We enjoyed the National Mississippi River Museum when it first opened in Dubuque in 2003. A recently completed $40 million expansion gets a thumbs up from the DM Register today – which includes a 40,000-gallon aquarium, a huge wall of water with sharks and eels, and a “4-D” theater (the four dimensions apparently have to do with mist, movement and smell…”)
In a poignant nod to the Gulf Oil Spill, the new tank will be empty of fish to give visitors an idea of what a fish-less Gulf would be like. Big bummer, that. There’s also an exhibit on the spill. (One of the exhibits I remember most showed how farm chemical run-off damages the river and water downstream.)
The Register story also recommends the multi-use Heritage trail for hiking, walking, biking and a river cruise on the River of Dubuque paddle wheeler. see: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100626/LIFE/6260302/1039/River-museum-gets-bigger-better
TakeBetsywithyou 