Posts that highlight cool places and events along the Mississippi River.
Dowling House; Galena, IL It's a new month, which means a new state for the Destination of the Day: Illinois! When John Dowling built his house and trading post in Galena (Illinois), John Quincy Adams was President, Galena was riding a lead mining boom, and Chicago was a swamp. Today, 185 years later,
Lock and dam 19 from the old swing bridge; Keokuk, IA This year marks the 100th anniversary of the completion of the dam and hydroelectric plant at Keokuk, and you all should plan on going there this weekend. (I'll have a separate post on the dam in a couple of days.) The plant
Weird Harold's; Burlington, Iowa Weird Harold's is the kind of store that reminds you of what you're missing when you shop at the mall. Spread over two floors of a century-old building in downtown Burlington, Iowa, Weird Harold's is perhaps best known for their collection of 50,000+ vinyl LPs but they also sell
Inside the Palmer House; Davenport, Iowa We continue our tour along Iowa's East Coast with a stop in Davenport at the Palmer Mansion. The home was the long-time residence of Mabel and B.J. Palmer (B.J. was the son of D.D. Palmer, the founder of the profession of chiropractic). The house looks normal enough
Horsfall's Lansing Variety; Lansing, Iowa If variety is the spice of life, then Horsfall's Lansing Variety is like cinnamon and cardamom and cumin (plus spices that start with other letters, too) all mashed together and stuffed into a giant cedar closet. If you need it, they probably have 12 of it, and it's
Every small town once had a hotel/restaurant like the Bagley Hotel. Opened in 1913 (happy 100th birthday!) as the Park Hotel, the restaurant is a friendly place with a bar that has changed little in the past 100 years; the patty melts are good enough to make you glad you stopped. If you decide to
