National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Downtown is the
Port of Dubuque!!
There is a little something for everyone!! ;) Catch a Steamboat down the Mississippi!! Gamble at the Casino! Stay at The Grand Harbor & enjoy it's Indoor Water Park!! Or perhaps take a stroll down the Mississippi River Pathways. There are endless options!! But most people come to visit The National Mississippi River & Aquarium!!!!
We purchased a Year Membership. A perfect excuse to get out of the house. Another great Incentive was receiving half off
(to some of our other favorite) Zoos & Aquariums around the country!
The Museum & Aquarium does a
AMAZING job of representing all aspects of the Mississippi River!! There is so much to learn about this 2,320 mile River!
We began by learning about the different sections of the Mississippi River & how it was used in the 1700-1800's. Our area, the Northern Mississippi, was mainly used for FURS. The kids really enjoyed being able to see & feel so many different animal furs! We also got to see and touch a Craw fish!!
Next we headed to
(one of my favorite sections) What is In the Mississippi River?!
(I have mentioned before how we love watching RIVER MONSTERS!!!) Most people have no idea what
BIG FISH & Animals that are lurking about. Thankfully the Northern Mississippi River does not have any
Swamp Wars going on.
(Oh yes we watch that too!!!) However... you will find freakishly
HUGE FISH!
Catfish that are 130 lbs, or how about a 327 lb, 8 1/2 foot
Alligator Gar?! Occasionally you will even hear about
BULL SHARKS being caught as far north as Minnesota!! I could probably blog all day about all the different types of fish. Just know there are some Giants out there, & you may want to think twice before diving in for a swim!!
Upstairs we checked out, Creatures of the Dark! Brenton was brave enough to stand in this
GIANT hanging
BAT. Savannah was content on being 15 feet away from it! haha. We learned about all sorts of animals that come out during the night.
Naturally if you have Bats, most likely you will find
CAVES!! We have so many Caves in our area. It's defiantly on our list of
THINGS TO DO while Grandma is visiting!
When you think about the Mississippi River, you usually think about Steamboats & Mark Twain.
The kids got to drive an artificial Steamboat.
We watched a few black & white clips about Steamboats.
Learned about how they loaded cargo...
Best hands on example of learning, how to Fuel a Steamboat! The kids were absolutely fascinated with this!
Climb aboard a River Raft & Steer a Giant Captain's Wheel!!
Here's a Video of the kids spinning the Wheel! ;)
The kids even posed with Mark Twain for a few photos!!!
Whenever I hear about Mark Twain, I instantly think of this quote...
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
-- Mark Twain
In its very essence, it is how we feel, being so far from family & friends. We are on our Own Adventure.. Exploring, Dreaming, & Discovering!!!!
I am always so taken back by the Natural beauty here!! The air is so clean!! Rain or Shine the sky's here take my breathe away!!
We climbed aboard the William M Black Steamboat & learned how it helped carve out the Missouri River!! Apparently they had to make it deeper and wider!! Grandpa Culotta & Great Grandpa Culotta would especially enjoy this!!
Dad caught the Trolley to meet us after work!!
We went inside a Indian Hut & a Pioneer Cabin and noticed we were being watched...
Of Course We played for a bit too!!! :)
Unfortunately we ran out of time and didn't even have the chance to check out the other half of the museum! Oh well... Next time!!!
