One of our favorite activities is scenic drives. We love seeing the beauty of nature, stopping off in quaint towns, and exploring the different parts of the United States. One of our absolute favorite drives is along the Mississippi River on the Great River Road that allows you to venture through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We have driven along various stretches, but a fun section of the drive is the Quad Cities to Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harper’s Ferry, IA.

We definitely recommend a visit to the Quad Cities. Each of the cities that make up the larger Quad Cities metro area have their own personality, but together they create a lovely assortment of activities. At the heart of each of them is the Mississippi River. If you have time for only one restaurant – we highly recommend La Rancherita. After spending a couple of days in the Quad Cities we began our drive up the Mississippi.

Just outside the Quad Cities is the town of Le Claire, IA. We first stopped there for a bite to eat at the Quad City chain – Happy Joe’s Pizza and then grabbed a tasting at the Mississippi River Distilling Co. The town of Le Claire is quite quaint and visitors can stroll along the main street, just off the river, to enjoy the shops, restaurants, sips, a museum, and a river cruise. Next is the little town of Princeton, IA and then people can continue on the highway, or veer off and take some of the small roads along the river to explore the river topography and accompanying wildlife.

A little further up are the larger towns of Camanche, IA and Clinton, IA. As you continue north there is an increase in small islands in the river, providing homes to waterfowl, making it ideal for bird watching. We stopped off at the tiny Driscoll’s Island that is off the road into the little island and town of Sabula, IA. The island is a little round about with a boat ramp, but is perfect for hopping out of the car for the opportunity to stretch your legs and get really close to the river.

As you wander along, you see the beauty of Iowa with the bluffs, meandering river, and the little towns. The next stop is Bellevue, IA. Each town is situated along the river and shows the connection between the people and the land, as the river served as a connection point to other communities. Outside of Bellevue is Bellevue State Park, which provides an incredible view of the town and the river.

Continuing up the river, you began to meander a little further from the river and drive through the town of St. Donatus, IA. Most of the little towns often have a historic building, a town restaurant, and a place to lodge. Along the way there is also farms, wineries, camping, cave explorations, and even an abbey! The next stop is Dubuque, IA, which is a nicely sized river town that provides an assortment of activities. Dubuque offers museums, restaurants, an aquarium, botanical garden, wineries, breweries, shops, and even a funicular railway. If you have time – we definitely encourage a ride! Dubuque is lovely for a fun weekend getaway all on its own, but also a great stopping point along the Great River Road.

We recommend veering off the major highway and driving through the small towns of Sherrill, IA, where the historic Black Horse Inn sits at the center of the town. We stayed overnight at the Inn and had a lovely time. Next is Balltown, IA, which provides another great viewpoint. The Balltown Scenic Outlook allows you to see the lovely rolling Iowa hills. If you continue on you will drive through a couple more tiny towns until you reach Guttenberg, IA. There you can stop off at the Mississippi River Scenic Overlooks on both the north and south end of Guttenberg. Each viewpoint provides a different view of the river and the diversity of the topography.

You can then continue on the Great River Road for a nice meandering drive. You will come across the towns of McGregor, IA and Marquette, IA. We started to drive across the river and stopped off on one of the islands to hike a small trail that is part of the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge. We also popped over to Prairie Du Chien, WI, a Wisconsin river town, for a bite to eat at Simply Cafe. Then we spent the next few hours hiking and exploring Effigy Mounds National Monument.

We then took a bit of a detour to Decorah, IA to visit Toppling Goliath. Afterwards we drove back down to the Quad Cities. If you have time, we recommend driving down further to explore the towns of Nauvoo, IL; Keokuk, IA; Quincy, IL, and Hannibal, MO. You can also venture off and stop off in Iowa City to stop by Herbert Hoover National Historic Park. There are several state parks in the area that each provide an opportunity to learn more about the history and natural area along the Mississippi River.

The best thing about the Great River Road is that each season brings something new. In the winter you can look for bald eagles and see the large ice flutes flowing down the river. In the spring, the greenery begins to emerge and you can see the wild flowers forming as the birds begin to return. In the summer the river is full of birds and the opportunity to go boating along the river. Finally, the fall is our favorite as the leaves are changing and the colors create the most beautiful tapestry.