Mississippi River Museum: A fun and educational getaway for the whole family

We decided to take advantage of the long weekend and take a short trip to Dubuque.  We’d visited the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium  before when my son was two, but now at age four he really seemed to appreciate the impressive sights he was seeing.  Upon entering he rushed to the entrance way tank, following the ducks and turtles with excitement.  Then we moved on to the five large aquariums that let us get up close with the giant catfish, an alligator and an ancient sturgeon We were ooing and awing at everything, including what I think was a huge albino turtle. 

This summer’s attraction was called Venom that displayed all sorts of wonderfully colorful, intriguing and venomous creatures including Spiders, Jelly Fish, Bugs, Scorpions, Poison Dart Frogs, Snakes, Lizards and Fish. I’ll admit I was a little squeamish, but my son loved it.

We also looked through the riverboat museum, explored some wetlands, and took a tour of large 1934 steamer which included seeing the kitchen, bunk rooms, engine room and pilothouse.

TripAdvisor named the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium one of the top ten aquariums and zoos in the U.S. – and it’s right here in our backyard.  I encourage you to take advantage of it!

posted by heatherjoy77

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Some unique family getaway spots await you just outside the Corridor

This weekend my family explored some of Northeast Iowa’s treasures including Spook Cave and Pike’s Peak state park.

If you’re looking for something different to do this weekend, I encourage you to travel two hours north of the Corridor and do some exploring at one of Northeast Iowa’s hidden treasures.  Spook Cave, located outside McGregor, IA , is unlike any other cave tour you’ll experience.  

I had been to Spook Cave as a child, although I don’t remember much more than the sweatshirt someone bought for me with a Casper-like ghost on it.  As we waited for our tour to start, I read up on some Spook Cave history.