From hidden gems to delicious eats, our editor Brandon Hurley gives a hometown guide to RAGBRAI

Hooray, you’ve made it to Ames, home of the world’s best-tasting tap water!

The former home of basketball legends like Fred Hoiberg, Harrison Barnes and Doug McDermott is rolling out the red carpet for one of Iowa's most noteworthy summer events.

RAGBRAI isn’t just a bike ride, it’s a legendary spectacle that must be seen or experienced, an event most non-Iowans greet with shock or confusion.

The annual event is a massive celebration of everything great about Iowa, and Ames is a perfect overnight stop. It’s a remarkably central location, our water is fantastic (you won’t need to buy bottled water when you’re in town) and the added layer of Iowa State’s beautiful campus makes for a delicious recipe.

More: From a tour of Jack Trice Stadium to several live music offerings, Ames is ready for RAGBRAI

For one, you’ll notice Ames is fairly flat outside of a few daunting hills on campus and near the creek and river valleys. Making your way from Jack Trice Stadium to downtown is a cinch, except for that tricky Lincoln Way and Grand Avenue traffic.

I’d recommend avoiding Duff Tuesday, especially if you’re on a bike. While the businesses along the southern portion of the extensive road are attractive and tantalizing, the limited bike trails and congested vehicle traffic will make for a nightmare of a time.

Another useful note for bikers - there are plenty of trails to work your way through town, just be observant and they’ll provide a nice tour of Ames. I find the trail through Brookside a favorite, but be careful Tuesday as one of the town’s biggest and most popular parks will be home to the main RAGBRAI campground.

Brookside is a tremendous park (make sure to station a photo shoot at the red, vintage fire truck) and take a break at one of the many glorious shelters.

The park's trail, which runs relatively parallel to University Boulevard for a bit and along the Ioway Creek and over and under a few bridges, is worth the ride. It may be fairly busy this week as the trail also connects to a RAGBRAI campground in Stuart Smith Park, so be careful.

Another trail I particularly enjoy is the smooth stretch of concrete from 20th Street to Ada Hayden Park in north Ames. Jump onto the trail at 20th and Grand Avenue and follow it north. Don't forget to take a ganter at the new Ames High School. It's quite the sight and was much needed. Construction was completed just in time for the most recent school year.

Once you hit the trail on 20th Street, it heads north and loops around the small Ada Hayden lake for a few miles, a fantastic spot for a relaxing break or a picnic. These two trails are just a sprinkling of Ames's wonderful routes scattered throughout the town. Happy seeking!

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Food is a coveted RAGBRAI resource

I find RAGBRAI special and unique for a variety of reasons.

First, the annual event teaches a person to be independent in a certain way, especially among the “baggers,” the self-contained men and women who lug all their gear around on their bikes. All riders must stay creative to survive the 7-day jaunt across Iowa, which means finding showers in the most unlikely places, seeking shade under a tree at a local church or swinging by a gas station to quickly charge your phone via an outlet at the base of the store sign.

There’s nothing quite like the innovative craziness that transpires each year. You push your body to the brink, barreling through 80 miles a day of hills and heat on a bike that leaves your butt incredibly sore. Riders shovel down pie, brats, burgers, corn, beer, and other drinks at a legendary pace, take in dozens of concerts and then sleep in small tents in random grassy areas, just to do it again the next day.

More: RAGBRAI riders can explore 14 pieces of art on Iowa State's campus

It’s a chaotic thing of beauty.

Speaking of food, plenty of riders will be starved after pedaling the 83 miles from Carroll Tuesday. As a lifelong Ames guy (of course with a couple of pit stops here and there), I feel obligated to provide a few suggestions for the out-of-towners.

If you want to stick with the common RAGBRAI theme of food trucks, swinging by Rico’s taco truck on east Lincoln Way is an absolute must. They make some of the best street tacos I’ve ever tasted.

Of course, a downtown staple is Great Plains Pizza Co., right along the east side of Main Street. Throw some honey on the crust as a dessert, you won’t regret it. I’m also a sucker for an outstanding, greasy cheeseburger, and B-Bops has plenty. The town now has two locations - the original on South Duff near Best Buy and the newer, sit-down version in north Ames near the North Grand Mall. You can’t go wrong with anything at this iconic, 50s-style dinner.

If you’re searching for food on the Iowa State campus, Pizza Pit is a place I’ve loved since childhood, home to the best wings in Ames (i suggest adding some spice with the Inferno Wings). They make some of the best hot sandwiches and the pizza ain’t bad either. This place has been around forever and even has a bar directly beneath it, the eclectic Welsh Ave. Station, serving up plenty of craft beers. They'll even allow you to order food from upstairs. How can you go wrong with that?

If you want to stay active while in Ames, snag a few discs from Jax or Bike World and head to one (or both) of the town’s great disc golf courses. The OG course is Carol Marty on the southwest side of Ames at Gateway Park. It’s tucked behind an apartment complex and ISU’s beautiful ice arena, but it’s certainly worth a trip. An ISU student group has also maintained an awesome course right off West 13th Street, known as Stable Run. The course is a neat peak into the town’s gorgeous landscape, snaking along the Ioway Creek, with plenty of heavily wooded holes as well as some open bombers. It’s a great use of space and is well-kept.

For those itching for a cold one, though the craft brewery scene in Ames is relatively small, there are some good ones. Alluvial Brewing Company on the northern edge of town has a tremendous selection of hazy beers, while their stage often is home to plenty of rousing musical acts. Torrent Brewing Company in downtown Ames has been a biking staple for many years. Expect seating to be limited Tuesday, but at least a pint or two is necessary.

Sheesh, I could keep going, but I don’t want to take up too much of your down time. Ames is a great spot, and we are excited to host the world’s biggest big ride again.

Happy 50th, and have fun!

Brandon Hurley is the editor of the Ames Tribune as well as the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He is a 2007 Ames High graduate. He can be reached at bhurley@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: RAGBRAI makes its return to Ames, here's the Trib's welcome letter