland Resort Theme Park Gluten Free Foods – List of Locations
What are the locations of the Adventureland Resort Theme Park gluten free foods? Adventureland Altoona is not a small place and you will certainly put some miles on your shoes when you visit. Let’s help you find these locations to make your trip a bit easier. This section of the guide is sorted alphabetically by location and provides the GF options at each.
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Alpine Foods – Located on the outside of the same building that houses the Adventureland arcade on Main Street toward the front of the park. Alpine Foods is a food counter on the East side of the building. Gluten free ICEE Drinks can be purchased here.
Bernie’s Dog House – Specializing in hot dogs you will find Bernie’s Dog House in the River City Foods area of Adventureland Theme Park. Go straight South of The Underground to find this collection of several dining options. Ask to make your choice of hot dog gluten free with a GF bun.
Chicken Shack – Between The Monster and Frantic Freeway you will find this location which specializes in chicken. Here you will have the option of grilled chicken which you can choose to accompany with a gluten free bun. You will likely need to request it to be specially made for you.
Coca Cola Cafe – Between The Monster and The Underground just South of both. You will find standard American fast food here with an outdoor patio featuring sun shades. Look for the rotating Coca Cola sign nearby. Gluten free options here include a hamburger or cheeseburger on a gluten free bun or a hot dog on a GF bun.
Cone Zone – You can find Cone Zone next to Coca Cola Cafe between The Monster and The Underground just South of both. Adventureland Resort Theme Park has listed Dole Whip as an available gluten free food here. Likely there also should be some snow cone and ice cream options here that don’t have gluten containing flavorings. Beware that some ice cream flavors contain wheat.
Cookies & Cream – Located near Samuel Adam’s Saloon in the same row of buildings across from Tilt A Whirl. Some but not all ice cream flavors are gluten free. Verify your flavor choice with foods staff.
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Doc & Leone’s Diner – In the middle of Main Street toward the front of the park you will find Doc & Leone’s Diner. This indoor air conditioned eatery is a great place to take a break from the heat and find some Adventureland Resort Theme Park gluten foods that are gluten free. Come here for Amy’s Mac & Cheese or a hamburger/cheeseburger on a GF bun.
Frozen Lemonade – Attached to Iowa Beer & Wine just North of the Storm Chaser is the Frozen Lemonade counter. ICEE drinks can be purchased here, which are all gluten free regardless of flavor.
Grub Hub – Inside Adventure Bay water park at the South end of Adventureland Park, Grub Hub can be found adjacent to Breaker Beach otherwise known as the wave pool. Your gluten free options at this large food counter include Amy’s Mac & Cheese or a hamburger or cheeseburger on a GF bun.
ICEE Mix-IT-Up – Between Samuel Adam’s Saloon and Shooting Gallery the Icee Mix-It-Up counter can be found in the same row of buildings. This is another place you can order GF ICEE drinks.
Main Street Creamery – Located in a prominent position on the corner of Main Street facing the Town Square Carousel. Some flavors are gluten free while others have gluten containing ingredients. Ask the staff while ordering.
Oasis – Within the Adventure Bay waterpark inside Adventureland Resort Theme Park the Oasis food stand can be found at the North end of Adventure Bay near Haron Harbor, the low depth aquatic play area for smaller children. Have a gluten free ICEE drink here.
Outlaw Gulch Foods – If you’re ready for a meal with a Wild West view head over to the Outlaw Gulch. This area is at the South end of the park near Sawmill Splash and The Outlaw. Gluten free options here include a hot dog, hamburger, or cheeseburger on a gluten free bun.
Parrot’s Perch – Parrot’s Perch is a food counter located toward the front of the Adventure Bay waterpark. Your gluten free food option here is nachos.
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Potato Patch – Across from Frantic Freeway and near Draken Falls and Flying Viking is Potato Patch. This is a much welcomed addition to the list of Adventureland Resort Theme Park gluten free foods. The potato patch only cooks french fries in their fryers. This is the only place to get french fries that are not cross contaminated by oil that is used to cook gluten containing foods There are several options including cheese and bacon smothered french fries.
Rathskeller – The Rathskellar and Bier Garden is a German themed building with a large outdoor dining area that is well covered from the sun. Find it just Southeast of the arcade building, Northeast of Draken Falls and Flying Viking. You can order a GF hamburger/cheeseburger with a GF bun.
Taco Villa – In River City Foods the Taco Villa counter is home to foods with South of the border inspiration. River City Foods is located South of The Underground. You can order gluten free nachos here that are made with yellow corn tortilla chips. They also have walking tacos which are made with Doritos brand chips. Doritos are likely to be gluten free as they don’t contain any gluten ingredients but are not certified so there could be a chance of contamination in their processing facilities.
Can I Bring My Own Gluten Free Food to Adventureland Resort Theme Park?
Checking the park rules listed at the Adventureland Resort Iowa website you will find a food, drinks, hard coolers section. Confusingly this section does not address bringing in food at all. However it has been extensively reported by guests that they have been able to bring in their own food allergy accommodating snacks and meals. As you go through bag check simply notify security that you have a food allergy. I have not done this myself but I have never heard of any guest reporting they were refused when mentioning an allergy or health related dietary need.
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Not Gluten Free at Adventureland Resort Theme Park
We have discussed Adventureland Resort Theme Park Gluten Free foods. Of course there are many foods at Adventureland that contain gluten. I won’t take the time to list every one of those. But I would like to call attention to a specific one that you might not expect.
Dippin’ Dots – According to Dippin’ Dots their ice cream does not have intentionally added gluten however gluten may be present in certain add-ins they flavor the ice cream with. They make no claims about any flavors being free of gluten. I would avoid consuming this product if you must avoid gluten for health reasons.
Gluten Free Alcoholic Drinks at Adventureland Resort Theme Park
What to drink: Just as with food there are luckily some gluten free alcoholic drink options but they are limited. Some alcoholic seltzer drinks are gluten free including several White Claw flavors, Simply Spiked Peach, Simply Spiked Lime, Truly Fruit Punch, and Truly Classic Lime Margarita. At select locations you can find Angry Orchard cider. The Iowa Beer and Wine location has wine available.
What to avoid: Avoid all of the beer, of course. They do not have any gluten free beer. Mike’s Hard Lemonade is derived from malt liquor which contains gluten. Mike’s claims that it is crafted to remove a percentage of gluten but it can’t be called gluten free. All Mike’s Hard Lemonade products should be avoided if you are Celiac or are sensitive to lesser amounts of gluten. These are commonly referred to as gluten reduced and they will contain some amount of gluten. Cayman Jack drinks are in the same boat. They start with gluten ingredients which are mostly removed during processing but can’t be called gluten free because they do actually contain gluten.
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Adventureland Inn Hotel Gluten Free
If you are staying at Adventureland Inn during your trip to Adventureland Resort it may be convenient to visit their restaurant Spectators Sports Bar. Adventureland Inn sits just outside of the theme park and Spectators Sports Bar is connected to it. Here you will find a small selection of gluten free choices including hamburgers and sandwiches on a gluten free bun as well as pizza on a gluten free crust.
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