Traveling along the Mississippi River? The Mississippi Valley Traveler guide books are chock-full of information for each river community, with historical background and complete listings of things to do and see, where to eat, and where to sleep, with insider tips to make your travel more enjoyable. You can buy copies in several different ways: at a local bookstore (see the list below), through Amazon.com, or directly from this page using PayPal.
What others are saying about the books:
“…written in a humorous, colloquial style…” Read the entire article here.
–Joe Holleman, St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 28, 2010
“If you are planning to take the Great River Road along the Mississippi River…be sure to take along these two new travel guides by Dean Klinkenberg… Actually, the books are entertaining to read without leaving your chair.”
–Becky Sisco, Big River Magazine, Jan/Feb 2010.
“I picked up a copy of your travel guide “Lansing to LeClaire” on Monday at “The Curious Cup” in Prairie du Chien and couldn’t put it down. I LOVE IT!!! I am going to recommend it to our guests at our Bed & Breakfast. The places I tell them about are in the book!!!! Your book is humorous and filled with historical events along with the current status. I have lived in the area for over 35 years and discovered I don’t know “everything” about this area. Thanks for writing this wonderful book”.
–Dianne Whitney, Point of View Bed & Breakfast, Harpers Ferry, Iowa
“Hey, Just found, read and finished you Lansing to Le Claire. Being a 78 year old that has followed the Mississippi, up and down, all my life, I thought I had little more to learn about the cities, villages and crossroads along the river. Not So! Absolutley loved your book. Great history, great descriptions, great humor. Just top notch! Being raised a mile from the river on the Bad Axe and living in La Crosse and Onalaska most of my life am looking forward to the Lansing to Hastings book.
Thanks for the great writing.
–Don Staats, Onalaska, Wisconsin
The Mississippi Valley Traveler’s guide to the Mississippi River between Lansing and LeClaire has comprehensive coverage of 47 communities in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois along the Great River Road, including the cities of Dubuque, Galena, Prairie du Chien, and McGregor/Marquette. Discover a region rich in history and big characters: Native American mound builders, lead miners, Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, Black Hawk, and steam boats captains. 360 pages. $19.95
The Mississippi Valley Traveler Quad Cities Travel Guide, 128 pages of everything you need to know to get the most out of your visit to the river towns in the Quad Cities region. Learn what attracted early settlers to the area, why Black Hawk and other Native Americans were wary of the new settlers, and how John Deere’s invention ensured the future of agriculture in the Midwest. The Quad Cities Travel Guide begins with an introduction to the Quad Cities and a general history lesson, followed by sections on each city that borders the Mississippi River with discussions of local history, attractions, restaurants, entertainment, and lodging. Each section contains a map highlighting areas of interest. Cities include Moline, Rock Island, East Moline, and Hampton in Illinois, and Davenport, Bettendorf, Riverdale, and Pleasant Valley in Iowa. There is also a special section on the Rock Island Arsenal Island. The book concludes with regional information that includes seasonal festivals. $14.95
Books are also available at these retailers:
Iowa
Ames
Little Bookroom (328 Main Street; 515.233.2126)
Bellevue
Book Worm (110 South Riverview; 563.872.4802)
Bettendorf
Chocolate Manor (412 16th St.; 866.810.2699/563.355.6600)
Clinton
Espresso, Cigars, and More (2007 N. 2nd St.; 563.242.0197)
Wild Rose Casino & Resort/Iowa Store (777 Wild Rose Drive; 800.457.9975/563.243.9000)
Cedar Rapids
Barnes & Noble (Northland Square Shopping Center, 333 Collins Road NE; 319.393.4800)
Coralville
Barnes and Noble (Coral Ridge Mall, 1451 Coral Ridge Ave.; 319.337.3337)
Davenport
Riverbend Antiques (419 Brady St.; 563.323.8622)
Union Station Visitors Center (102 South Harrison St.; 800.747.7800/563.322.3911)
Palmer College of Chiropractic Bookstore (1000 Brady St.; 563.884.5633)
Barnes and Noble (North Park Mall; 563.445.8760)
Des Moines
Beaverdale Books (2629 Beaver Ave.; 515.279.5400)
Book Store Inc. (606 Locust St.; 515.288.7267)
Des Moines International Airport
West Des Moines
Barnes & Noble (Jordan Creek Town Center, 101 Jordan Creek Parkway; 515.453.2980)
Barnes & Noble (The Shoppes at Three Fountains, 4550 University Ave.; 515.226.0162)
Dubuque
River Lights 2nd Edition (1098 Main Street; 563.556.4391)
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (350 E. 3rd Street; 563.585.2048)
Fairfield
Revelations (12 N. Main St.; 641.472.6733)
Guttenberg
Murray’s Outdoor Store (1402 Highway 52.; 563.252.1838)
Iowa City
Prairie Lights Bookstore (15 South Dubuque St.; 319.337.2681)
Iowa Book LLC (8 South Clinton St.; 319.337.4188)
Knoxville
The Next Chapter (202 E. Robinson St.; 641.828.7323)
LeClaire
Mississippi Valley Welcome Center (900 Eagle Ridge Rd.; 800.747.7800/563.322.3911)
Muscatine
Muscatine Books and More (124 E. Second St.; 563.263.4272)
Oskaloosa
Book Vault (105 S. Market St.; 641.676.1777)
Waterloo
Barnes & Noble (1518 Flammang Dr.; 319.232.0475)
Illinois
Dixon
Books on First (202 W. 1st Street; 815.285.2665)
Galena
Book World (300 S. Main Street; 815.776.1060)
Moline
Moline Visitors Center (Bass Street Landing, 1601 River Dr.; 800.747.7800/309.277.0937)
Watermark Corners (1500 River Dr.; 309.764.0055)
Quad City International Airport gift shop
Ottawa
The Book Mouse (820 LaSalle St.; 815.433.7323)
Rockford
Barnes & Noble (Cherryvale Mall, 7200 Harrison; 815.332.3069)
West Dundee
Barnes & Noble (Spring Hill Mall; 1468 Springhill Mall Blvd.; 847.426.5614)
Winnetka
The Book Stall at Chestnut Court (811 Elm St.; 847.446.2894)
Missouri
St. Louis
Left Bank Books, Central West End store (399 N. Euclid; 314.367.6731)
Wisconsin
La Crosse
Pearl Street Books (323 Pearl St.; 608.782.3424)
Platteville
The Mining Museum (405 E. Main Street; 608.348.3301)
Potosi
Potosi Brewery (209 S. Main Street; 608.763.4002)
Prairie du Chien
The Curious Cup (130 E. Blackhawk Ave.; 608.326.8581)
Buy a Travel Guide here!