LGT_45-52_Layout 1 - Leisure Group Travel

IOWA
TOUR GUIDE
Special Supplement
June 2014
Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area / Daenna Newkirk, Des Moines, IA
T
here’s something
magical about the
Mississippi. From
an early age, our visions of America’s most
famous—and its second
longest—river are shaped by
history books and the timeless stories of Mark Twain. In our minds we picture
boys playing along its banks and paddlewheeler steamboats plying its waters.
Just crossing a Mississippi River bridge
from Illinois to Iowa is a much-anticipated
charming communities loaded with history
and a passing parade of attractions. River
cruises, casinos and minor league baseball
are just some of the diversions that await
tour groups. Add museums, historic homes
and shopping for antiques and collectibles
in cozy downtowns that smack of yesteryear. Save time to watch barges going
through the locks or, in winter, bald eagles
swooping over the river as they feed at the
open waters around the dams.
Dubuque, the oldest city in Iowa, in recent years has seen much redevelopment
Mississippi Riverwalk, an amphitheater and
Diamond Jo Casino. Sightseeing, lunch and
dinner cruises on the Spirit of Dubuque
paddlewheeler and Miss Dubuque yacht
also have group appeal.
For the best view in town, take a ride on
the Fenelon Place Elevator, billed as the
“world’s steepest, shortest railway.” It was
built in 1882 as a way for a businessman to
get home for lunch and take a nap each day.
About 20 minutes south of Dubuque
along the Great River Road is St. Donatus,
a sleepy hamlet with roots in the small Eu-
thrill—even if you’ve done it dozens of
times before. Think of your last visit to
Dubuque or Davenport, Bellevue or
Burlington, and your first image is probably
that of strolling along the riverfront or viewing Ol’ Man River from a bluff-top lookout.
The Great River Road, a National Scenic
Byway, travels 3,000 miles along both sides
of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to
the Gulf of Mexico, providing a logical route
for sightseeing in Eastern Iowa. It connects
along its riverfront, where the star attraction
is the Smithsonian-affiliated National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium.
Guests at its 3-D/4-D digital theater feel
their seats rumble and experience wind,
water and scent in a completely immersive
experience. The outdoor area features a
boatyard plaza with a working blacksmith
shop, wetland habitat and the landmark
William M. Black dredge boat.
Other waterfront highlights include the
ropean country of Luxembourg. The hillside
Way of the Cross and Pieta Chapel recall the
Luxembourger immigrants who settled the
area. Kalmes Restaurant, now in its fifth
generation of family ownership, preserves
Luxembourger traditions through photos,
artwork and a menu with “Luxembourg
Classics” like ground steak with cream of
mushroom. A 10-minute drive south leads
to the quiet Mississippi River town of Bellevue, where visitors can shop, watch barges
IOWA’S
Davenport’s downtown riverfront
transit the locks and enjoy panoramic views
of the river valley from Bellevue State Park.
Clinton, located in easternmost Iowa at
the widest point of the Mississippi, abounds
with attractions. The Sawmill Museum tells
the story of the town’s industrial prominence from the 1850s to the 1890s, when
Clinton was the “Lumber Capital of the
World.” Lumber from Clinton’s mills
helped fuel westward expansion and accounted for the country’s highest number
of millionaires per capita during the period.
The Curtis Mansion, the restored Victorian
home of lumber baron George M. Curtis,
awes guests with its Tiffany glass windows,
carved banisters, ornate wood trim and
massive fireplaces. The town’s minor
league baseball team is the Clinton LumberKings, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
Groups in Clinton can commune with
nature at Bickelhaupt Arboretum, try their
luck at Wild Rose Casino and in summer
enjoy a musical or comedy at the Clinton
Area Showboat Theatre, a restored paddlewheeler on the riverfront. Wide River Winery offers tastings and tours, and invites
guests to hike the bluff trail for vistas of the
Mississippi.
Little LeClaire lures nostalgia-minded
Pine Creek Grist Mill, near Muscatine
tourists with its antique and gift shops, particularly Antique Archaeology, home base
for the History Channel’s popular “American Pickers.” You might even run into the
show’s Mike Wolfe, a LeClaire resident. The
riverfront’s Buffalo Bill Museum honors a
celebrity from the past—William F. Cody,
born nearby in 1846—with exhibits and a
video on the Wild West showman. The Twilight Riverboat, the riverfront’s most photogenic asset, offers two-day cruises from
LeClaire to Dubuque. Another tourist magnet is Mississippi River Distillery, where
free tours show the craftsmanship that goes
into each bottle of vodka, gin and whiskey
made with locally grown grains. Samples
are available.
Davenport and Bettendorf, a short drive
south of LeClaire, make up the Iowa portion of the Quad Cities, the largest metropolitan area between Minneapolis and St.
Louis. Also encompassing Moline, East Moline and Rock Island, Ill., the Quad Cities
(pop. 380,000) is the only place where the
river runs east to west.
Downtown Davenport boasts an attractive riverfront park ideal for strolling, plus
attractions like Rhythm City Casino, Figge
Art Museum and The River Music Experience, a non-profit center where visitors can
relax over drinks at the Redstone Room and
hear local talents showcasing the works of
Mississippi River-inspired musicians who
influenced blues and jazz. The newest river-
Mississippi River Towns
Charting a course along the state’s eastern
border puts groups in touch with a vital
valley overflowing with river lore
—and lots more
side landmark is the 110-foot-tall Ferris wheel at Modern Woodmen
Park, home of baseball’s Quad Cities River Bandits, a farm team of
the Houston Astros.
Other crowd-pleasers in the Quad Cities include Davenport’s German-American Heritage Center and Putnam Museum of History and
Science, Isle Casino Hotel in Bettendorf and the Celebration Belle, the
largest non-gaming riverboat on the Upper Mississippi. The Belle’s
sightseeing, lunch and dinner cruises depart from Rock Island, as do
day-long cruises to Dubuque.
Muscatine, about 25 minutes southwest of the Quad Cities, takes
pride in its industrial heritage. By 1900 it was known as the “Pearl
Button Capital of the World” and once accounted for more than 40
to walk down the twisting street will be picked up by the motorcoach
at the bottom of the hill.
Tours of Burlington also include a drive through Heritage Hill National Historic District, a neighborhood boasting 160 structures in a
variety of architectural styles, from late Victorian and Queen Anne to
Gothic and Greek Revival. Mosquito Park, named for its size, offers
dazzling views of the Mississippi. For an up-close look at river traffic, stop by Lock and Dam No. 18, one of 29 such operations on the
upper Mississippi.
Entertainment choices in Burlington include Catfish Bend Casino
and Burlington Bees baseball. The ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels’ Class A affiliate caters to groups by offering a buffet meal in the
Following the mighty Mississippi
is a nostalgic journey into the past
and spotlights the very essence
of America’s heartland
Mississippi River Distillery, LeClaire
percent of the world’s button output. More than half of the city’s
workforce was devoted to the button industry, from harvesting the
raw material—shiny mussel shells in the Mississippi—to shipping
the final product. Visitors to the Muscatine History and Industry Center learn that pearl button production ceased in the late 1960s.
The Muscatine Art Center, housed in a 1908 mansion, exhibits
American and European paintings, period furniture, Oriental rugs and
decorative arts, plus collections of antique paperweights, American art
glass and music boxes/instruments. Wildcat Den State Park, 10 miles
from town, is home to the Pine Creek Grist Mill, Iowa’s oldest operating such mill, and an 1877 one-room schoolhouse. Groups in Muscatine also enjoy Winters’ Buffalo Farm, where they can take pictures of
the majestic herd, buy buffalo meat and witness exotic animals like llamas, peacocks and a zedonk (a cross between a zebra and a donkey).
Traveling south on the Great River Road leads to Burlington.
Snake Alley, perhaps the town’s most famous landmark, was recognized by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not as the “Crookedest Street in the
World.” Built of bricks in 1894, the steep street drops 58 feet over a
distance of 275 feet and rivals San Francisco’s Lombard Street for the
“crookedest” honor. Many groups visit the elegant, Victorian-style
Phelps House Museum at the top of Snake Alley. Those who choose
Brat Garden and having a group member throw out the first pitch.
Downtown Burlington’s Capitol Theater, a restored 1937 Art Deco
jewel that reopened in 2012 after being closed for 35 years, presents
independent and classic films, plus national touring acts. A dinner
on the stage can be arranged for groups.
Fort Madison’s main draw is Old Fort Madison, a replica of the
frontier defense post that was built in 1808 and abandoned and
burned just a few years later. Located in Riverview Park on the
downtown riverfront, the fort offers tours led by costumed interpreters and on certain occasions has musket firing, military drills and
bread-baking demonstrations.
In Keokuk, in Iowa’s far southeastern corner, an old railroad
bridge that spanned the Mississippi, is now an observation platform
where people come to picnic and watch the riverboats go through
the locks at Lock & Dam No. 19. The impressive dam, the largest electricity-generating plant in the world when completed in 1913,
stretches almost a mile across the Mississippi. The dam is not open to
the public but has a lookout deck popular with eagle watchers in
winter. Also visit the George M. Verity River Museum, a steam-powered, sternwheeler towboat, and drive along Grand Avenue, lined
with magnificent old homes.
Modern Woodmen Park, Davenport
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Crowd-Pleasing
Itineraries
The Iowa Group Travel Association has loads
of sample tour itineraries that will aid
planners in crafting the best trip possible.
Here are just a few of the possibilities:
Savor the Flavors
Western Iowa – 2 days
Corning – Stanton – Elk Horn – Manning
Get a taste of Iowa’s ethnic heritage starting with Corning’s French Icarian
Village in what remains of a 19th century utopian settlement. After a Frenchstyle picnic and visit to a Corning winery, hop over to the Swedish Heritage
& Cultural Center in Stanton to sample history and Swedish delicacies. Then
enjoy touring and cheese tasting at the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, followed
by a dinner of authentic Danish cuisine. The next day features the German
Hausbarn in Manning, where the church ladies serve a lunch of ethnic
favorites, including sandwiches, sauerkraut salad, pickled beets and German
chocolate cake or fudge cupcakes with beer frosting. Finally, visit a farmstead
with a 100-year-old history.
A Patriotic Tour
Western Iowa – 3 days
Council Bluffs – Clarinda – Atlantic
In Council Bluffs, learn about historic combat aircraft at a national military
museum, visit the home of a Civil War general, view a beautiful Civil War
monument and tour a nationally renowned railroad museum. The next day
swing into Clarinda and sway to the Big Band beat at the Glenn Miller
Birthplace Museum. At a museum in Clarinda, experience the WWII prisoner of war camp housing German and Japanese prisoners and enjoy
an authentic German dinner with all the trimmings. Spend the third day in
Atlantic, home to a Coca-Cola memorabilia exhibit, an old-fashioned five &
dime store and a restaurant serving one of Iowa’s top five burgers, farmer
fries and national blue-ribbon peanut butter pie.
Experience Historic Northeast Iowa
Eastern Iowa – 5 days
Dubuque – Dyersville – Balltown – Elkader - Decorah
Spend the first day in Dubuque, where highlights include the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, a riverboat lunch and a ride on the
world’s shortest, steepest railway. Day 2 features the Field of Dreams Movie
Site and National Farm Toy Museum in Dyersville; a buffet meal at Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown, Iowa’s oldest bar and restaurant; and
Stone Cliff Winery back in Dubuque. Continue on to the delightful town of
Elkader and then settle in for two nights in Decorah, home to the nation’s
most comprehensive museum dedicated to a single immigrant group – the
Norwegians. On the morning of Day 5, stop at a farm that grows 6,200
varieties of tomatoes – it merited a visit from Martha Stewart.
History at its Finest – From Bluffs to Barns
Eastern Iowa – 3 days
Burlington – Villages of Van Buren
This tour is based in the Mississippi River town of Burlington and starts in
the downtown historic district, a treasure trove of nearly 160 structures
reflecting many architectural styles. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the river
from bluff-top Mosquito Park, visit a house museum filled with antiques
and amble down the “crookedest street in the world” as designated by
Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Stop for dessert, coffee and a tour at one of
Burlington’s premier bed and breakfasts, built by a lumber baron in 1877.
Catch a minor league baseball game at night. Day 2 features the Villages of
Van Buren, where favorite pastimes include gift and antique shopping. Visit
Mennonite-owned businesses, an old-time general store and a cheese
factory. Other highlights in the Villages include a winery visit and tour of a
historic pottery where guests can make their very own piece. Dine in the
home of an Amish family or perhaps in a restored grist mill or woolen mill.
Back in Burlington on Day 3, tour a private garden with dozens of varieties
of flowers and its antique tractor display. Then visit an elk farm and
sample some of the meat before visiting a river terminal to learn about the
unloading of barges and rail cars.
Cuisine in the Corn
Top Events
Burlington Steamboat Days
June 10-15, 2014
National rock, country, rhythm and
blues, and pop stars appear on two outdoor
stages. The lineup this year includes Toby
Keith. A parade and carnival rides also are part of
this celebration of life on the Mississippi. (steamboatdays.com)
Glenn Miller Festival, Clarinda
June 12-15, 2014
On the second weekend in June, visitors
and entertainers from around the world
converge in Clarinda, home of the Glenn
Miller Museum and Birthplace Home, to celebrate the music of Alton Glenn Miller, the top bandleader during the Big Band era. Hear bands from around the world
and the World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra. (glennmiller.org)
National Balloon Classic, Indianola
July 25-Aug. 2, 2014
More than 100 hot-air balloons, including special shapes, paint the sky over Indianola, home of the National Balloon Museum.
Visitors enjoy musical entertainment, open-air
markets and the Fire in the Sky Nite-Glow Extravaganza
at Iowa’s largest ballooning event. (nationalballoonclassic.com)
Iowa State Fair, Des Moines
Aug. 7-17, 2014
Considered America’s classic state fair,
this ag-extravaganza annually attracts more
than a million fun lovers from around the
world. Featured are one of the world's largest
livestock shows, the country's largest state fair foods
department (about 900 classes), the state's largest arts show,
hundreds of competitive events and wacky contests, and a carnival
midway. Nearly 200 food stands offer more than 60 items on-a-stick,
from corndogs to deep-fried butter. Grandstand shows slated this
year include Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line, Foreigner
and Styx, and the Robertsons from A&E’s Duck Dynasty, not to
mention the tractor and truck pull and demolition derby.
(iowastatefair.org)
Tulip Time Festival, Pella
May 7-9, 2015
Proud of its Dutch heritage and tourist attractions, Pella throws a big party that includes
six parades, three of them lighted. The afternoon
Grandstand Show features Dutch dancing and singing, Parade of
Provinces (Dutch costume style show), cheese market demonstration, presentation of the queen and her court, and the famous street
scrubbing. Festival-goers also enjoy brilliant tulip gardens, craft
markets, Dutch dancing and musical performances. Groups can
arrange a Dutch chocolate demonstration, costume show, tulip tips
talk and Dutch meal with costumed servers. Craft demonstrations
at Pella Historical Village include yoke carving, wooden
shoe-making and Dutch letter baking. (pellatuliptime.org)
Farm to Table, Iowa-Style
big juicy bonus of touring
farm states like Iowa is the
food. From milk to dinner
rolls to pork tenderloin sandwiches,
everything just seems to taste better,
much the way we remember it growing up. Since it wouldn’t be a trip to
Iowa without visiting a farm, a farmers’ market or a restaurant that relies
on farm-fresh ingredients, we suggest
several ways to experience the heartland’s rich bounty:
In Kalona, home to Iowa’s largest
Amish colony, the tourism folks can
arrange a hearty meal for groups of
10 or more. Served family-style in
a Conservative Mennonite home,
the spread includes Amish staples
like chicken or roast beef, dressing
or noodles, mashed potatoes and
gravy, salad, vegetables, tapioca
pudding and home-baked bread
with apple butter. Save room for
angel food cake or peanut butter pie.
(kalonaiowa.com)
How about dinner in a cornfield?
For a magical evening, consider reserving seats at Cuisine in the Corn,
an annual event staged at Bloomsbury Farm in Atkins. Amid the cornstalks on Aug. 23, some 200 guests
will be transported by hayrack to one
elegantly appointed long table complete with china, white linens, green
napkins, flowers and lots of candles.
Free-flowing wine and live music
accompany the four-course feast.
(bloomsburyfarm.com/cuisine)
Groups get an inside look at dairy
A
production from cow to table at
Hansen’s Farm Fresh Dairy in Hudson, a short drive from Waterloo.
Tours at this family farm dating back
to 1864 let you feed a calf, milk a cow
or make butter. Top off your visit with
a dish of premium ice cream or cheese
curds and crackers. A catered meal
can be arranged in the new visitor
center. (hansendairy.com).
There’s also a taste of the country
in the middle of Des Moines, Iowa’s
capital and biggest city. Let your
group loose at the Downtown Farmers’ Market, held every Saturday
morning from May through October.
It spans nine city blocks in the Historic Court District and attracts an average of 20,000 visitors and more than
200 vendors. (desmoinesfarmersmarket.com)
Following the national trend in
presenting healthy seasonal dishes
made mostly with farm-fresh foodstuffs produced just miles away, farmto-fork restaurants have popped up
in many Iowa communities. In the
historic East Village of Des Moines,
the menu at HoQ evolves almost
daily and showcases flavors from
around the world using the finest of
Iowa ingredients—almost 90% of
them from local farms. HoQ features
grass-fed beef and lamb, and pastureraised chicken and duck, all are
raised without the use of hormones,
antibiotics, steroids or cages. Its butter and cream come from grass-fed
cows. (hoqtble.com)