Drive-worthy destinations along Mississippi River in Iowa

If you’re looking to get out of town for an afternoon or even a day or two, but not spend hours in the car, head across the Mississippi River to Clinton County, Iowa. The county is located on the banks of the river, and is home to the cities of DeWitt and Clinton. It covers 700 square miles and has a population of about 50,000 people.

Check out this list of natural areas, parks, museums, a casino, a winery and so many other fun things to do across the Illinois border!

Calamus

Mockridge Wildlife Area

The 75-acre preserve features sand dunes filled with Scotch and white pines and teems with owls, turkeys and deer. It also has 3 miles of hiking trails.

Address: 215th Street and 160th Avenue

Phone: 563-847-7202 Online: mycountyparks.com/County/Clinton/Park/Mockridge-Wildlife-Area.aspx and Facebook

Sherman Park

The 233-acre park along the Wapsipinicon River features hiking trails, hunting grounds, campsites, a boat launch and an observatory. The north 185 acres are open to public hunting, while the south 46 acres is a park, wildlife preserve and campground. The Quad City Astronomical Society maintains an observatory where public star parties are held several times a year.

Address: 2776 160th Ave.

Phone: 563-357-4134 Online: mycountyparks.com/county/clinton/Park/Sherman-Park.aspx

Camanche

Blue Heron Eco Cruises

The Blue Heron, a 26-passenger pontoon boat, offers educational, naturalist-led tours of the Mississippi River ecosystem. Tours last about 90 minutes.

Address: Rock Creek Marina and Campground, 3942 291st St.

Phone: 563-259-1876 Online: mycountyparks.com/County/Clinton/Content/Blue-Heron-Eco-Cruises.aspx

Camanche Depot Museum

The fully restored 1951 Milwaukee/Soo Line caboose and railroad depot houses historical artifacts that transport visitors to 1899, when the depot was built.

Address: 102 12th Ave.

Phone: 563-259-1285, 563-259-1280 or 563-259-1175 Online: clintoniowatourism.com

Camanche Historical Society

The museum houses the Clinton County/Gateway Genealogical Library as well as collections from the city’s past including cemetery records and several family histories.

Address: 1307 S. Washington Blvd.

Phone: 563-259-1285, 563-259-1280 or 563-259-1175 Online: clintoniowatourism.com and Facebook

Folletts Park

The 7-acre park features an 18-hole disc golf course, a playground and a picnic shelter.

Address: U.S. Highway 67, 5 miles southwest of Camanche

Phone: 563-847-7202 Online: mycountyparks.com/county/clinton/Park/Folletts-Park.aspx

Mississippi River Eco-Tourism Center

The state-of-the-art eco-tourism center opened in 2012. Its centerpiece is an 8,000-gallon aquarium stocked with Mississippi River fish. There also is a large wetlands display, highlighting reptiles, amphibians, waterfowl and other species that call the backwaters and sloughs of the river home. The center also is home to a large collection of replicas of Iowa state record fish species, Iowa’s largest deer, live snakes and turtles. It has a camp store and cafe, 200-plus-seat community meeting room, 30-seat meeting room and theater, large deck overlooking backwaters, and a marina. Rent a canoe or kayak and go exploring or check out the Blue Heron guided cruises.

Address: Rock Creek Marina and Campground, 3942 291st St.

Phone: 563-259-1876 Online: mycountyparks.com/County/Clinton/Content/Mississippi-River-Eco-Tourism-Center.aspx

Clinton

Bickelhaupt Arboretum

The Bickelhaupt Arboretum is a nationally recognized, 14-acre outdoor museum of select-labeled trees, shrubs, ground cover, perennials and annuals; it features one of the top garden conifer collections in the country. It also has native prairie grasses, flowering trees, shrub roses, wildflowers and ornamental shrubs. It is a part of Eastern Iowa Community College.

Address: 340 S. 14th St.

Phone: 563-242-4771 Online: eicc.edu/about-eicc/colleges-and-centers/bickelhaupt/ or Facebook

Clinton Area Showboat Theatre

The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre is a professional, nonprofit, summer stock theater aboard a restored river paddle wheeler. Its theater is named the Lillian Russell Theatre, after the Clinton native who was one of the most popular stars of the 1890s. The season runs June through August.

Address: 303 Riverview Road

Phone: 563-242-6760 Online: clintonshowboat.org

Clinton County Historical Society and Museum

The museum contains documents, photographs and furniture, a 1924 kitchen and the “Resolute,” a hand-powered fire engine, all of which tell the stories of the early settlers of the Mississippi River area and the booming lumber business.

Address: 601 S. First St.

Phone: 563-242-1201

Online: Facebook

Clinton LumberKings baseball

The Clinton LumberKings are a professional team that is part of the Prospect League. The team plays at NelsonCorp Field.

Address: 537 Ballpark Drive

Phone: 563-242-0727 Online: lumberkings.com

Clinton Sawmill Museum

The Clinton Sawmill Museum showcases Clinton’s pivotal role in the lumber industry; the city once was known as the “Lumber Capital of the World.” The museum houses some original pieces from the Struve Mill, which was in operation from the 1860s to 1980s, as well as an early-20th century working sawmill.

Address: 2231 Grant St.

Phone: 563-242-0343 Online: thesawmillmuseum.org or Facebook

Clinton Symphony Orchestra

The Clinton Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra that performs classical concerts at various locations in Iowa and Illinois throughout the season and puts on an annual pops concert on the riverfront in June.

Phone: 815-625-0922 Online: clintonsymphony.org or Facebook

Curtis Mansion

The Curtis Mansion is the restored Victorian home of lumber baron George M. Curtis. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, each room features a different type of wood. Other features include original Tiffany glass windows, carved banisters, ornate wood trim and massive fireplaces.

Address: 440 Fifth Ave. S.

Phone: 563-242-8556

Online: Facebook

Felix Adler Children’s Discovery Center

The museum offers interactive exhibits and educational displays, including a Brio train engine, Kapla blocks, an ambulance, grocery store and a hospital. It is named after Clinton native Frank Adler, “Funny Felix, King of Clowns,” who was a famous clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Address: 332 Eighth Ave. S.

Phone: 563-243-3600 Online: adlerdiscoverycenter.org or Facebook

River Arts Center

The center, operated by the Clinton Art Association, features new exhibits in a variety of media every 6 weeks. It also hosts classes and workshops taught by local artists. The center is home to the Clinton Art Players Theatre and Rainbow Pottery, a paint-your-own ceramics shop.

Address: 229 Fifth Ave. S.

Phone: 563-243-3300 Online: riverartsinc.org and Facebook

Riverview Park Swimming Pool

This pool has a water slide, a sprinkler shaped like a lighthouse, a kiddie pool less than a foot deep and a separate diving pool.

Address: 101 S. First St.

Phone: 563-242-4673 or 563-243-1260 Online: cityofclintoniowa.us

St. Boniface Catholic Historical Center

Constructed in 1908 as the St. Boniface Catholic Church, this building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It now serves as a beautiful and ornate museum, with a collection of local and Catholic artifacts of interest to any history buff. Group and individual tours can be arranged by appointment. Facility is available for rental for weddings and events.

Address: 2520 Pershing Blvd., Clinton

Contact: 563-206-1314

Online: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHistoricalCenter

Soaring Eagle Nature Center

There is plenty to explore from the one-room schoolhouse to the butterfly garden and nature barn with displays about the land’s history.

Address: 3923 N. 3rd St.

Phone 563-242-9088 Online: sencinfo.com/

Wide River Winery

Wide River Winery, which opened in 2005, features award-winning wines, a tasting room and 6.5 acres of vineyards on the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Tours of the facility and grounds are conducted daily and include a wine-tasting. Concerts and other activities also are held at the winery. The winery also operates a tasting room in LeClaire.

Address: 1776 E. Deer Creek Road

Phone: 563-519-9463

Online: wideriverwinery.com or Facebook

Wild Rose Casino & Hotel

More than 500 video and reel slot machines, live table games, suite and deluxe room accommodations, Coaches Corner Sports Bar & Grill, off track betting, DraftKings Sportsbook, Iowa Store Gift Shop, live concerts and events.

777 Wild Rose Drive, Clinton

563-243-9000

Online: wildroseresorts.com/locations/clinton

DeWitt

Central Community Historical Society & Museum

The museum features items that capture the rich history of DeWitt and the surrounding area, including Indian tools, military artifacts, household equipment, furniture and a school room filled with desks, books and clocks.

Address: 628 6th Ave.

Phone: 563-659-9717 Online: centralcommunityhissoc.com/ or Facebook

Central Performing Arts Center

The community-based auditorium features local shows and programming to enrich and educate. See website for summer and holiday productions.

Address: 519 E. 11th St.

Phone: 563-659-3811 Online: cd-pac.org/

DeWitt Aquatic Center

The DeWitt Aquatic Center is a $2.6 million facility. The pool features zero-depth entry, three water slides, lily pads, a basketball hoop and more. Lifeguards are on duty at all times.

Address: 1000 14th St.

Phone: 563-659-3541 Online: parks.cityofdewittiowa.org or Facebook

DeWitt Operahouse Theatre

The venue has been providing entertainment to Dewitt and the surrounding communities since 1878. First and second run movies are shown here. Every 6 weeks, the First Central Art Gallery showcases work by a new local artist.

Address: 716 Sixth Ave.

Phone: 563-659-8213 Online: dewittoperahouse.com or Facebook

German Hausbarn

The thatched-roof building was built in 1727, then dismantled in Niebull, Germany, in 2007, shipped to the city and rebuilt by volunteers. It houses a German museum, as well as the local chamber of commerce and a development company.

Address: 130 Heritage Drive, Manning

Phone: 712-655-3131 Online: germanhausbarn.com/

Malone Park

This 30-acre park includes a 9-acre lake for fishing and swimming. There is a picnic shelter, picnic tables, swing set, beach for swimming, a wetland area, and a 12-hole disc golf course.

Address: 2524 330th Ave.

Phone: 563-259-1876 or 563-847-7202 Online: mycountyparks.com/county/clinton/Park/Malone-Park.aspx

Westbrook Park

The 100-acre park, the city’s largest, features baseball/softball diamonds, playgrounds, horseshoe courts, volleyball courts and a disc golf course. It also includes a natural timber area with foot trails and the 10-foot wide, 5-mile Paul Skeffington Memorial Trail, a multipurpose trail for walking, running and cycling.

Address: 520 Westbrook Drive

Phone: 563-659-5127 Online: parks.cityofdewittiowa.org

Delmar

Brookfield Recreation Trail

The 21-mile hiking trail was formed from abandoned Milwaukee Railroad right-of-way. It offers scenic views perfect for bird watching.

Address: 210th Avenue, between Highway 136 and 130th Street

Phone: 563-847-7202 Online: mycountyparks.com/county/clinton/Park/Brookfield-Recreational-Trail.aspx

Delmar Depot Railroad Museum

Located in S.S. Norton Park, the depot, built about 1905 and restored in the 1990s, features segregated waiting rooms for men and women, the “Elizabeth” caboose and the Orphan Train mural. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Address: 414 Lincoln Ave.

Phone: 563-547-4077

Online: Facebook

Grand Mound

Barber Creek Wildlife Management Area

The 926-acre area on the Wapsipinicon River Bottoms has 466 acres of timber, meadows and crop land, plus 114 acres of oxbow lakes, floodplain chutes and small ponds. The area is great for hunting, fishing, trapping, canoeing, hiking, mushroom hunting, berry picking and wildlife viewing.

Address: 2398 278th St.

Phone: 563-652-3132 Online: stateparks.com/barber_creek_state_wildlife_management_area_in_iowa.html

Lost Nation

Marie Ketelsen Learning Center

The 40-acre park and wildlife area is named in honor of Marie Ketelsen, a schoolteacher who lived on the land and willed it to the county to teach children about nature. The area features a 26-acre restored prairie, 2 miles of trails and a pond.

Address: 150th Street, 6 miles east of Lost Nation

Phone: 563-847-7202 Online: sites.google.com/site/ketelsenlearningcenter/home

Smithtown Church

The church, now a historic site, is the only surviving landmark of the Sharon Township village of Burgess. The church was discontinued as a regular place of worship in the late 1920s.

Address: 125th Street, 4 miles north of Lost Nation

Phone: 563-847-7202 Online: mycountyparks.com/county/clinton/Park/Smithtown-Church.aspx