Tips for Traveling the Great River Road, Part 2

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Our summer road trip down the Great River Road continues in this episode. We start just after Lake Pepin and make our way to the Mississippi’s confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois. Along the way, I’ll comment on the following places: the Upper Mississippi River National Fish & Wildlife Refuge; Winona, Minnesota; in Wisconsin: Alma, Fountain City, La Crosse, and Prairie du Chien; Dubuque, Iowa, and Galena, Illinois; the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa; in southeast Iowa: Muscatine, Burlington, Fort Madison, and Keokuk; in Illinois: Nauvoo, Quincy, Grafton, Alton, Chester, Shawnee National Forest, and Cairo; in Missouri: Hannibal, St. Louis, Sainte Genevieve, and Cape Girardeau, plus a few places in between these. I obviously won’t be going into great depth about any particular place but instead want to give you a sense of the variety of attractions and experiences you can expect along the Mississippi River, with some picks about my favorite spots (and where to get good food and drinks). 

Episode Transcript

Dean Klinkenberg (00:00):
And speaking of John Deere, the in downtown

(00:02):
Moline, the John Deere Pavilion.
It's the company store, in asense, it's a place you can go
to hop on a giant combine, putyourself in the seat of
different farm implements, andget a sense for what it might be
like to drive one of those bigbeasts around the field. Of
course, they won't let you takeit out of the building, but you
get to sit in the seatWelcome to the Mississippi

(00:43):
Valley Traveler podcast. I'mDean Klinkenberg, and I've been
exploring the deep history andrich culture of the people and
places along America's greatestriver, the Mississippi, since
2007. Join me as I go deep intothe characters and places along
the river, and occasionallywander into other stories from
the Midwest and other rivers.

(01:04):
Read the episode show notes andget more information on the
Mississippi atMississippiValleyTraveler.com.
Let's get going. Welcome toEpisode 65 of the Mississippi
Valley Traveler podcast. Well,in this episode today, we're
continuing our trip down theGreat River Road. We left off

(01:27):
part one in the last episode atLake Pepin with the small
communities around there. And inthis episode we are going to
make our way all the way down toCairo, Illinois, to the spot
where the Upper Mississippi endsat the Ohio River. So just as a
quick reminder, I'm just doingthis to briefly highlight some
places and experiences along theGreat River Road between Itasca

(01:50):
State Park and the Gulf ofMexico that I think would be
interesting to visit. This iscertainly not a comprehensive
discussion of all of the thingsyou should visit. I recommend
going much deeper. You can buyone of my guidebooks. You can
look at my website,MississippiValleyTraveler.com.
There are other books out therethat may be useful as well, just
not as useful as mine. But Iwant to make sure, to give you a

(02:11):
sense of the variety of thingsthat there are to do along the
river. The river is, of course,the main draw, but the
Mississippi Valley is rich withhistoric and cultural sites too.
So I'm highlighting a few ofthose along the way, and also
making sure to steer you toplaces where you can actually
get to the river. Now, ofcourse, I've got to also mention

(02:31):
food, and there may be a fewtimes I mentioned beer, which
you probably heard in part one.
That will happen again in parttwo. As always, keep in mind
that, you know, places come andgo, and at the time I'm
releasing this, this is up todate and current, but you know,
I don't have the power to keepplaces from closing or
interesting places from openingup. So if you've got your heart

(02:53):
set on visiting someplace, Isuggest you check in advance and
make sure they're open and checktheir hours as well. Some of
them have variable hours,especially during off season
periods. All right, so withthat, let's get rolling along
again.

(03:24):
Well, welcome back to our roadtrip down the Great River Road
from Itasca State Park inMinnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.
Just a quick reminder what weare doing in these couple or
three podcasts, however manythey turn out to be, I am
highlighting places andexperiences along the Great
River Road that I think areespecially outstanding. These

(03:46):
are this is certainly not acomprehensive listing of places
to visit. You can buy myguidebooks or look on my website
for ideas to further expand yourlist of things to do when you're
in a specific area. This is justmy way of following the entire
Great River Road and offering afew of my thoughts on some of
the more interesting must seekinds of places along the way.

(04:09):
The river, of course, is themain draw for all this. So much
of this will steer you towardexperiences that get you closer
to the river. But theMississippi Valley is rich with
historic and cultural sites too.
So I've got to highlight some ofthose as well. And of course,
we've got to say a little bitabout food and maybe a little
bit about beer. In fact, maybemore about beer than food. I'll

(04:30):
let you see how that plays out.
Just a quick reminder thatplaces come and go. So at the
time of this recording and theprevious one, the information
was accurate. But if there areplaces that I mentioned that you
have your heart set on visiting,I strongly suggest you check in
advance to make sure they'reopen and to verify their hours.

(04:54):
Well, we left off after touringaround Lake Pepin, so let's
continue on. By checking outsome of the sites from Wabasha
at the southern end of LakePepin down toward La Crosse. And
the first thing I want tomention is that much of this
area is part of a nationalwildlife refuge that was
established in 1924 the UpperMississippi River National

(05:17):
Wildlife and Fish Refuge runs261 miles from Wabasha to the
Quad Cities. Much of the landadjacent to the river and the
islands are part of the refuge.
You'll find signed canoe trails,hiking trails, visitor centers,
and lots of quiet, undevelopedplaces to enjoy. So when you

(05:37):
leave Wabasha, and I did offersome tips on what to see there
in the last episode. So checkthat out. The couple places I
really hope you'll swing by andvisit. The Kellogg-Weaver Dunes
just south of Wabasha is aunique ecosystem of sand prairie
with endangered Blanding turtlesamong the animals you're likely

(05:58):
to see there. I think it'sreally fun to walk around and
look at some of the plants thatyou're unlikely to see in other
places. Just a bit north ofthere in the town of Kellogg,
the Town and Country Cafe is oneof my favorite spots to stop
when I need a good piece of pie,and they usually have far more
selections than I can takeadvantage of. On the Minnesota

(06:20):
side, John Latsch State Park,just south of Minneiska, offers
fantastic views of theMississippi Valley. It takes a
bit of a hike to get up there.
There are steps that lead fromthe parking lot up to the top of
the bluff. The views aredefinitely worth the walk up,
though.

(06:41):
In Winona proper, there arequite a few things to see, and
it's hard for me to even narrowthis down that I feel like I'm
neglecting the city by evenchoosing these places. But this
is, this is kind of a short listof things that you almost
certainly need to do whileyou're there. Garvin Heights
Park is another one of thoseplaces that offers great views,
and this is one that you candrive to, so you don't have to

(07:04):
walk up a couple 100 steps toget there. The Winona County
History Center is a big oldbuilding, an old armory that
offers really good exhibits onthe history of the area, and
it's worth a couple of hours atleast. The city has several
architectural gems. Maybe alittle surprising for town of
its size, but like a lot ofMississippi river towns, there

(07:27):
was a boom period where therewas a lot of money and a lot of
impressive architecture went upduring those boom years. So for
example, you'll find the WinonaNational Bank, which from the
outside, looks like, well, it'sa style that some have called
Egyptian Revival. Inside, it'sjust as gorgeous, and there's a

(07:47):
safari museum of stuffedanimals. I'll leave you to go in
and figure out exactly what I'mtalking about. Also, the Watkins
Administration Building in townis absolutely gorgeous, with the
marble mosaics and the art glassin the building.
In summertime. In mid summer,stick around for the Great River

(08:08):
Shakespeare Festival, and ifyou're interested in what's
going on with those boat housesthat you see tied up on the to
the island just to the east ofdowntown. I suggest you go back
and listen to episode 16 of thispodcast where I had a chance to
interview somebody who lives onthe boat and produced her own

(08:29):
podcast episodes about thatboathouse community.
Just south of town, BunnellHouse is a really interesting
and unique structure that anarchitectural style that some
have dubbed Steamboat Gothic. Ithink it's definitely worth a
visit, and then you can decidefor yourself whether or not you
want to build your own SteamboatGothic House.

(08:50):
And a little bit further downthe road, Great River State Park
is another one of the pearls orthe wonders of the along the
Mississippi. It's an expansivepark on top of the bluffs. For
the most part, there are a lotof hiking trails, nice
campground and at least threeplaces that you can hike to the

(09:12):
edge and get really good viewslooking out over the Mississippi
Valley. Now, in this samestretch of river on the
Wisconsin side, there are a fewthings to check out. It's hard
not to highlight theseoverlooks, these places that
have great views. Many of these,you might stop for just five or
10 minutes. You might stickaround and and hike around the
bluffs or the spend more timeenjoying the views. So in Alma,

(09:35):
Wisconsin, Buena Vista Park isone of those places where you
might just end up stopping for10 or 15 minutes to enjoy the
views, and they are magnificent.
And in town down below thebluff, the Castle Rock Museum is
one of those places that's thebrainchild of an obsessed
collector, a man who collectedarmor, medieval armor, and arms
and again, like you wouldn'texpect to find this in a small

(09:59):
town in Wisconsin, but there itis, and it's definitely worth
some time to go visit.
Down the road in Fountain City,The Monarch Public House is in a
building that was built in 1894an old storefront, and it is a
gorgeous, gorgeous bar andrestaurant inside. It's worth

(10:19):
just to stop and experience thaton its own. And the folks at
Seven Hawks have built some veryunique places to stay, a few of
which remind me a little bit oftree houses. So if you're
looking for somewhere to stay inthe area, you might check out
Seven Hawks and see if there'ssomething to your liking that
they have to offer.
As we get closer to Trempealeau,you'll want to detour to the

(10:42):
Trempealeau National WildlifeRefuge, one of my favorite spots
along the river, maybe a littleunderappreciated, I'm not sure.
I've been there many times, andI've been there at times when
nobody else has been around.
It's kind of unique in that it'snot right next to a railroad or
a highway, so the views and thetime there don't get disrupted
as much by the noises fromtrains and cars, and you're

(11:04):
right there next to expansivewetlands. It's especially fun to
visit in the fall, when a lot ofmigrating birds are passing
through. But I enjoy going thereany time of year. And in the
same stretch of river, you'llfind several places that offer
fresh produce, some stands orlittle farms. I love stopping

(11:24):
and picking up whatever's inseason when I'm up there. Perrot
State Park at Trempealeau isanother fantastic State Park,
some really good hiking trailsand also plenty of places to
camp in heavily shaded areas,places, a canoe. It's an awesome
place to visit. in town, TheTrempealeau Hotel has roots

(11:46):
going back to 1871 it's one ofthe few structures that survived
a catastrophic fire inTrempealeau. They have good food
and live music on weekends,especially, but not just on
weekends, and just outside ofTrempealeau, I love walking
around the Van Loon WildlifeArea, which winds itself around
the Black River Delta. It's kindof known especially for

(12:11):
preserving the particular styleof bridges that were built in
the early 1900s but this is allprotected land now, these are
all hiking trails and not roads.
I find it's a great spot forbirding or just to enjoy some
And then down in Holmen, youknow, one of those small town
peace and quiet.

(12:32):
meat markets I think you shouldstop in and visit, if you have
the time, is the Holmen Lockerand Meat Market.
Well, let's get on to La Crossenow, which is one of my favorite

(13:05):
spots anywhere along theMississippi. And I'm not the

(13:28):
least bit objective about this.
I lived in La Crosse for sixyears. Really enjoyed my time

(13:54):
there, and I still get back onceSome of the other attractions in
town, downtown La Crosse is apretty vibrant area. It's very
different from when I livedthere in college. It's in much
better shape than it was backthen. There's a mix of places to
eat and drink. It's probably thehighlight for most folks. There

(14:16):
are a lot of bars, many of themare geared toward the college
population, but not exclusively.
or twice a year. I think it's,it's one of those places that's
And there's some really goodfood downtown too, some fine
dining restaurants. I just wantto give you an idea of a couple
places I really enjoy visitingif you're just looking for a
sweet snack of some kind,Meringue Bakery is definitely a

(14:39):
place you need to visit. TheBodega Brew Pub has had a cafe
in it, in that building since1875. It's a very fun community
space with dozens and dozens ofbeers to select from, but just a
especially outstanding as a basefor outdoor recreation. That's,
good place to hang out and talkwith folks. Turtle Stack Brewery
is one of those local brew pubsthat makes fine hand crafted
beers definitely worth a visit.
If you're looking for a goodmeal, for a way to treat

(15:03):
yourself. There are lots ofoptions, but I would steer you
toward Love Child or TheWaterfront as my top two
choices. And if you're downtownduring the daytime, check out
the La Crosse area HeritageI think that's a sweet spot. But
there's more to the town thanCenter, which is the Historical
Society's main museum. Forsomething on the sillier side, a
little south of downtown in theold brewery complex, you can

(15:25):
stop for a selfie in front ofthe world's largest six pack.
And who wouldn't like a picturelike that?
There are lots of festivalsthroughout the year in La
Crosse, but the city is bestknown for their Oktoberfest
celebration, which, gosh, I'mguessing, I think it was started
in the 1960s, it's been around along time, and it draws 10s of
just that. So let's highlightsome of the things, especially

(15:46):
1000s of people to this area.
It's a lot of fun. I highlyrecommend, at least, you know,
one time in your life goingthere for Oktoberfest, but plan
ahead, because rooms book wellin advance, and if you show up
at the last minute expectingyou'll find a place to stay,
you're likely to be verydisappointed. Kind of around the
same time of year, the Hmong NewYear celebration in Veterans

(16:09):
Park toward West Salem I reallyaround the outdoorsy stuff.
Grandad Park is the most famousenjoy going there. I think I've
been there three times for that.
It's a different kinds of party,but it's a chance to sort of
connect with the Hmong communitythat was resettled in the La
Crosse area after the end of theVietnam War.
Now, when you leave La Crosse,you're probably going to want to
take Wisconsin Highway 35 souththat is one of the most scenic

(16:32):
stretches of the Great RiverRoad, and it'll take you down
toward Prairie du Chien. Andreally, by the time you get to
park probably in the area. It'sa spot known again for those
Prairie du Chien, after that,the road begins to wander a
little bit away from the river,and you don't see the views
nearly as often, but thatstretch really from Lake Pepin
all the way down, there arereally fantastic views of the
Mississippi.
So when you get to Prairie duChien, there are a few things

(16:56):
that I highly recommend doing.
You got to spend all the timedriving around St Feriole Island
and checking out the historicexpansive views, for the great
overlook over on top of thebuildings, some of which date
back to the early 1800s. There'salso a sculpture park on the
island by artist Florence Birdthat represent different aspects
of the city's history. The FortCrawford Museum in town

(17:16):
preserves the legacy of the oldfrontier fort that was built
before there was much of apopulation in Prairie Du Chien.
And Valley Fish and Cheese is abluff. Next to it, Hixon Forests
offers similar kinds of views,little shop run by one of the
few remaining commercialfishermen in the area. So there
are fish for sale in his storethat were freshly caught in the

(17:37):
river itself. I highly recommenddoing that. You can get some of
it fresh and uncooked, and someof the fish that he catches, he
smokes and sells that way too.
Smoked carp is surprisinglygood, so you should probably let
yourself try that at least oncein your life. And then south of
but you have to work a lotharder to get to them. At

(17:57):
town, Wyalusing State Park isone of the incredible state
parks along the MississippiRiver as well with great views.
There are places where you cancamp right on the edge of the
bluff and have million dollarviews, but you're only paying a
few bucks a night for theprivilege. Again, like if you
want to stay on one of thosesites peak travel season, you

(18:19):
should probably go online andbook those sites in advance. All
Grandad Park, you can drive tothe top and walk to the overlook
those sites are reservable.
And if you keep going down theGreat River Road, if you
continue down the state or thecounty roads south of Prairie du
Chien and down to Cassville, TheStone Field and State
Agricultural Museum isdefinitely worth a visit. It's a
re-creation of a 19th centuryvillage, a lot of antique farm

(18:42):
equipment. So if you go down theIowa side, particularly crossing
with with a good little effort.
Hixon Forest has trails thatover from Lansing, and
continuing on your way down,you'll find a series of small
towns. And each kind of hastheir own appeal, has their own
things to do. I like you know,in Lansing, there's a Museum of
River History that is kind ofhidden. It's next to a coffee

(19:02):
shop on the riverfront. I thinkit does a really good job of
telling the story of commercialfishing. They do that very well.
If the coffee shop is open, themuseum is also going to be open,
so make a stop there.
wind up and over and down fromthe floodplain all the way up to
Further south of there, close toMarquette, Effigy Mounds
National Monument has to be onyour short list of places to
visit. The National Monumentpreserves mounds that were built

(19:26):
hundreds to maybe 1300 yearsago, and many of them were built
in the shape of animals. Hencethe effigy part. To see many of
them, you're going to have to doa little bit of work. They tend
to be on top of the bluffs, andthe visitor center is at river
the top of the bluffs. So youcan spend several hours hiking
level, so there is a path thatwill take you up to the top of

(19:47):
the bluff to start walkingaround and visiting some of the
mounds. Aside from the mounds,the views of the river from on
top of the bluff areoutstanding. So it's a win win.
And then if you as you continueon south, when you get to the
town of Guttenberg, you may feellike you've taken a wrong turn
and ended up in Europe, not amistake. The town was built by

(20:07):
around. Find yourself on a goatprairie. Enjoy the views. Hike
German immigrants and stillmaintains a flavor, and they are
very proud of their Germanheritage to this day.
Well, let's continue on now tothe cities of Dubuque and
Galena. This is an area that wasreally built on the backs of
lead mining. Commercial leadmining began in this area,

(20:29):
really in the 1820s with earnestand money from the lead mining
built both of these communities.
Dubuque is the bigger city. Hasyourself back down. Walk through
bottomland forest. Keep in mindmore going on, a wider range of
accommodations and pretty goodamount of food choices as well.
So let's start there. A few ofthe things that you really
should do as long as you're herein town, Eagle Point Park,

(20:51):
another one of these bluff topparks with great views. But what
I really like about this is thepark buildings were built by a
man, were designed by a man whosome of the trails there are
also open to mountain bikers, sowas inspired by Frank Lloyd
Wright. So they have a prairiestyle architecture that that
will look familiar to you, andthere's just lots of room to
spread out and enjoy a picnic upthere. The National Mississippi

(21:14):
River Museum and Aquarium shouldbe on your short list of places
to visit as well an expansiveplace several different
exhibits. They obviously have afocus on ecosystems and fish
life related to the Mississippi,you may need to some of the
trails. Keep an eye out forbut they have a whole other area
that focuses on the Gulf ofMexico and basically where

(21:35):
rivers meet the sea, deltaecosystems. So that's really an
interesting place to wanderaround in general. So if you
like visiting aquariums andlooking at fish and learning
about aquatic habitats, this isa good place. It's also a
History Museum. So they haveexhibits on river shipping and
some exhibits on local historypeople coming down rather
quickly on mountain bikes.

(21:55):
as well. One of the more uniqueplaces in town is the Fenelon
Place Elevator, which is a shortride up the side of a hill that
will take you from town level upthe bluff. This elevator has
been in operation since 1882 andis still going strong.

(22:17):
The city has a lot of historicarchitecture. You can just walk
around downtown or adjacentneighborhoods to enjoy the
outstanding mixture ofarchitecture. For something more
specific, the churches in town,I think, are really gorgeous,
and there's a lot of amazingstained glass windows. If you
have time to tour St Luke'sChurch downtown, they have

(22:39):
dozens of Tiffany windowsdefinitely should be a place to
stop in and visit. Check theirhours, though, the last time I
looked they were only open tovisitors on Mondays, Monday
through Thursday during the day,so you won't be able to do it to
see those windows on theweekends.
Convivium is a fine neighborhoodplace on the north side that

(23:03):
serves good coffee and breakfastand has a heavy community vibe,
which I really enjoy. Jubeck NewWorld Brewing is one of those
hyper local breweries thatoffers great beer and
conversation for somethingcompletely different. The Europa
House seems like an unlikelyplace for this. They look very

(23:24):
much like a dive bar, and itfeels like a dive bar when
you're inside, to be honest, butthey serve fantastic German
food. So go there for dinnersome evening. Check their hours
again, because they tend to bemore weekend hours, and you can
enjoy some traditional anddelicious German food. And then
for something more upscale, morefine dining, head to Brazen Open

(23:47):
Kitchen.
Now in the Galena area, reallythe main way, I think, the best
way, I think, to reallyexperience Galena is on foot.
The main street is captivatingin its own, the way that the
buildings gently follow the bendof the Galena River. You'll find
almost exclusively locally ownedshops and restaurants and all

(24:10):
that beautiful architecture,mostly three and four story
buildings. So I would say, justtake your time, taking that half
a day or more, and just walk upand down that street, go in the
shops and find something toenjoy there, find a place to
stop for a bite to eat or abeverage of your choice. Near
the near one end of thatstretch, The Dowling House is

(24:32):
the oldest existing building intown. It was built in 1826, and
it's kind of fun to tour that.
Just outside of downtown,there's a home where Ulysses S
Grant lived for a few years, andthat is now open as a museum
that you can tour, and also,kind of in the downtown area,
The Galena U.S, Grant Museum isthe local history museum that's

(24:53):
got a heavy focus on the leadmining history, plus also
Ulysses S Grant.
For a snack, something sweet,maybe even something slightly
savory, if you catch them in theright time of day, the Galena
Bake House offers really goodselection of sweet and savory
snacks, and you will find anabundance of bed and breakfasts.

(25:15):
I don't know that there'sanother place along the
Mississippi that has a higherconcentration of bed and
breakfast inns to choose from,and they basically range from
beautiful to high end luxury. Sochoose what suits your mood.
Just outside of town there, theWitkowsky Wildlife Area is an
expansive wildlife area withlots of hiking trails you could

(25:37):
spend easily a day just hikingaround there, and they go
through quite a nice range ofecosystems, including prairies
and forests and some uplandhills. So that's a good place to
just go and stretch your legsfor a good long hike.
Now, there's one other place inthis area that had that was tied

(25:57):
to the mining industry as well,and that's the town of Potosi.
It's a much smaller communitythan Galena and Dubuque, and yet
they still have attractions thatshould make you detour there for
a quick visit. If nothing else,you should go to the Potosi
Brewery. Again, fantastic beer,good food. historic building.
It's got, you know, hits on allthe notes, and just outside of

(26:20):
town as you're headed toward theriver, if you go under, if you
keep going onto the dirt roadand under the railroad trestle,
and follow the road along thedike, that'll take you to the
end of the dike, to an area thata lot of folks call Potosi
Point, which is a reallyfantastic place just to sit and
watch the river. You'rebasically sitting out in the
middle of the river on thisnarrow dike, and there are a lot

(26:42):
of shallow wetlands around. Itattracts a lot of birds. You
might even spot muskrat or anoccasional beaver as you're
sitting there.
So as we drive on now to theQuad Cities, the couple things I
want to point you to. The cityof Bellevue is a beautiful river
town, laid back place, probablythe one thing, the one place

(27:02):
where you should stop there isthe River Ridge Brewing Company.
See, there is probably more beerthan food in this in these
episodes, you know, mypriorities, but the River Ridge
Brewing Company is right next tothe river. There they have
outdoor seating. You can enjoyriver views along with a good
beer. Highly recommend thatplace and south of town, the

(27:23):
Green Island Wildlife ManagementArea. It's another one of those
hidden gems along theMississippi. It's a large area,
almost all wetlands, thatattract lots and lots of birds.
It's a favorite spot for birdersto go all year, but especially
during migration season, if youhave a boat with you, canoe or
kayak, it's a great place topaddle around, but you don't

(27:45):
need a boat to enjoy the birdlife there.
When you get into Clinton, youmight want to stick around for a
while and take in a minor leaguebaseball team. There are a few
towns along the Mississippi thathave minor league baseball, and
Clinton Stadium is right next tothe river. And they also have
another a really unique brewery,another brewery, you say, yeah,

(28:07):
another brewery. There's an oldchurch has been converted into a
brew pub called the GreatRevivalist Brewery. And I
recommend to stop there for fora meal and a pint.
And then on the other side ofthe river, there are a couple
places I feel compelled tohighlight, up around Savannah,
Mississippi Palisades State Parkis a fantastic State Park, good

(28:31):
hiking trails, a hugecampground. Fulton has a lot of
folks with Dutch ancestry, sothey built a replica of a
windmill right on the river. Shehad stopped there. It's open
more in the summer than othertimes of year, and occasionally
they have it running where theyare actually processing grain.

(28:51):
There's also at the Fulton MeatMarket, another one of those
small town butcher shops, theyoften stock some Dutch food
items. So that's kind of a funplace to stop.
Hey, Dean Klinkenberg here,interrupting myself. Just wanted
to remind you that if you'd liketo know more about the
Mississippi River, check out mybooks. I write the Mississippi

(29:13):
Valley Traveler guide books forpeople who want to get to know
the Mississippi better. I alsowrite the Frank Dodge mystery
series that is set in placesalong the Mississippi. My newest
book 'The Wild Mississippi,'goes deep into the world of Old
Man River. Learn about thevaried and complex ecosystems
supported by the Mississippi,the plant and animal life that

(29:34):
depends on them. And where youcan go to experience it all.
Find any of these wherever booksare sold.
Alright, we're moving rightalong. Let's roll on into the
Quad Cities region where quadmeans five, and where the
Mississippi River runs from eastto west, which will mess up your
sense of direction, if you'relike me, and you'll use the

(29:57):
river to help you navigatearound. People have lived here
in this Quad Cities region forat least 12,000 years. In the
17th century, the Sauk andMeskwaki people moved to the
region, and they were theindigenous people that the first
Europeans encountered when theycame to this area. The river has
played a big role in theregion's development, partly

(30:21):
through steamboats andtransportation, and eventually
through manufacturing, which gotvery big, especially
manufacturing for farmimplements and tractors, until
that all began to decline in the1980s. If you're looking for a
fun way to get on the river, TheChannel Cat Water Taxi has four
stops just upriver of lock anddam 15. If you do all four stops

(30:44):
on one ride, it'll take youabout an hour to do a complete
route. And you'll also noticethat there are miles and miles
of riverfront trails that aregreat for walking and for
biking. Right along the river,the village of Le Claire is at
the upper end of the Quad Citiesregion, and it's at the upper
end of what used to be a set ofrapids that stopped or started a

(31:08):
lot of steamboat traffic,depending upon which direction
they were coming from, boatswould either unload or load from
Le Claire. And in part becauseof this location, Le Claire was
home to a lot of riverboatpilots in town. Today, you'll
find the Buffalo Bill Museum,which is kind of a local history
museum and is named for thefamous Wild West star who was

(31:32):
born in the area. You'll alsofind a trifecta of places to
sample local beverages, ifyou're so inclined. The
Mississippi River Distillery fordistilled beverages, Wide River
Vineyards for wine, and GreenTree Brewery for beer. So you
can hop around and findsomething for everyone. The
signature event in the region isTug Fest, which I mentioned at

(31:55):
the top of episode one. It's oneof those bizarre festivals where
folks take fairly seriously,actually, this tug of war
contest with a giant rope thatstrung from shore to shore.
People from Le Claire, Iowacompete against tuggers from
Port Byron, Illinois. It's a funcounty fair kind of atmosphere,
and you should put it on yourlist to visit if you happen to

(32:18):
Continuing on down intoBettendorf, it's a suburban
be in the area around the timeAnd for a
community for the most part.
There are some decent places toeat and drink, and if you have
children with you, you may wantto stop in at the Family Museum,
a kid friendly Science andNature focused museum. Down in
Davenport, the biggest city inthe Quad Cities region, the Bix
Beiderbecke Museum pays tributeto the famous cornetist who grew

(32:41):
up in the area and died way tooyoung. The German American
Heritage Center is a reallyinteresting and expansive
tribute to the 1000, well, say,millions and millions of Germans
who migrated from Germany to theUnited States, many of whom
settled in the Quad Cities area.
In neighboring Moline, one of myfavorite places to walk around
The Palmer Mansion was built bythe founders of the profession

(33:05):
of chiropractic, and definitelyworth a tour. You should call
in advance to schedule tour.
They tend to be limited to justmaybe one two days a week. There
are a lot of eccentricitiesinside. It's one of those places
where you begin to understand,when you have a lot of money,
you get to do all kinds of weirdthings. Just outside of town.

(33:26):
Nahant Marsh is a successfulreclamation of an area. It had
been a hunting ground for manydecades, and was polluted with
lead buckshot from all thehunting. It was cleaned up and
restored, and is today,is Sylvan Island, which is the
site of a former massive steelbeautiful marshy area and Nature
Center. And for big events thatcenter around Davenport, they
host a big St Patrick's Dayparade and lay claim to what the

(33:49):
what is probably the only bistate St Patrick's Day parade in
the country. So they they crossthe river bridge, and the parade
marches between Davenport andRock Island, Illinois. And in
mid August, there's a bigpaddle, paddling themed event
called Floatzilla, where theyget hundreds and sometimes up to

(34:09):
1000 or more paddlers on theMississippi River. At the same
time, there's an island in themiddle of the region called
Arsenal Island that is the homefactory. Not much of that left
today, except the concreteof a military base installation.
There are several sites worthvisiting on the island. You will
need to pass through security toget onto the island, and that

(34:30):
may take a little bit of time,so bring your patience. But the
sites are worth visiting. One ofthem is the Davenport House,
which is the 1833 home of thefounder of the City of
Davenport, or the namesake.
There's a national cemetery anda confederate cemetery housing a
couple 1000 Confederate soldierswho died while in prison during

(34:53):
the Civil War at the arsenal.
The Rock Island Arsenal museumfoundations, but it's a fun
place to wander around. Therefeatures small arms and as was
reopened after significantrenovation a couple of years
ago. Definitely worth a visit.
And a river themed place to stopis the Mississippi River Visitor
Center, which is right next tolock and dam 15, right next to

(35:14):
the swing bridge. Lots ofinteresting information about
engineering on the Mississippiand great views of the river and
boats as they lock through onthe Illinois side, Rock Island
is the location where the Saukpeople had their home village
for centuries that they calledSaukenuk. It's now part of
are a couple of big historichomes built by Deere money, John
what's called Black Hawk StateHistoric Site, which is mostly a

(35:37):
big park, but has a littlemuseum focused on the history of
the the Sauk and Meskwaki people.

(36:08):
Deere money, the Deere-WimanHouse at the Butterworth Center.

(36:46):
They do regular tours, and thereare some really fun and unique
For places to eat. I really loveLemongrass, which serves a mix

(37:25):
features in each of thosehouses. They're not just
Now, as you continue out of theQuad Cities down the Iowa side
is probably the preferred way togo. You'll pass through several
of different sort of SoutheastAsian or Asian cuisines. The
towns that were once industrialcenters of their own. Muscatine
was the first one, and was thecenter of a pearl button
industry for 30 or 40 years orso. They would harvest mussels

(37:46):
from the Mississippi and cutbuttons out of the shells of the
mussels. You can learn all aboutthat the National Pearl Button
Museum. And when you're readyfor something of the little
beautiful houses. And speakingof John Deere, the in downtown
sillier in the Riverfront Park,you can take a selfie with the
world's largest slice of watermelon.
As you continue on down theGreat River Road, I highly

(38:08):
recommend a stop at Port LouisaNational Wildlife Refuge by the
visitor center. There are acouple of hiking trails that go
food is excellent there, and themenu changes some with the
down the bluff and into thebottoms and to some very scenic
areas. It's a great place toreally be away from the crowds
and get a chance to walk aroundthe back waters and bottom lands
of the Mississippi without much,without much traffic, or with

(38:31):
really nobody else around you.
The next city you'll encounteris Burlington. The Des Moines
Moline, the John Deere Pavilion,it's the company store, in a
County History Museum is in theold library. A big space,
beautiful space, and lots of funexhibits on the history of the
region. Snake Alley is in everytourism brochure. It's one of
the crookedest streets in theworld, and it was actually built

(38:53):
for functional reasons. You canstill drive down it today, just
across time. Coya's Cafe is alittle bit a low key Mexican
go very slowly. Burlington isanother one of the towns that
has a minor league baseballteam, the Burlington Bees. So if
you're there for an evening inthe summer, you might check and
check out and see if they have ahome game. Downtown has a number
of beautiful buildings, amixture of shops and places to

(39:13):
sense, it's a place you can goto hop on a giant combine, put
eat, and a lot of housing and alot of ongoing work to really
restore and bring the downtownarea back adjacent to downtown.
Martinis Grill has some of thebest views you'll find at any
restaurant anywhere, expansiveviews looking out over the
Mississippi. Definitely worth aplace to stop, at least for a
drink.

(39:34):
Continuing on down the road,Fort Madison is our next town.
place that serves a lot ofMexican items that I don't
An old history. It's a town thatwas a frontier fort for a while.
And there is a a re-creation ofthat frontier fort on the
riverfront. It's also a townthat was the house that houses
yourself in the seat ofdifferent farm implements, and
the State Penitentiary that'sbeen around since, oh gosh,

(39:55):
probably 1830s or so, or 1840s.
At one time it was theheadquarters of the Schaefer Pen
Company, which made fantasticand long lasting pens. There's a
small museum in town that honorsrecall seeing in many other
Mexican American restaurants.
the history of the Schaefer PenCompany. It's worth checking

(40:15):
out. Check their hours to makesure they're open. And the North
Lake County Historical SocietyMuseum is in the old Santa Fe
Railroad Depot. Covers a lot ofthe history of Fort Madison in
get a sense for what it might belike to drive one of those big
the area, with an emphasis onrailroading, as you might
expect. For a step back in time,if you're a diner person and you

(40:37):
love diner food, the Fort Dineris a throwback, an old fashioned
diner. It's definitely worthstopping there for a hearty meal
in very close quarters.
Next town up is Keokuk, which,at one time, when the dam was
Definitely worth the stop somevery good food. And Bent River
completed, the hydropower damwas completed, it was the widest
dam in the world. You can learnmore about that at the

(41:00):
Keokuk-Hamilton Dam Museum indowntown Keokuk. And then you
can go down to thedecommissioned bridge just below
beast around the field. Ofcourse, they won't let you take
the dam and get a really goodview looking out over this
massive structure and the riveritself. If you need some
caffeine, Lost Canvas Coffee isa nice, delicious, friendly
place to stop downtown.
And on the other side of theriver, Nauvoo, Illinois, is one

(41:25):
of the most important places inthe mythology of The Latter Day
Saints Church, the Mormons. It'sone of their important historic
Brewing Company for that eveningbeer and live music to enjoy.
sites. Most of the town is, infact, a historic site. And you
can take guided tours, or youcan wander around on your own,
it out of the building, but youget to sit in the seat.
you're likely to be approachedby missionaries from the church
no matter where you go. Justknow that that's likely to

(41:47):
happen. For a broader overviewof the history of the area, the
Weld House Museum covers muchmore than just the history of
the Mormon church.
Driving on down to Quincy,Quincy, Illinois. The Quincy
Museum and the history museum onthe square are two places where
you can get a good overview ofthe history of Quincy itself, as

(42:08):
well as a sample of some of thereally interesting architecture
in town. You wouldn't expect tofind so much elaborate, well
done architecture from differenteras of time, as you will find
in Quincy, you can pick up abrochure that'll give you an
architectural tour around townat the Visitor Center, which,
appropriately enough, is in oneof those interesting buildings,

(42:31):
a Moorish style house that wasbuilt overlooking the river
that's called Villa Catherine.
Quincy has a string ofriverfront parks, some on the
bluff, some down at river level.
All of them are great places tohang out and watch the water
flow. The Ratskeller in the oldDick Brothers Brewery Complex is

(42:51):
a cool place to grab a drink,and if you need breakfast or
lunch, there's no place betterthan Thymes Square Cafe. That's
t, h, y, m, s, Thymes SquareCafe, which emphasizes local
ingredients and always puts outa good meal.
Well, we're going to cross theriver back into Missouri for a
little bit, and we're going totalk about Hannibal briefly. You

(43:13):
may have heard a few thingsabout Hannibal, Mark Twain's
boyhood home, and I think themuseum, the Mark Twain Museum
and boyhood home are definitelyworth a visit. The Museum does a
pretty good job of, I think,educating about all of Mark
Twain's works and his legacy,much of the town seems to be,

(43:34):
say, a Disneyfied version ofMark Twain. I'm not always a fan
of all of that, so there's a lotof goofiness that goes on that
I'm not sure Twain would be soimpressed with today. So
definitely go to the museum andthe boyhood home. Go to Jim's
journey, which is a small museumthat preserves the legacy of the

(43:55):
African American community intown and will be the focus of an
upcoming podcast, by the way.
For a good hike just outside oftown to the north Julian
Steyermark Woods. The trailskind of wind up and around
bluffs that are adjacent to thefloodplain, and there's a pretty
good grove of pawpaw treesthere, if you know what those

(44:16):
are. If you need some caffeineor a good bite to eat, Java Jive
downtown is one of my go tostops whenever I'm in the area.
I stop there frequently forlunch or just refill my coffee
cup when you leave town.
If you want to take the scenicroute, Highway 79 is the way to
go. It goes from Hannibal downto Interstate 70 in suburban St

(44:40):
Louis, and along the way, you'llpass through the communities of
Louisiana and Clarksville, whichare worth driving around a
little bit and seeing what'sthere. You'll also pass a couple
of preserves or nature areasthat are worth hiking around a
little bit, Ted ShanksConservation area and the
Clarence Cannon NationalWildlife Refuge. Neither one

(45:01):
really has extensive hikingtrails. It's more you can drive
around and park. It's a goodplace to to watch birds at
different times of the year,especially during migration
season. But there aren't reallyextensive hiking trails there.
All right, now we're going tojump back to the other side of
the river again, the stretch ofIllinois Highway 100 between

(45:22):
Grafton and Alton is one of theabsolutely most scenic spots
along the Mississippi. At thevery least, you're going to want
to drive it. It's popular withbicyclists and with
motorcyclists as well, so beprepared to share the road a
little bit with other vehicles.
Grafton has really embraced thetourism industry. So you'll find
a lot of boutique places to staythere, quite a few bars and

(45:44):
restaurants to eat at, someright next to the river. And
you'll find Aeries Winery on topof the bluff overlooking town on
the river, which probably,again, like Martinis in
Burlington, has really stunningviews, and it can be a nice
place to enjoy a glass of wineand a snack as you watch the sun
go down.

(46:07):
In the same area, particularlyaround Grafton and north,
there's still a handful offerries that will move you
across the area rivers. It's afun experience, if you haven't
been on a river ferry before,the Brussels Ferry crosses the
Illinois River just north ofGrafton and connects to Calhoun
County, which a peninsula inIllinois. That ferry is free.

(46:29):
The Grafton Ferry connects toMissouri. There is a fee to use
that. And further north ofthere, the Golden Eagle Ferry
also connects Missouri andIllinois across the Mississippi
River, and there's a fee to usethat as well. Also in the region
up there, near the BrusselsFerry, the Two Rivers National
Wildlife Refuge has severaldifferent properties where they

(46:51):
are protecting bottom lands, forthe most part, wetlands, and
it's a good place to go, and ifnothing else, just kind of pick
a place to sit and watch for alittle while. Not a lot of
hiking trails again, but lots ofbirds, if you catch it at the
As you're driving from Graftondown Highway 100 I highly
right time of year.

(47:12):
recommend the stop at the OlinNature Preserve in Godfrey.
There's a lot more places tohike there. Some of it will take
you up to some pretty good viewsoverlooking the Mississippi
Valley. Some of it will descenddown into a creek valley with
some very scenic limestone creekbeds. Watch some small
waterfalls and plenty of shade,and then in Alton proper. There

(47:36):
are quite a few businessesdowntown, a mix of some shops,
some places to eat, a bar todown below that area at river
level, the Old Bakery Brewery isa fantastic place to stop for a
high quality beer and some goodfood. If you want another one of

(47:57):
those selfies with somethingunusual, look for the statue of
Robert Wadlow, who was theworld's tallest man. The statue
is a life size replica, and youcan stand next to him and feel
even smaller than you mayotherwise.
Further down river, the GreatRivers Museum at the Mel Price
Lock and Dam provides anothergood overview of the history of

(48:19):
shipping on the Mississippi,again, curiously omitting how
much it costs and not talkingabout how much of it is taxpayer
supported. But still, you know,it's a good overview of shipping
on the rivers. Right across theriver from that on the Missouri
side Riverlands and the AudubonCenter are good places for bird
watching and just to spend sometime hanging out along the

(48:43):
wetlands and back waters of theMississippi.
From there, you're next going toreach the confluence where the
Missouri and Mississippi Riversmeet. There are three different
places where you can get a viewof the confluence, if you really
want to get up close andpersonal, then go to the Jones
Confluence Point State Park,where, depending upon how high

(49:05):
the water is, you can step rightout on this narrow peninsula of
land where you have theMississippi River on your left
and the Missouri River on yourright.
On the other side of theMissouri River, Columbia Bottoms
is a more expansive area ofbottom lands that has some
hiking trails. It's a littleharder to get to the confluence

(49:26):
viewing point, since floodinghas washed out some roads. You
can hike there from a parkinglot. It's about a mile hike to
get there. But there are someplaces to walk around and hike,
and there are some places tofish as well. So it's one of my
favorite spots to visit in theSt Louis area. And speaking of
St Louis, we'll focus again onthe river corridor for the most

(49:50):
part, like we did with the TwinCities. One of the must stop
places is the Old Chain of RocksBridge, which was part of Route
66 when it was in service and ithas been a pedestrian and
bicycle bridge now for quite afew years. You can get to it on
either side of the river.
There's now a new park on theMissouri side, The Chain of
Rocks Park, which providessecure parking, and you're right

(50:11):
there next to the bridge, andyou can walk right out and get
spectacular views of thenamesake Chain of Rocks, as well
as a couple of curious towersthat you can read about when
you're there.
Naturally, if you're in StLouis, you're gonna have to go
to The Arch, which is officiallyThe Gateway Arch National Park.
The museum underneath the archis definitely worth time to

(50:33):
visit and explore. Like othersites, you'll have to pass
through security. There's ametal detector inside, so there
are limits on what you can bringinside. Be aware of that. And
adjacent to that, the EadsBridge is one of the oldest
existing bridges across theMississippi River, and it still
looks elegant in its older agetoday. You can see that from The

(50:55):
Arch Grounds, and you can walkright up to it if you wish.
Downtown has a lot of fantasticarchitecture, and there are
groups that do guided toursaround downtown. That's a good
way to pass the time. If you'reinterested in the building arts,
one of those places that you'llwant to visit that is a piece of
that is a work of art untoitself, is the City Museum,

(51:16):
which is kind of an adultplayground, but the kids will be
okay there too. And then ifyou're looking for a good
opportunity to get out on thewater, you know you have the the
tour boats that are, you book aticket for through the Gateway
Arch. They operate from the thebase of The Arch, and they'll
take you on a replica of asteamboat for a quick little

(51:37):
tour up and down the river. Oryou can contact Big Muddy
Adventures, and you can go outon the Mississippi in a canoe,
in a big canoe, with a wholebunch of other people and
experts who know what they'redoing. So I highly recommend
that experience make time forthat.
Adjacent to the city, to thesouth ,Jefferson Barracks County

(51:58):
Park is a sprawling public parkthat has several museums related
to the military history and someother history of the the park
itself, it was a militaryestablishment for a long time,
for decades, and a small part ofit is remains so today. And
there's also a national cemeteryat the southern end of the or

(52:21):
adjacent to the southern end ofthe park. St Louis, like a lot
of big cities, is a collectionof neighborhoods, and St Louis
has some fantastic neighborhoodsto wander around if you're going
to stick to the river. Soulardis a great place to go and walk
around and admire thearchitecture, much of which went
up before the Civil War, andthere are lots of good places to

(52:43):
eat and enjoy some eveningentertainment as well. Forest
Park has most of the culturalinstitutions, including the art
museum, the history museum, etc,several places you can explore
there. Now, once you get hungryin St Louis, you can you can get
the usual stuff. You can findsome fine dining. We have some

(53:03):
chefs that are routinelynominated for James Beard
Awards. You can scout all thatout. If you're interested in
something that's a little moreuniquely St Louisan, St Louis
style pizza. You'll hear alittle bit about that. It's a
thin crust pizza, and usuallytopped with Provel cheese, which
is a blend of some differentcheeses. The St Paul Sandwich is

(53:25):
kind of like egg foo young onwhite bread. I guess you'll find
that at some of the Chineserestaurants, it's actually
pretty tasty. I enjoy a good StPaul Sandwich. Toasted ravioli
is another St Louis thing you'llsee on the menus, usually the
appetizer menus for a lot ofrestaurants, particularly those
serving Italian food. Concretesare frozen, delicious desserts.

(53:49):
You'll want to maybe go to TedDrewe's or find some place like
that for frozen for one of thosefrozen treats and Crown Candy
Kitchen is an old institutionthat they do serve actual candy,
but they also have a kitchenwhere they serve incredible BLTs
and some other delicious items.
They can get very busy certaintimes of the year. Don't be
deterred if there's a line outthe door.

(54:11):
As far as festivals go, we got alot of festivals throughout the
year. Like any decent city ofour size, we have a surprisingly
big Mardi Gras, something likethe third or fourth largest
Mardi Gras parade in thecountry. Happens here, in spite
of our unpredictable weather inthe spring, and we also have the
Big Muddy Blues Festival to payhomage to our blues heritage. So

(54:36):
St Louis is part of a corridorwhere there are a number of
French colonial settlements, andyou can find reminders of that
in certain places, from St Louisall the way south for 100 miles
or so.
One of those is in Cahokia,Illinois, which is now a suburb
of St Louis. Church of the HolyFamily is a Catholic church that
was built in 1799. It's abeautiful piece of architecture

(54:59):
and quite a throwback, anddefinitely worth a stop. And
just up the road from thatCahokia Mound State Historic
Site preserves the mounds builtby very advanced indigenous
civilization that that wasreally at its peak about 1000
years ago, and had a two or 300year period where they really

(55:21):
blossomed. The mounds, if theyhad been built of stone instead
of dirt, would be world famous,but because they use dirt, and I
think maybe people are easier,it's easier for folks to dismiss
the significance and theexpertise and engineering that
went into them, but it's afascinating site to visit. There
are whole books about CahokiaMounds. I recommend checking

(55:42):
those out. The Visitor Center asof this summer, as of June of
2025 is still closed forrenovation, and it might be 2026
before it's open. So check onthat. But definitely, at the
very least, get yourself a goodbook and read about it.
As you make your way south,Kimmswick is a good place to
stop, lots of shops to visit,and you have to get some pie, at

(56:05):
least, at The Blue Owl, maybe afull meal if you're ready for
lunch. A little way south ofthere, Magnolia Hollow
Conservation Area is one of myfavorite places to hike around.
It starts on top of the bluff,and the trails wind down to the
bottom lands, and eventuallytouch the Mississippi. Great

(56:26):
place in fall especially.
Into Saint Genevieve proper. Itis one of those places that
where you can't ignore the factthat it was a French colonial
settlement for a long time. Muchof the old part of town is is
part of the National HistoricPark. The buildings have been
preserved very well. You can seehalf a dozen or more incredible

(56:47):
examples of French colonialarchitecture, from the late
1700s to the early 1800s and formore of a sense of the day to
day life, the Center for FrenchColonial Life is a must stop
place, and they, I think theystill occasionally will do some
tours around town as well. It'sworth checking with them to see
if they're doing that. The SaintGenevieve Museum Learning

(57:11):
Center, kind of a kid friendlyplace. It mixes history and
geology specific to the region,and there's quite a bit more
than you might think it'sdefinitely worth a stop, and
there are several wineries inthe area. You can pick up a map
showing you where they are. Mostof them are out in the country,
so some of them have places toeat where you can enjoy a glass

(57:33):
of wine in a pastoral setting asyou snack on your food.
Just down the ways from thereand across the river in Chester,
you'll find a lot of statuesthat were built to commemorate
Popeye and many of thecharacters from the Popeye

(57:53):
comics. That's because thecreator of Popeye, Elzie Sager,
Sager was born in Chester, andjust north of town, the Menard
House is another one of thebuildings from that French
colonial era. I think it's areally interesting place to
visit for a slice of life fromthat period around the early

(58:13):
1800s and the Fort de ChartresState Historic Site is also a
little bit north of there. It'sa reconstructed 17th Century or
18th century stone fort thatreally had a surprisingly short
period of service. But it's animpressive reconstruction, and
it's a site that hosts arendezvous every year, very

(58:35):
popular rendezvous, if you knowwhat those are. It's a fun
experience to visit and do someshopping there.
Continuing on south, CapeGirardeau is up next. And in
Cape Girardeau, one of thethings you'll want to do is walk
along the flood wall downtown,which has been painted with a
series of murals representingthe town's history and some of

(58:58):
the characters from town. TheCape River Heritage Museum is
the place that really focuses onlocal history and Minglewood
Breweries, another one of thosesmall town breweries, craft
breweries, that serves a verygood product and is good place
to stop and mingle with folks.
Southern Illinois, yeah, much ofsouthern Illinois is now part of
Shawnee National Forest. It'skind of a collection of federal

(59:21):
and state parks and protectedlands and preserves. There's a
lot of hiking and camping.
There's a couple of sectionswhere you can visit the cypress
swamps, which is at the northernend of their range. Snake Road,
it's one of the more popularspots to visit along there. It's
a three mile stretch of roadthat cuts between the bluff and

(59:44):
wetlands that's closed twice ayear in the spring and in the
fall, so snakes can move aboutbetween the bluffs and the
wetlands. So walk along there inspring or fall, and you may be
able to spot one of the like 17varieties or one of the 17
species of snakes that live inthat area. Some of them are
venomous, so don't reach out andtry to touch them. Even if you

(01:00:09):
don't see any snakes, theadjoining wetlands, I think, are
really beautiful. I love goingthere in spring, when a lot of
wildflowers are blooming, butit's it's a good place to visit
in fall, too, when there's a lotof birds around.
A little bit of ways away fromthe river, Giant City State Park
is one of my favorite spots togo for a night escape. They have
a lodge. It's famous for itsfried chicken, and you can rent

(01:00:33):
a small cabin or stay in abigger cabin. In the state park
itself, there's also acampground, so in that same
general area in southernIllinois, in the town of
Murfreesboro, a lot of peoplewill stop there for barbecue.
They've got a couple of verygood barbecue joints that are
worth stopping at. There's alsothe General John Logan Museum,

(01:00:54):
which I don't know that it getsas much love as it deserves.
Look it up on my, go toMississippiValleyTraveler.com/podcast
and look through the previousepisodes, and you'll find an
entire episode where I talk withfolks from that museum, if you
want to find out more. But it'sdefinitely a place you ought to
detour to visit. A veryinteresting story. There a bunch

(01:01:18):
of wineries scattered aroundSouthern Illinois as well. So
you can, you can take a tour,visiting and sampling wines
throughout Southern Illinois.
And there are a bunch of cabinsand small inns and B & Bs. So if
you want a quiet place to stay,there are lots of options for
that.
Well, we are now reaching theend of the Upper Mississippi.

(01:01:38):
We're going to pull into Cairo,Illinois, which marks the
official end of the upper ormiddle Mississippi, depending
upon which terminology you wantto use. Cairo is a town that's
going through some pretty hardtimes, and it's hard to imagine
that they're going to pull toomuch out of it. They've lost a
lot of population. It's not themost inviting looking place.

(01:01:59):
It's got a pretty big history,though, and it's situated at a
very important spot, at theconfluence of the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers. There are acouple things to visit here if
you have some time. MagnoliaManor is one of those big old
historic homes that is fun tovisit. You need to call ahead to
reserve a time for a tour ifyou're going to visit there,

(01:02:20):
though, they don't keep regularhours. If you're hungry and you
need a place to eat, stop in atShemwells for some good
barbecue. And then, before youcontinue on further along the
Great River Road and enter theSouth, stop at Fort Defiance
State Park where you can get anup close view at the spot where
the Ohio and Mississippi Riverscome together. The area is prone

(01:02:44):
to flooding, so depending on thetime of year, you may or may not
be able to get there or walkaround, but it's definitely a
place to try to get to if youcan.
Well, goodness, I hope all thishas given you some ideas about
things you can do along theGreat River Road that that
covers the entire upperMississippi River. Looks like I

(01:03:05):
have to do another episode hereat some point to cover the Lower
Mississippi River. So look forthat coming up in the ensuing
weeks. I may release that onewhen we get into slightly more
favorable weather, when you maybe more inclined to travel
through The South. July, Augustmaybe not ideal times for a road
trip down there, but, but yeah,watch for that to come.

(01:03:25):
Thanks for listening. If youenjoyed this episode, subscribe
to the series on your favoritepodcast app so you don't miss
out on future episodes. I offerthe podcast for free, but when
you support the show with a fewbucks through Patreon to help
keep the program going, just goto patreon.com/deanklinkenberg.
If you want to know more aboutthe Mississippi River, check out

(01:03:50):
my books. I write theMississippi Valley Traveler
guide books for people who wantto get to know the Mississippi
better. I also write the FrankDodge mystery series that's set
in places along the river. Findthem wherever books are sold.
The Mississippi Valley Travelerpodcast is written and produced
by me, Dean Klinkenberg.
Original Music by Noah Fence,see you next time you.