Cyclone fan here. For anyone coming to the game, I'd recommend staying in Ames and ubering to the stadium area on gameday. Just grab a 12 pack, and wander around to various tailgates. People will invite you in and feed you and give you more booze. Almost guarantee it. One thing that's unusual about Ames is that it has two entertainment districts - Campustown and Downtown. Campustown is the mainly student neighborhood that's about 1/2 mile west of the stadium, and just across from the campus to the south. Downtown is the more traditional downtown part of Ames. When ISU started, there were a couple of miles of open prairie between the town of Ames and the college, so Campustown developed as a community that more immediately served the college, and eventually Ames grew enough to swallow the university. So I'll give recs based on the area.
CAMPUSTOWN: As you might imagine, these places are far more student friendly. You're going to feel old. You'll also probably have plenty of fun. My two favorite places in this neighborhood are Es Tas and Welch Ave Station (often referred to simply as WAS). Es Tas is a sports bar that has a good beer selection, a bunch of wacky shots, and really good tacos. Rest of the menu (American bar food) is solid too. Welch Ave Station is probably my favorite place in Ames. It has awesome mixed drinks (great Bloody Mary), excellent selection of Iowa beers on tap, and their Inferno Wings (all the food comes from the adjacent Pizza Pit) are my ultimate comfort food. Cafe Beaudelaire has won Iowa's Best Burger in recent years, and has great mixed drinks. Brazilian themed place. Mickey's, Paddy's, etc are super standard college bars. Outlaws is the place for country cover bands and small town girls going nuts. Mother's and Thumb's (a couple of blocks west) are excellent watering holes. Mothers has good live music, and Thumb's is just a classic dive. There are a bunch of food trucks and carts along Welch that sell delicious drunk food. Jeff's Pizza is also a top tier drunk munchy spot.
DOWNTOWN: A little classier than Campustown, and you won't feel out of place if you're over 25. Still a lot of fun. For starters, DO NOT go to Hickory Park for BBQ. It's mediocre cue at best. It's a fun place and an Ames staple, but it's more of a place to get a good burger and some ice cream, IMO. If you want BBQ, hit up Cornbred in the old railroad depot downtown. It's some of the best I've had in my life. Sweet Caroline's is a very nice bar/restaurant that has kind of a Southern theme to the food, and plenty of beer on tap. Good place to catch the Friday night games and have a quality meal. Whiskey River and Sportsmen's are classic college town dive bars. Della Viti is a wine bar that my wife loves. Torrent Brewing has some awesome beers, and a fun atmosphere. The Tip Top Lounge is on the edge of downtown, and it's a total dive. You NEED to go there on game day. Great Plains Sauce & Dough is an Ames institution, but I've never been that into it as pizza goes. The Grove Cafe is an excellent breakfast spot.
OUTLYING AMES: Alluvial Brewing is way out on the north edge of town, and will make an excellent first stop/welcome to Ames. It's situated on a 20 acre patch of restored tallgrass prairie, and is legitimately one of Iowa's top breweries. They double as an art gallery. It's a truly unique place, and absolutely one you need to check out, especially since many of you are coming from that direction anyhow. Hickory Park is near the south edge of the town on HIghway 69. It's not my thing, but a lot of people feel that it's a must stop. Look up the menus, decide for yourself.
GAMEDAY: No matter where you're staying, I'd suggest heading towards downtown by 7AM at the latest. The game kicks at 2:30PM and the Tip Top is going to be open at 6AM selling chili, beer, and Prairie Fires (tequila/tabasco shots). Every time I go to Ames, I Tip Top for at least an hour before heading out tailgating. If you're good with the chili for breakfast, I'd go that route. If you want something more substantial, The Grove Cafe is about 3 blocks from Tip Top. When you leave Tip Top, I'd find beer and then uber down towards Jack Trice. See if you can get dropped off around the intersection of 4th St and University Blvd. It's kind of dead center of tailgate mania. The paved donor lots are right there to your north (between Jack Trice and Hilton) and the public parking (AKA student tailgates) are south of Jack Trice. Like I said earlier, just wander around and have fun. People will invite you in, feed you, give you beer. Midwest hospitality at it's best.
Lastly, I'd suggest if you get to town on Friday to take some time to walk around our campus. It's absolutely gorgeous and has won numerous landscape architecture awards. The area around the Memorial Union/Lake Laverne and central Campus around the campanile is iconic.
I hope y'all have an incredible time before and after the game.
