The grave of Julien Dubuque is placed on a point that offers a beautiful view of the area, above…read morethe mouth of Catfish Creek and the Mississippi River. Julien Dubuque was born in Quebec in 1762 and died in 1810 in the city that bears his name. Dubuque was granted rights by the Mesquakie Indians to mine lead in the area, and he remained in the area for the rest of his life. When he died, he was buried on this high point overlooking the Mississippi River and city. The log crypt was replaced by this stone monument sometime in the 1880s. Not only is the city named for him, there is an upscale hotel, a bridge and a film festival that also bear his name. He befriended Chief Peosta, who is also the namesake of Peosta, Iowa. Legend has it that he married Chief Peosta's daughter, supposedly named "Potosa." There is little evidence to support the legend, which also claims that Potosa was the namesake of the Wisconsin lead-mining community of Potosi. Residents of Potosi claim the city was named for Potosi, Missouri, which, in turn, was named for the silver mining town of Potosi, Bolivia. Julien Dubuque opened Iowa for European settlement. The governor of Spain also granted Dubuque permission to mine lands under Spanish control, and the park that contains Dubuque's monument is named Mines of Spain. The area was mined until 1914. It is a beautiful site, with a view of the City of Dubuque, a few miles to the north. The monument is a short walk from a parking area.

The Mines of Spain Park is fairly small but has some great hiking trails. Not to be missed is the…read moreDubuque Monument Tower where Julien Dubuque is buried. Yes, the town of Dubuque received it's name from the French Canadian who arrived to these shores of the Mississippi River as one of the First European men. Unlike most settlers who tortured and murdered the local tribes, Dubuque befriended the Meskwaki Native American tribe's Chief Peosta and peacefully received permission to mine lead in 1788. (He may have even named his daughter "Potosa" after the tribe...a little Pocahontas story in the making.) Subsequently, the Spanish gave Dubuque a land grant for such a feat in 1796. After his death, the Meskwaki constructed a log crypt for Dubuque's corpse, which was later replaced in the late 19th century by this stone monument tower. A little history for you! There is a plaque commemorating Dubuque next to his grave which explains the story more in depth. For those who are unable to hike, there is a parking lot at the top of the hill where the monument stands tall to allow cars up to enjoy the views of downtown Dubuque, the Mississippi River, and the rest of the Mines of Spain. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and only a 5 minute short drive from Downtown.

Beautiful and extensive trails over a surprisingly large area, many along or near pretty waterways…read more....there are several well marked parking lots near the trail heads. We did get lost trying to find the nature center which didn't seem connected to the part of the park we first arrived in...it seems there are two separate entrances? Fortunately we were near the cool castle-like tower, the Julien Dubuque Monument, which offers stunning panoramic views of the Mississippi and of the city of Dubuque. Definitely would like to come back for more hiking here!

Mines of Spain is a go to place for me and has been for years. A wonderful scenic outdoor space…read more Great for hiking.

Dubuque's best Iowa-Wisconsin steel tied arch bridge!…read moretraversing this bridge means trading the low-stress low-wage life of western central america for the higher-wage & cholesterol life style of northern central america or the other way around. in either case you'll get to see for yourself what population density is all about.

There's something satisfying about crossing a state line when traveling but it's even more special…read moreto cross the Mississippi River. This through truss replaced the Eagle Point Toll Bridge that was more romantic and much more of a thrill ride.

We been avoiding going to Flora pool this year. Unfortunately is always full, they close at 5pm and…read moreto top it off the people that's always at the pool always have an attitude. We been experiencing better customer service and Sutton

My children and I went on a little family vaca to my moms in Dubuque IA. While there we went to…read morevisit Flora Pool. We weren't there an hour when my 11 month old daughter wanted her chi chi. So I whip it out not thinking anything of it. 4-5 minutes later a lifeguard comes up to me and says mam you can't do that here, find somewhere more private. I'm still so upset by it. My baby had to stop eating bc some twat felt uncomfortable! She just cried for her chi chi. So we left and I will never return. When did it become offensive to feed your baby? God intended on our breasts to feed our babies that our bodies birthed. Who are they to say we can't?!!! So I go to their fb page and it's happened numerous times there. Honestly I want to start a lawsuit and get all these other mothers involved just bc they were jerks!!! #FloraPool #IjustWantedToFeedMyBaby #BoycottFloraPool

Dubuque's best Iowa-Illinois continuous truss bridge!…read moretraversing this bridge means trading the low-stress low-wage life of western central america for the high-wage high-stress life style of eastern central america or the other way around. in either case you'll get to see for yourself what population density is all about.

walked across this. it was kind of exciting going from Iowa to Illinois and looking at the…read moreMississippi River below our feet.. Only thing that was bad about the walk was all the trash. There were soda bottle and shopping bags all over. It would be nice if the city sent someone to clean it up.

Took a quick day cruise out to Dubuque Iowa. Yeah I know Iowa right. Fun little town located on the…read moremississippi river. Spent about 2 hours at the Mississippi River museum.Looking at the animals , checking out the museum,river and the exhibits outside. There was multiple movies and exhibits about early travel on the mississippi river and also real boat engines of steamboats and other river vessels. We spent about two hours there , exploring the inside and the outside of the museum. Very enjoyable and inexpensive experience for people of all ages.

The museum is awesome!! So much to see and learn. The wildlife is incredible to see. We saw a very…read moremajestic bald eagle up close. We experienced the steam engines running and visited with the curator for a bit to learn even more. The movies were very well done. The fact that your tickets are good for two days allows you to take your time. Worth every penny and your time!!! A must see!!

This cruise was fantastic. My wife and I had taken the luncheon tour. Between the scenery being…read morebeautiful, the meal was just as exceptional. Captain Brian kept us informed about the lore of the river, (without having a need to keep talking just to say words), while Stacy kept our glasses full and Steve, our bellies.

Well that certainly was fun! Perfect day in the sub, with the breeze off the river. Life is good!…read moreCaptain Brian told us all sorts of things about the river. He was very friendly and personable. The cruise was just so relaxing and perfect. Not crowded. And best of all, totally affordable! We'll do this again, for certain.

I absolutely love the Arboretum. Beautiful peaceful place. Spent hours there just soaking in and…read moreenjoying the area. The koi pond was wonderful. This place charges no fee for admittance. I don't understand how they cannot as such a wonderful place. I highly recommend

Small and quite walkable even for me with a disability. The Japanese garden was quite pretty. We…read morewere there early in the day so not a lot of other people around, which can be enjoyable. Would return to see it in different seasons.

My husband and I really enjoyed this state park. There were a lot of spots to overlook the…read moreMississippi River and pretty sights. Also, they had a bunch of parks for our baby to play in, giving her something fun to do. There isn't an entrance fee, but you do have to pay a donation to park. We went on a Sunday early in the morning and there was almost no one there. It was super easy to find parking. The trails are clearly marked, but you don't go off path and everything is easy to walk; at least the trails we went on. Some were uphill and some were downhill, but we were able to have our stroller. Overall, it was a nice little stop from Galena and enjoyed ourselves.

Traveling the river and staying in Dubuque overnight. Anxious to visit the park because all the…read morepositive reviews. Everything says it's open. (looking at you Yelp) ITS CLOSED. SEASONAL! Thank goodness there's lots of history to find in the oldest Iowa town. The one star is for all the review sights that don't check details.