Labor Day weekend took us to one of the neatest places we’ve explored in Iowa, just along the Mississippi River. We had such a fun experience that we knew we had to share. From good eats to places to get outside and explore, our hope is that you can replicate this weekend getaway guide for a fun weekend in our home state!
Friday
We set off mid-afternoon from Des Moines to head to Dubuque, with a pit stop in White Water Canyon. Zach had been there before on his Run Drink Iowa project and wanted to go back to check out other trails. With 419 acres of land to explore, there’s plenty of walking and exploring to do! The most interesting path to take if you have little time is the Overlook Trail. When you park in the lot and start walking on the main path, you’ll see a few options for trails.
After a few miles of walking through the beautiful prairie grasses and watching the sun begin to set, we headed back to our hotel stay in the amazing, century-old Hotel Julien. This was our number one choice above any hotels after reading a little about their history…
“In 1839, travelers’ first sight as they crossed the Mississippi River into Dubuque was a hotel building on the corner of 2nd and Main. This old “Julien Hotel” survived a fire, hosted famous guests such as Abraham Lincoln, “Buffalo Bill” Cody and Mark Twain, gained notoriety thanks to Al Capone and was ultimately purchased by the current ownership in 1962. Now 170 years later, after a $30 million interior renovation and exterior restoration, the Hotel Julien Dubuque has redefined elegance through the blending of its rich history with modern luxury and style.”
An incredible partnership of Iowanderers and Hotel Julien got us to the top floor of the hotel in the King Suite, an unforgettable experience! Not only was the place charming, but the service provided at the front desk and the pleasant exchanges with Hotel Julien management assured us that we made the best decision. Just look at the street it’s on…so charming!
Zach and I are definitely motivated by food and beer, so we made our way to Jubeck after we dropped our stuff off at the hotel. This micro-brewery is located in downtown Dubuque and you could definitely sense the tight-knit community inside the walls. With good travel comes exploration of the finest of foods… pizza! L.May has a great pizza selection and delivers to Jubeck, so we got a couple more brews and enjoyed the cozy space for the eve.
Saturday
The crashing of tectonic plates can produce incredible beauty. This is true the world over, from Italy to Indonesia. In mountainous regions with looming volcanoes earthquakes can be common, if not an everyday occurrence. Eastern Iowa not so much and so when we were awoken Saturday morning with our entire hotel room shaking it was quite the surprise.
Zach immediately looked outside somehow thinking that a passing train could rumble a room with that force. Frankly, we had no idea what to do, while on the 8th floor of a century old hotel. And then it was over. Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln stayed at the hotel on 2nd and Main in Dubuque and being a little confused about what had just happened we did what those quintessential Americans never could, we checked Twitter, discovering that the earthquake was in Oklahoma and people felt it from Texas to the Twin Cities.
After calling and texting to see if anyone else felt it my mom had one piece of advice. Don’t visit any caves. Sorry mom.
We went back to sleep (surprisingly) and then grabbed breakfast in the attached restaurant, Caroline’s. If you stay at Hotel Julien, be sure to make this easy walk for breakfast. It’s convenient and the food will fill you up for a day at the Maquoketa Caves.
We filled up with food and made a pit stop at Monk’s for coffee and then headed to the caves. Most people don’t typically put Iowa and caves together, so this experience in our own state was pretty remarkable.
This part of Iowa lays in the Driftless Area, a region of the country that was not affected by the last ice age and so the geography of the area is different than much of the rest of the state. Nowhere is this more true than in Maquoketa Caves State Park, which has caves so small that hikers have to hunch over, as well as the gigantic Dancehall Cave. There are more caves here than at any other park in Iowa and over Labor Day weekend it was packed with visitors. However, with six miles of trails it was easy to separate from the crowds and find both peace and adventure.
After we poked our heads in caves and we climbed up to the tippy top of caves (mostly Zach), we drove over to Galena, which was about 45 minutes away. This absolutely charming community will instantly transport you to Europe. The winding streets with old buildings are filled with local shops. From homemade BBQ sauce to antique stores, you’re sure to find a shop you adore! We skipped most of the shopping because the cave exploring made us so hungry. Naturally, we landed in Galena Brewery. We loaded up on apps and a pitcher of their IPA and took a little walk in an older neighborhood and along the railroad.
After Galena, we freshened up a bit at the hotel and headed straight to the cable car. Zach fill in here. We were so impressed with L.May’s pizza that we went back for the seafood we spotted on the menu the night before. Their sweet outdoor tables on a beautiful summer night was absolute perfection. This is definitely a must-visit restaurant in Dubuque!
Sunday
Our final day in Eastern Iowa started with a trip to Jitterz, a local coffee shop. We got a couple pastries (their scones!) and headed to the Mines of Spain for a hike before it got really hot.
The area got its name because in 1788 a Spanish governor gave French-Canadian Julien Dubuque a grant to mine lead in the area, much of which was done by the Mesquakie, as they had done for generations. Mining continued in the area until 1914. In 1981, with assistance from Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, the area was converted into Mines of Spain Recreation Area and now encompasses 21 miles of maintained hiking trails.
We parked at the EB Lyons Center and took the Mesquakie Trail and connected with the Calcite Trail to get to the Julien Dubuque Monument.
It was a gorgeous and well-kept trail, and we had it to ourselves for the most part. The highlight was the view of the Mississippi River from the Julien Dubuque Monument, as well as the steep stair ascent.
After four miles on the trails, we packed up our stuff at the hotel and headed to the Team of Dreams event at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville. There was excellent turnout for the event and although it pains Zach to say it, Cardinals fans were the most represented. There was an incredible energy at the event.
Even all these years after the movie was filmed, there is a magic to this place, the “thrill of the grass.” Kids were magnetically drawn to the field and ran the bases, fielded grounders and caught pop flys. And when grown men crossed the foul line they, as in the movie, converted to players, giddily playing catch with their kids. To paraphrase the movie it reminds us all of what was once good and could be again.
Being in that part of the state, you feel the history at your feet, even if the ground is moving under them. We hope our experience can be replicated and tweaked to meet your own interests. Share with us when you go so we hear what you loved; we’ll definitely be back!