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.

We drove 5 hours from Illinois to come to this museum and aquariam…read more It was worth the time and costs. A ticket gains you admission for the day and the next day also. The museum exhibits were very interesting. The signage explained each exhibit very well. We purchased tickets for the 45 minute 4D film about the story of a mother whale and her baby whale's journey from Austraila to the Antartic. Spoiler Alert: The 4D effect was getting sprayed from above 5 or 6 times during the film. We are going to return tomorrow for day 2 of our admission.

We came on a Wednesday and explored before check in to our hotel. We got lucky and it was not…read morecrowded. Got to see the otter (we only saw one bu better than none!) and only a few exhibits were under construction/rehabilitation. I would recommend seeking out the hidden spots like the cave, mini movies, and the tower through out the expansive site. So many animals to encounter, tactile spaces for kids to touch and the newest ice dinosaur exhibit was epic for my son. All for one price and yes, it did take us two days to get through it all. Facilities are clean, many places to sit inside and outside were plenty of benches and shade in the outdoor areas.

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.

Not sure how luncheon cruises work as this will be our first and last. The boat was jammed packed…read moreboth upstairs and the main level. We found 2 seats at a table for 8. We were arms length from the food buffet station. All of a sudden there was a lineup of passengers the length of the boat lined up for the buffet. By the time we were able to even make it to the back of the line some of the food items like mashed potatoes were gone and there were no more in the kitchen. Was this poorly managed or just a passenger free for all? I had a chicken wing that was so over cooked it was inedible as was husband's chicken drum. He also had a piece of beef that he said was good. We all paid the same price for the luncheon. Some of us did not receive what we paid for.

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.

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.

Absolutely amazing view of the Mississippi River Valley flew my drone over the river and took some…read morepictures like no other it's definitely a must see for Dubuque Iowa