Popular Things to Do in Dubuque
Don't Miss in Dubuque
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium: Located a stone's throw from where riverboats tie up, this attraction, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, offers a variety of exhibits celebrating the past, present and future of the United States' rivers. Additionally, aquarium exhibits feature wildlife native to the Mississippi and beyond, including giant catfish, sturgeons, ducks, turtles, octopi and eagles.
Fenelon Place Elevator: The best views of the Mississippi River and downtown Dubuque are from the lookout at the top of the city's funicular. Locals claim the 296-foot vertical wooden railway is the shortest and steepest (ascending 189 feet) in the world.
Dubuque Museum of Art: The Dubuque Museum of Art is Iowa's oldest cultural institution, dating back to 1874. The 2,200-piece collection focuses on 20th-century American artists with an emphasis on American Regionalism and artists local to Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.
St. Luke's United Methodist Church: Take a guided tour of the church that features the United States' fifth-largest collection of religious Tiffany stained-glass windows.
Field of Dreams: Fans of the 1989 film starring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones will not want to miss visiting the actual baseball field used in the movie. Located in Dyersville, Iowa, some 40 minutes from Dubuque, the field is surrounded on two sides by corn fields and on a third by the farmhouse featured in the film, and it attracts hundreds of visitors every year. If you're there on a lucky Sunday, a ghost player (one of the local extras who played a ghost baseball player in the movie) will be on hand to answer questions and tell stories. You'll want to arrange with a taxi company ahead of time to book a ride to and from the site.