Something fishy is going on in Dubuque.
Big fish, small fish, red fish, blue fish, ocean fish and river fish are swimming around at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. It is just one of the must-see attractions in this eastern Iowa river town, about 3½ hours north of Springfield.
Others include an historic downtown, riverboats, outdoor sculptures, an impressive botanical garden and a famous baseball field nearby. You can view the Mississippi from atop limestone bluffs and the journey up is half the fun if you opt for a ride on the 1882-era Fenelon Place elevator.
Dubuque is Iowa's oldest community, named for the French-Canadian trader Julien Dubuque, who first settled the area. Chartered in 1837, the city maintains several landmarks reflecting its long history. Visitors can view an 1856 tower where workers produced lead shot for the military, an 1873 town clock weighing 13 tons and the 1839 Hotel Julien Dubuque, an opulent place for meals or stays.
That elevator to the top of a bluff is a thrill. Old wooden cars clank slowly up and down a steep track, from April through November, for the roundtrip rate of $4 for adults. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the short scenic railway served a wealthy banker who lived on top of the bluffs and worked at the bottom. He liked to take a half-hour nap after lunch but found the long buggy ride back and forth prohibited it.
More modern sites sit along the Mississippi, including the museum and aquarium devoted to marine life. The attraction's campus spans 14 acres at the Port of Dubuque and has two main buildings and numerous outdoor displays.
"It is Smithsonian-affiliated and that is a testament to the quality and caliber of the museum," says Taylor Kellogg, vice president of marketing for Travel Dubuque. "It is unique in that it covers the Mississippi from its headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico."
Interactive displays in one building feature local and regional river life while the other building spans the entire Mississippi. The Rivers to the Sea aquaria include sea horses, stingrays and a giant octopus. Several exhibits explain the history of life on the river.
In between the two main buildings, visitors can explore a boat shop and a machine shop. Outdoors are a log cabin, a boat launch and a blacksmith shop. Sitting on the water is the William M. Black dredge boat, worth an inspection.
If you prefer to get out on the water, you can book a lunch or an all-day cruise or opt for a longer ride with Dubuque as one of the stops. Some days you can spot a major river cruise line disembarking passengers for a day in the city.
Nearby along the flood wall is the River Walk with the city's convention center, a resort with indoor water park, a winery and a collection of sculptures. Kellogg says the public "Art on the River" is a juried display of sculpture that changes every year.
She also recommends getting a map at the downtown visitors center to view the more than 50 murals painted by local and national artists, with most of the murals in the Main Street District. For art indoors, visit the downtown Dubuque Museum of Art, which is also Smithsonian-affiliated and emphasizes 20th-century American art.
On summer Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon, you can pick up produce and other goods at Iowa's oldest farmers market, first held in 1845. The market, with up to 120 vendors, centers around City Hall. In a nearby old warehouse district, you can shop at the similar Millwork Night Market on the second Thursday of the month from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
High above downtown, head west to the free Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, which may be the largest volunteer-run botanical garden in the country. It was established in 1980 and encompasses 56 acres filled with perennials, annuals, cacti, wildflowers, hostas, roses and herbs.
A tall-grass prairie tries to recreate Midwestern land before it was developed, and a Japanese garden and pond create a reflective spot. Children's gardens, waterfalls and hiking trails add to the experience. Kellogg says a family-focused area should open in 2025 with attractions for children, including treehouses.
The Mines of Spain State Recreation Area is on a bluff south of town and contains the Julien Dubuque burial space and monument. A short, cement, ADA-accessible trail takes you to the single tall tower of limestone that affords views of Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, according to Kellogg.
Baseball buffs will want to include a pilgrimage to the Field of Dreams movie, set outside Dyersville, 25 miles north of Dubuque. If you go on July 1 or 22, Aug. 5 or 26 or Sept. 30, you can watch "ghost" players emerge from the fields surrounding the ballfield. Shows are free and start at 1 p.m. except for the 7 p.m. game on Aug. 26. Even if you don't make it to one of the shows, you can enjoy the field and a farmhouse tour.
Kellogg notes that many first-time visitors have been to historic Galena, Illinois, just 16 miles southeast, and are surprised to find all that Dubuque has to offer. "I get that all the time," she explains, when people tell her they didn't realize how interesting Dubuque can be. "Everything here is a can't-miss."
For more information about all things Dubuque, go to www.traveldubuque.com.
Mary Bohlen, a Springfield travel writer, admits she was one of those Galena visitors who didn't realize Dubuque is a can't-miss destination.
