University of Iowa's Family Weekend is here. Here's where to take your folks for some local fun.

Many University of Iowa students will be welcoming their parents and loved ones to their new home with Family Weekend beginning Friday,

But if you’re coming up short on where to take your folks — especially if all that’s coming to mind are late-night Marco’s Grilled Cheese stops after drinks at Brothers Bar & Grill — Press-Citizen reporters have a few ideas to help you impress the 'rents.

Welcome your loved ones to Iowa City with these four suggestions.

The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art

When my mom, Alicia Shillcock, visited over Labor Day weekend, one of the first places I brought her was the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art. My mother always brought my family to art museums, galleries and sculpture parks when I was a kid, places like the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Storm King Art Center and Sculpture Park in the Hudson Valley and Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Hamilton, Ohio.

I figured the Stanley would be a perfect destination for us, and it was. Thanks to Paris Barraza, my colleague at the Press-Citizen, I was able to give her the full history of the museum.

I interviewed my mom this week about her experience visiting the newly reopened art museum.

"It was inspiring. It was beautiful and I was very impressed," she said. "I hadn't been to an art museum in a long time, since we went to MoMA."

My mom said the most memorable pieces in the Stanley to her were Sam Gilliam's "Red April," Jackson Pollock's "Mural" and an untitled film on display by Ana Mendieta depicting passersby looking at blood on a sidewalk.

Mendieta, like my mom, is a Cuban-American immigrant to the United States. My mother came with her family and eventually settled in New Jersey, while Mendieta was sent to the U.S. with just her sister to live in Dubuque, and later attended the University of Iowa.

My mom sat on a bench in front of Mendieta's piece for about 10 minutes and chatted with another museum-goer about Mendieta while she took it in.

"I found her work interesting and would like to know more about her because she was born in Cuba like I was and migrated to the United States like I did," she said.

The museum is open most days of the week except Monday and admission is free.

- George Shillcock, Press-Citizen local government and development reporter

More: Plan your visit to Iowa City's new Stanley Museum around these 9 pieces of art

The Englert Theatre

With my mom planning a visit here in the next couple of months, I think it is safe to say that the weather will not allow for a lot of outdoor activities. Luckily for us, Iowa City has a lot of options of fun things to do indoors.

With us sharing a love for live performances, especially of the musical variety, the Englert Theatre would be a great place for us to visit.

Growing up in St. Louis, my mom took me to different playhouses, like the Fox Theatre and The Muny, which has helped me to nurture a love for the arts, even if I have two left feet.

While the theater scene here is not as robust as in St. Louis, there are plenty of places to enjoy live entertainment, such as the Englert Theatre.

Throughout the year, the Englert hosts musicians, speakers and plays that provide a great experience for all in attendance.

Visit the Englert Theatre's website for more information about upcoming shows and tickets.

- Raven Moore, Press-Citizen high school sports reporter

The Iowa Farm Sanctuary

Nearly 20 miles outside of Iowa City is the Iowa Farm Sanctuary, 40 acres of land where residents include pigs, sheep, cows, turkey and other farm animals.

The nonprofit, based in Oxford, hosts a stroll around the sanctuary every Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Volunteers place themselves around the land and tell visitors more about the animals’ stories.

I took my father, Frank Barraza, and brother, Devon Barraza, to meet friends of all sizes, some furry, others beaked and webbed-toed.

Visitors can purchase a container of fruits and vegetables to feed the animals, or you can enjoy just saying hello and giving the residents the occasional head scratch.

Iowa Farm Sanctuary was accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries this year, a designation remarkable for its location in the heart of farm country, but also as the first sanctuary in Iowa to receive a GFAS accreditation, the Press-Citizen reported earlier this year.

The drive out there showcases some of Iowa’s beauty with its green, rolling hills and open roads against an unobstructed view of the sky.

Of course, the real treat is the animals and their impressive stories.

Visit the Iowa Farm Sanctuary’s website for more information about its residents and events. Sanctuary Strolls continue through Oct. 2, with a special Halloween-themed Sanctuary Stroll on Oct. 29.

- Paris Barraza, Press-Citizen entertainment and features reporter 

More: 'We do everything we can to take care of these animals': Iowa Farm Sanctuary earns accreditation

University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

Although I have lived in Iowa City for a little under a year, my parents are making their first official visit to town this weekend, and I know the perfect place to take them: The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History.

Growing up in Chicago and just a bus and train ride away from downtown, my parents would take my two siblings and me to museums as often as they could.

Housed in MacBride Hall, the UI Museum of Natural History brings to life the vast history of Iowa and of the country. The museum has everything one could want to see from exhibits on birds to mammals.

Since my time at the UI, I have been to the Museum of Natural History a handful of times and it's been a great experience seeing all the different animals on display.

I am excited to take my parents to the UI Museum of Natural History and relive some of our old childhood memories.

The UI Museum of Natural History is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the museum's website for more information.

- Emily Delgado Press-Citizen Intern and UI sophomore

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Four places to take your parents when they visit Iowa City