Photo: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
The 3-day plan, rearranged for 6 days: every place stays and a few more are added, and each day keeps to one part of town.
From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
How much walking? On foot, about 0.6 to 1.2 miles a day, and 242.2 miles by car in all across 6 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
A large clock that stands over downtown Dubuque. The present clock is the second one, since the first collapsed in the 1870s.
Go when Any time you pass through downtown.
Local tip The clock has stood over downtown Dubuque for over 140 years. The first clock collapsed in the 1870s, so this is the second. A quick look from the street is plenty.
A house museum of 1857 in the Italian villa style, built for a lead miner and businessman, with furnishings of the period and a log cabin of 1833 on the grounds.
Go when Afternoon, as an indoor stop.
Local tip A house museum of 1857 in the Italian villa style, with furnishings from the period. A log cabin of 1833 stands on the grounds. Check ahead on tours and the opening.
A thin, breaded and fried pork cutlet, often wider than the bun it comes on, with pickles and mustard, a sandwich the state is known for.
Local tip Share one if you do not have a big appetite, since the cutlet is large.
A city park on a bluff in the north-east corner of Dubuque, looking out over the Mississippi and a lock and dam. It opened in 1909, and many of its stone and wood structures were built in the 1930s under architect Alfred Caldwell. Walk the edge paths and mind the drops.
Go when Late afternoon (about 7:12 PM), when the light softens over the river.
Local tip Walk the edge paths and look at the stone shelters, then find a bench facing the river. Barges move slowly on the water below. Mind the bluff edge and keep children close.
A small downtown park that fills a city block, on the National Register of Historic Places, between the post office and the art museum.
Go when Late afternoon (about 7:12 PM), when the park is calm.
Local tip A small park that fills a whole city block, beside the post office and the art museum. A bench and a few minutes in the shade are the point. It is a good stop between museums.
A mild freshwater fish, fried or baked, a regular dish in the river towns of the upper Mississippi, served with potatoes or slaw.
Local tip Ask whether the fish is local and how it is cooked.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
A state park on the southern edge of Dubuque, with walking trails, a bird and butterfly garden and the sites of the early lead mines led by Julien Dubuque, who is buried here. The sites form a National Historic Landmark District. Wear shoes with grip, and check ahead on the nature center.
Go when Morning, while the trails are cool.
Local tip Pick one trail rather than trying them all, since the park is large and hilly. Take water, wear shoes with grip, and check ahead on the nature center and on trail conditions after rain.
A Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Dubuque. The parish is the oldest congregation of any Christian denomination in Iowa, and the church sits in the Cathedral Historic District.
Go when Morning, outside the hours of services.
Local tip The parish is the oldest congregation of any Christian denomination in Iowa. It is a working church, so keep your voice low and cover your shoulders. Look at the front from the street, and check ahead on whether visitors may go in.
A museum on the Dubuque riverfront about the culture and history of the rivers of America, with more than a dozen aquariums of river wildlife, such as catfish and sturgeon, and outdoor exhibits. It is an indoor stop, so it works in rain. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Start with the river history, then spend your time at the aquariums with the big river fish. It suits a wet or cold day. Check ahead on the opening.
A small funicular railway that has carried riders up the bluff since 1884, rebuilt in 1893. Two observation decks at the top look out over downtown Dubuque. It is a short ride, so treat it as a stop of its own. Check ahead on whether it is running in the season you come.
Go when Afternoon, on a clear day.
Local tip It is a short ride up a steep slope, so it works as a stop on your way through town. The view from the top is clearer on a bright day. Check ahead on the season and whether it is running.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
The baseball field built in 1988 on two farms outside Dyersville for the 1989 film Field of Dreams. It was left behind when filming ended, beside the farmhouse, and it is now a place people come to walk and play catch. It is open farmland with little shade, so check ahead on the season and the access.
Go when Morning, before the heat and the crowds build.
Local tip It is a field and a farmhouse, not a ticketed attraction in the usual sense, so go for the walk and the open sky. There is little shade in summer, so bring water, and check ahead on the season and access.
A parish church in Dyersville, raised to a minor basilica in 1956, built for the German immigrants who settled the area. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Go when Morning, outside the hours of services.
Local tip A parish church raised to a minor basilica in 1956, in the town of Dyersville. It is a working church, so stay quiet and cover your shoulders. Look at the front from the street, and check ahead on whether visitors may go in.
Seasoned ground beef cooked loose, not formed into a patty, and spooned onto a soft bun with pickles and mustard, a Midwest diner sandwich.
Local tip Add mustard and pickles to taste, and eat it with a spoon if it falls apart.
A museum in Dyersville of scale models, replicas and toys based on farm equipment, with a large number of cast iron toys and dioramas of farm homesteads. It is an indoor stop, so it works in rain. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Look for the cast iron toys and the farm dioramas, and the short film about how the toys are made in Dyersville. It suits families and anyone who grew up near a farm. Check ahead on the opening.
A state park on a bluff of about 500 feet above the Mississippi, opposite the mouth of the Wisconsin River. Trails run along the top and down to the river. It is named for Zebulon Pike, who climbed the bluff in 1805. Take water, and stay on the paths near the edge.
Go when Afternoon, on a clear day.
Local tip The overlook is on the bluff top and the paths lead on from it. Stay behind the railings, take water, and wear shoes with grip. Check ahead on the park's trail conditions after rain.
Fresh cheese curds, fried or plain, that squeak when you bite them, with a burger, from a small town on the river near Wisconsin dairy country.
Local tip Eat the fresh ones soon after they are made, since they lose their squeak.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
A national monument that protects more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by Native peoples, mostly in the first millennium CE. Many are shaped like animals, such as bears and birds. The mounds are a sacred legacy, so keep to the marked paths and treat the site with respect. The trails climb the bluff, and the visitor center is in Harpers Ferry.
Go when Morning, before the heat.
Local tip The mounds are sacred places, so stay on the marked paths and do not touch them. The trails climb the bluff and some are steep, so wear shoes with grip. Check ahead on the visitor center and the trails.
A small town on the Mississippi named for Jacques Marquette, who with Louis Joliet reached the river nearby in 1673. It stands across from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and a few miles from Effigy Mounds.
Go when Morning, before the mounds.
Local tip A small river town named for Jacques Marquette, who with Louis Joliet reached the Mississippi nearby in 1673. A stop for coffee and a walk by the river before the monument.
A lock and dam on the Upper Mississippi near Harpers Ferry, Iowa, and Lynxville, Wisconsin, put into use in 1937. It raises and lowers boats and barges on the river.
Go when Midday, when boats are likely to be passing.
Local tip A lock and dam of 1937 on the Upper Mississippi, where river traffic is raised and lowered. Check ahead on where you can stand to watch, and keep to public areas and the signs.
A small town on the Mississippi, founded as MacGregor's Landing in 1847, across the river from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Walk its main street along the river as the day ends. Pikes Peak State Park lies just to the south.
Go when Evening (about 7:12 PM), as the light turns gold on the river.
Local tip Walk the main street along the river and look across to Wisconsin. A small town, so keep expectations to a stroll and a view. Check ahead for what is open late.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
The remains of a frontier army post, created to keep the peace between tribes and to hold the Ho-Chunk on the Neutral Ground. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Go when Morning, with a hat for the open ground.
Local tip The remains of a frontier fort built to keep the peace on the Neutral Ground, and to hold the Ho-Chunk there. The history is painful, so read the signs. Take water, and check ahead on access.
A small town on the Mississippi, platted around 1851. Joseph "Diamond Jo" Reynolds built his first steamboat here.
Go when Morning, as an add on to the river road.
Local tip A small town on the Mississippi, platted around 1851. It is a drive north of the mounds, so give it a half day. Walk the river front and check ahead on what is open.
A small city in the bluffs of the Upper Iowa River, known for its Norwegian-American heritage and home of Luther College. Walk the main streets for the old buildings and the river valley around it. Each July the town holds Nordic Fest (dates vary).
Go when Midday, between the mounds and the museum.
Local tip Walk the main streets for the old buildings and the river valley. The town has a strong Norwegian-American feel, and Nordic Fest fills it each July (dates vary), so book ahead if you come then.
A museum in Spillville of clocks carved by hand by the Bily brothers between 1913 and 1958. The composer Antonin Dvorak spent the summer of 1893 in the building and finished his Ninth Symphony there.
Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Hand made clocks by the Bily brothers, made between 1913 and 1958. The composer Antonin Dvorak spent the summer of 1893 in the building and finished his Ninth Symphony there. Check ahead on the opening.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
A non profit near Decorah that saves old garden plant varieties and shares their seeds, one of the larger seed banks outside the government in the United States.
Go when Morning, in the garden season.
Local tip A non profit near Decorah that saves old garden plant varieties and shares their seeds. Check ahead on whether the grounds are open to walk and what is in bloom.
The national Norwegian-American museum and folk art school, with more than 33,000 artifacts and 12 historic buildings. Its exhibits follow Norwegian immigrants to America, and it is a place to see folk art such as rosemaling. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Afternoon, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Choose a few of the historic buildings and exhibits rather than trying to see all of it. Look at the rosemaling and the immigrant stories. Check ahead on the opening and the guided tours.
A thick grilled pork chop with fresh sweet corn on the cob and butter. Sweet corn is a late summer crop, so check what is in season when you come.
Local tip Corn tastes sweeter soon after it is picked, so ask whether it is from nearby.
A cave at the edge of a park on the north side of Decorah where ice forms in winter and lasts into summer. It is an enter at your own risk site, and visitors can only go in a short way.
Go when Late spring and summer, when the ice is in the cave.
Local tip The cave is dry in autumn and early winter. Ice forms from January or February and is said to stay until late August. It is an enter at your own risk site, and you can only walk about ten feet in, so treat it as a short stop.
A wooded park of pathways, bridges and a waterfall below limestone walls, on the north side of Decorah. The waterfall is one of only a few in Iowa. Wear shoes with grip, since the paths can be wet, and check ahead after rain.
Go when Late afternoon (about 7:12 PM), under the trees.
Local tip The path to the waterfall is short and the walls are limestone. It can be wet and slippery, and the waterfall is smaller in dry weather. The Decorah Ice Cave is a short distance away. Check ahead after rain.
A plain supper of roast chicken with potatoes, then a slice of fruit pie, made with apple or rhubarb or whatever the season brings.
Local tip Ask which pie was baked that day.
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, May and August to October are the most comfortable months for walking around Dubuque. This plan is built for september to October, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
It covers 6 days in Dubuque, planned for september to October. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
On foot, about 0.6 to 1.2 miles a day, and 242.2 miles by car in all across 6 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
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A trip idea · Updated November 2026
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