Note: This visit to Dubuque occured before the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020. Please note many of these places may not be open to the public for a couple of months.
The City of Dubuque is only about an hour from our home in Cedar Rapids. We spent a day there visiting some unique sites.
We started out by attending a vintage market. The Antique Spectacular Show is held in Dubuque, IA, twice a year in March and November.
The market is located at the Grand River Center at 500 Bell St. The event is produced by Kimberly Schilling, who also features shows in Cedar Falls and the Quad Cities. Admission is $8 for adults; children under the age of 14 are free with a paid adult.
More information and $1 off admission ticket coupons may be found at www.antiquespectacular.com
Our kids did not want to believe we could go to 3 states in 15 minutes! No, they said, it would take at least a day! So we just had to cross the Mississippi River bridge into East Dubuque, IL, and drive across the Wisconsin border to show them it could be done! Here is the view of the Mississippi River coming from Wisconsin back into Iowa:
Backwater views of the river:
A quick stop at the Veteran’s Memorial Park in Dubuque gave us a chance to pay our respects for those who have served our country.
We putzed around downtown for a little bit. We had to check out the Ice Cream U Scream shop at 198 Main St. and the Candle Ready Cakes bakery which now has gluten-free items at 197 Main St.
After walking around downtown, we decided to stop for dinner at the Barrel House, 299 Main St., for burgers, pizza, and tacos. Many gluten and soy free choices for the kids here!
Off the beaten path, we found this fun little indoor flea market called Shaggy’s on 175 N. Crescent Ridge. Whatever you can think of, they have in there! It is worth the stop to check it out!
And finally, on our way out of town, we stopped at the Mines of Spain Recreation Center. It was really muddy out, so we were not able to do much there. We will definitely have to go back another time to check out this park!
The trail leading up to the Julien Dubuque Monument was closed, so we were not able to get a very good picture. We’ll come back to hike up there during the summer.
The Mines of Spain is about 1400 acres of wildlife area next to the Mississippi River. Canoeing, kayaking, hiking, hunting, snowshoeing (in the winter), and fishing are all popular activities here.
What areas have you visited this spring?
Construction is in progress to expand the Cedar Lake area.
