A Local’s Guide: My Favourite Things To Do In Dubuque Iowa USA

Dubuque lays on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River and proudly claims to be the place ‘where Iowa started’! Just minutes from the borders of both Illinois and Wisconsin this river side town has something for everyone! Whether you are travelling as a couple or a family with kids or if you are a foodie or enjoy being in the great outdoors! Check out my comprehensive guide, as told by a local!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may make a small commission on purchases made after clicking the link. I have previously worked in partnership with some of the businesses listed below. I do my best to try and keep information up-to-date but please check direct with businesses for current opening times and prices. For more information check out my Disclosure Policy.

For Dubuque County and the surrounding states, check out this post. Visiting specifically in winter? I have a dedicated guide for that too!

Dubuque Districts

• Downtown Dubuque
• The Historic Millwork District
• Port of Dubuque
• Eagle Point
• Sageville & The North (of NW Arterial)
• Key West & The South (HWY 52)
• Asbury & The West (of John F Kennedy Rd)

Downtown Dubuque

• 🚡4th Street Elevator
• 🎨Downtown Murals & Stick Men!
• 🪜Stairs in the wall
• 📚Dubuque Museum of Art
• 🕚Town Clock Plaza
• 🧘🏻‍♀️Float & Fly Wellness Studio
• 🪓BustinAxe
• 🌽Dubuque Farmers Market

This is the main area with various stores, restaurants, bars and the Historic Hotel Julien. Short stay parking can be found on most streets. Alternatively Locus Street or Five Flags Parking Ramp have a flat fee of $1 per hour, with a daily maximum of $10.

4th Street Elevator

🗺512 Fenelon Pl

This fun little funicular railway is on every visitor’s bucket list. The 4th Street Elevator (sometimes referred to as the Fenelon Place Elevator) was originally built in 1882 and is said to be the shortest, steepest, funicular railway in the world! 

The view from the top station is awesome too, you can see right across the Downtown area! There is a small fee to ride it and they do only accept cash.

Explore the Murals in the Downtown District!

Summer of 2017 saw the creation of a bunch of colourful murals around the Downtown area. It was part of the Voices Project and something I have loved watching come to life. There are now over 45 murals!

I went on a guided walk of the murals and discovered that a lot of the pictures actually relate to the businesses that are part of the wall that they are painted on as well as being inspired by the surrounding area!

Even the traffic roundabouts have murals on the road around them!

Look up HIGH on the rooftops along Main St, near the Hotel Julien, there are 2 stick men! One is a man made from metal and then someone decided to create a women out of PVC pipe in response to the first one being installed!  

They are placed opposite each other and it looks as though the woman is waving at the man!

Find the Stairs in the Wall!

One of my favourite viewpoints! Located along Bluff and W 11th Street there is a strange staircase leading through an old stone wall. It used to be the location of a second funicular railway.

If you go up the stairs and then turn around, you get a cool view of the city both through the tunnel and over the top of the wall!

Dubuque Museum of Art

🗺️701 Locust St

The Dubuque Museum of Art is located on the corner of Washington Park. They have over 2200 pieces of permanent artwork, in addition to travelling and temporary exhibits. It’s also home to one of the largest collections of Grant Wood art.

Grant Wood was born in Amamosa (along HWY 151) and his most famous artwork was ‘American Gothic’. (This piece however is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago )

Throughout 2024, they are offering free entry to all visitors every Thursday. The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Town Clock Plaza

🗺680 Main St

Another piece of architecture and history! The original town clock was mounted on top of a building and actually collapsed, killing 3 people. Another town clock was eventually built in a different location to where it stands now. The top part was moved in 1971 and put on top of a giant pedestal in Town Clock Plaza where it has been ever since!

Float and Fly Wellness Studio

🗺Float and Fly Wellness Studio, 1344 Locust St

Aerial yoga at Float and Fly Wellness Studios is a fun experience! I’ve become obsessed with yoga (I even took part in goat yoga) and so I really wanted to give aerial yoga a shot! I wasn’t sure how flexible I’d be but I managed to pick it up really quickly!  

If you don’t fancy hanging upside down by your legs, they offer a ‘cocooning’ session where you get wrapped up in hammock and get to chill for 45 minutes!

As well as anti gravity yoga, they also have floatation tanks! This was such an interesting experience! You can spend 60 or 90 minutes floating in a pod filled with epsom salt water, similar to the Dead Sea!

It gives you the sense of zero gravity and is really relaxing and great for joints. You do have to be fairly good at zoning out and putting yourself in a mediative state, because you are just laying in a fancy floaty bath for an hour! 

After a short introduction with mood lighting and relaxing music, these will turn off so you are laying in total silence and darkness. An hour in a floatation tank is the equivalent of sleeping for 5 hours!

BustinAxe Throwing Range

🗺BustinAxe, 576 Central Ave

Axe throwing seems to be exploding right now! For $22 per person per hour you can let off some steam at BustinAxe throwing axes at a wooden target. For an extra $1 you can have digital projections onto the wooden backboard to give you more of a challenge!

I tried it in the Wisconsin Dells and I was TERRIBLE!

BustinAxe is closed Mondays and Tuesdays and open to league throwers only on Wednesdays. The rest of the week is open to anyone.

Dubuque Farmer’s Market

The Dubuque summer Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday morning from May until October from 7am (8am in October). It is located on Iowa Street and along 11th, 12th and 13th streets. The closest parking ramp is ‘Central Avenue’.

Of course you can buy locally grown fruit and vegetables but there’s also yummy treats such as lavender lemonade and homemade cakes and pies! On my visit I even had a breakfast sandwich where the bun was actually a donut! In the colder season the Winter Farmer’s Market moves indoors.

The Historic Millwork District

• ☕️Wayfarer Coffee
• 🍺7 Hills Brewery
• 🎯Backpocket Taproom

One of the favourite areas is the Millwork District. This used to be an industrial area, but has now been converted into a really cool area with some fun businesses! There’s a parking ramp along E 9th Street.

The Millwork District also hosts a Night Market (5pm until 8pm) once a month on a Thursday between May and October!

Wayfarer Coffee

🗺955 Washington St #105

Wayfarer Coffee is one of my favourite coffee shops! They are often coming up with new and exciting flavours of drinks! The cafe is open until 1pm and also have a breakfast and lunch menu.

7 Hills Brewery

🗺1085 Washington St

7 Hills Brewery is one of my favourite restaurants in Dubuque! They have a yummy food menu and a range of beers all brewed on site! If it’s the beer you’re after, there are several different breweries that are worth checking out!

I personally love buying ‘flights’, so you can sample a few different flavours. It’s all open plan, so you can see the area where the beer is brewed!

Attend Trivia Tuesday or Visit The Beercade At The Backpocket Taproom

🗺333 E 10th St

Every Tuesday the Backpocket Taproom and Beercade hold a free trivia night where you have the chance to win free beer and prizes. The company that run the trivia are awesome. I went to their Harry Potter special and it was so much fun! Backpocket even created Harry Potter themed drinks!

Downstairs is a beercade full of retro arcade games and Duckpin bowling lanes! Children are allowed in the arcade until 9pm and then it’s adults only (+21). The games are reasonably priced, many average around two quarters.

Similar to 7 Hills, Backpocket are a brewery based out of Coralville (Iowa), so you will find a range of craft beers and food available.

Port Of Dubuque

• 🐠Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
• 🚶🏻‍♀️Dubuque Riverwalk
• 🗼Historic Shot Tower
• 🛟Grand Harbor Resort Water Park
• 🎲Diamond Jo (or Q Casino)
• 🎳Cherry Lanes Bowling
• 🛥️Mississippi River Cruises

The Port of Dubuque is home to some of Downtown Dubuque’s biggest attractions. You’ll also find plenty of free parking in this area!

Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

🗺350 E 3rd St

I’m a little bit fascinated with sea turtles so I have a bit of a soft spot for Dot the Green Turtle at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium! She has bubble butt syndrome. Once upon a time she was hit by a boat and now has a build up of air that causes her butt to float (she basically can’t fart).

It doesn’t stop her though and she swims around and dives to the bottom of the tank with the help of weights attached to her shell! 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvMgvEqXkGU&w=560&h=315]

The museum is split into two main areas: The Mississippi River Center and The Gulf of Mexico. You can learn about animals and marine life found along the Mississippi River, all the way out to the Gulf of Mexico. Tours can also be taken of the William M Black dredger boat.

In January they hold the ‘Ice Fest’ where, weather dependent, they have ice fishing demonstrations in the Ice Harbor and more.

Stroll Along The Mississippi River Sculpture Walk

The Dubuque Riverwalk is a clever way of making the flood barrier pretty! This is a half a mile path between the River Museum and the Dubuque Star Brewery. There are 12 sculptures altogether, mainly by Midwest artists. You can pick up a flyer at the River Museum end of the walk which explains some of the meanings behind the pieces!

See the Historic Shot Tower

🗺E Commercial St

If you make it all the way to the Dubuque Star Brewery and Stone Cliff Winery, you may as well continue on to the historic Shot Tower! It was built in 1856 and is one of the last remaining shot towers in the USA.

It was used to provide lead shot to the military and then went on to be a fire watch tower for a lumberyard. Ironically the shot tower ended up suffering from a fire itself during this time!

Grand Harbor Resort Waterpark

🗺350 Bell St

This one is aimed more for families. The seasonal outdoor pools in Dubuque are open during the summer and offer more ‘proper swimming’, but if you are after water slides and hot tubs, the Grand Harbor Resort is your best bet. Even I can’t resist the giant dump bucket!  

Guests of the hotel get to use the waterpark for free but you can pay to get a day pass for the waterpark. There’s also a fun arcade where the games have ticket rewards which can be switched for prizes!

Diamond Jo Casino

The Diamond Jo Casino will often have free live music shows or events in their Mississippi Moon Bar…yay free!! But if you sneak across to the other side of the casino, they have free coffee and soft drinks…yay double free!

If you’re designated driver this is great because you can have a night out and not spend a penny! Ironically the Diamond Jo is a casino so you could also end up spending a lot of money if you like gambling! The Q Casino is another casino (located on Schmitt Island). Casinos in Iowa are 21+ venues.

Cherry Lanes Bowling

🗺301 Bell St

It’s always good to have a rainy day option and I do love a game of bowling! Cherry Lanes in the Diamond Jo Casino is a good bowling alley. Despite being in the casino building, it is family friendly. 

Park and enter through the main undercover garage, if you park in the outside car park you’ll have to cross through ‘security’ which of course children aren’t allowed in to.

Mississippi River Cruises

You’ll find several companies that run Mississippi River Cruises. The most frequent is the American Lady, which runs on a daily basis (departing from Schmitt Harbor). 

There are a couple of other companies with larger, more traditional, river boats which have cruises departing from the Port of Dubuque, scattered through the summer season. Viking Cruises also have a stop here on their Mississippi River cruise itineraries.

Eagle Point

• 🚢Lock and Dam 11
• 🦅Eagle Point Park
• 🏠The Ham House
• 🍦Dairy Queen
• 🍔The Yardarm Riverfront Bar & Grill

The Eagle Point district is located at the end of Rhomberg Ave and Kerper Blvd. It’s mostly a residential and industrial area, but there are a few attractions along the Mississippi River that are worth checking out.

Take a Tour of Lock and Dam 11

🗺3094 Volunteer Dr #3052

You can actually go on a tour of the lock and dam during the summer season! There’s also a viewing platform next to the lock where you can watch the huge Mississippi River barges!

Eagle Point Park

🗺2601 Shiras Ave

Another really nice open space is Eagle Point Park. It has plenty of shaded space, playgrounds, toilet facilities and even a pond with a waterfall feature. Vehicle entrance is $1. Eagle Point Park looks over Lock and Dam 11, so you’ll get to see the river from a different angle!

Visit the Ham House

🗺2241 Lincoln Ave

During the summer season, the Mathias Ham house is open for guided tours and shows what life was like in the Victorian era. On the 4th July they hold an annual ice cream social! There are also special themed tours during the winter season for Halloween and Christmas! 

The graves of Mathias Ham and his family can be found in the Linwood Cemetery…if you like that type of thing, it’s actually a really interesting cemetery with some unique headstones! With entrance to the Ham House you receive a free Eagle Point Park vehicle ticket.

Dairy Queen on Rhomberg Ave

🗺2300 Rhomberg Ave

It’s just a Dairy Queen I hear you say! WRONG! The Dairy Queen on Rhomberg Ave has been an independently run, family owned Dairy Queen since 1950. It’s only open seasonally and has an outdoor serving hatch rather than the regular indoor counter service.  

All their food is cooked on demand (not stored on a hot plate) and they even serve fried bread with jam/jelly which is not on the regular DQ menus!

The Yardarm Riverfront Bar & Grill

🗺1201 Shiras Ave Ext

The Yardarm is a great spot for open air river-side dining! Often during the summer months they have live music and events. Just be warned that when the fish fly swarm season hits the river, being outside isn’t quite as enjoyable!

Sageville & The North

• 🌸Dubuque Arboretum
• 🧗🏻‍♀️Sky Tours Zip Lining

For those that love nature and the outdoors, check out these attractions just north of the NW Arterial!

Stroll Around the Dubuque Arboretum

🗺3800 Arboretum Dr

The Dubuque Arboretum is a peaceful haven on the edge of the city. Take a stroll around the gardens, sit and watch the koi in the large pond and kids will enjoy the play equipment! In the summer months, there are free musical performances held at the Arboretum.

Go Zip Lining at Sky Tours!

🗺Sky Tours, 11764 John F Kennedy Rd

At Sky Tours there are 9 zip lines including a dual racing zip line. The history of this area is fascinating and the guides make the tour a really fun experience! You can read my full review of Sky Tours Zip Lining here!

Key West & The South

• 🌳Julian Dubuque Monument (Mines of Spain)
• 🦇Crystal Lake Caves

South of HWY61 and 52 are another two great outdoor attractions. If you enjoy hiking, keep reading!

Julien Dubuque Monument at Mines of Spain

🗺Mines of Spain, 8991 Bellevue Heights Rd

This is one of my favourite viewpoints in Dubuque and you don’t even really have to hike to it if you don’t want to, there’s actually a car park close to it. I love it because it looks like a little mini castle! It’s located in the Mines of Spain Recreational Area and can be enjoyed with other trails.

There are 15 trails altogether, totalling over 14 miles and they are free to visit!

The monument is actually the grave of Julien Dubuque, the founder of the town! My favourite trail at the Mines of Spain is the Horseshoe Bluff trail but the Julien Dubuque monument is another must see attraction!

Explore Crystal Lake Caves

🗺6684 Crystal Lake Cave Rd

East Iowa is home to several caves, and this particular underground cave system was discovered back in the 1860’s! Guided tours last around 45 minutes.

They maintain a steady temperature year round so can be a little chilly in the summer compared to the outside temperatures! Crystal Lake Caves is located near the Mine’s of Spain Recreational Area, on the outskirts!

Asbury & The West

• 🎬Phoenix Theater
• 🧗🏻‍♀️The Fun Station
• 🍫Betty Jane Candies
• 🎡Dubuque County Fair

I’m not going to lie, the west of Dubuque (from John F Kennedy Rd) isn’t the most attractive area, it’s mostly a residential and business district. Here you’ll find the Kennedy Mall and other large chain stores (Best Buy, Target etc) and restaurants.

Watch a Movie From The Comfort of a Recliner at the Phoenix Theatre

🗺555 John F Kennedy Rd unit 105

Phoenix Theater movie theatre is located at the Kennedy Mall. It is slightly more expensive than the AMC theatre BUT it has the luxury of heated (which you may not need in the summer unless you hate air con as much as me) recliners!

Pretend to be a ‘Ninja Warrior’ at The Fun Station

🗺555 John F Kennedy Rd #400

The Fun Station is a trampoline park with the addition of a Ninja Warrior style assault course (disclosure: it has nothing to do with the real Ninja Warrior programme), although you land in a foam pit rather than a swimming pool! Even as an adult, we found the course tough going!

Prices are totalled in 30 minute increments. There’s a big glass window along the length of the course so you can watch it without having to go in. You also have to buy special grippy socks (which I managed to lose in the foam pit).

Since my visit, they now have a launch slide, racing slides and a play maze! The newest additions will be a zip line and a trapeze!

Ice Cream at Betty Jane Candies

🗺1785 JFK Road,

Betty Jane Candies have been making chocolate in Dubuque since 1938 and are well known for their Gremlins (pecans and caramel, topped with chocolate). When it gets to the summer months, the Asbury Road location produces and sells homemade ice cream!

My personal favourite is the ‘Gremlin-Nilla’, vanilla ice cream with smashed up Gremlins! They also have a version made with chocolate ice cream!

Dubuque County Fair

🗺14569 Old Hwy Rd

There’s no getting around this one! The Dubuque County Fair is held for one week every summer. There’s fairground rides, music and then the farming aspect where you’ll get to see people vacuuming cows, which as a Brit is an eye opener! 

I love the deep fried food stand which sell (to name a few!): deep fried ice cream cones, deep fried mushrooms and the typical fair favourite, funnel cakes!

Other events are held at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds throughout the year, such as Torquefest and various dirt track racing.

Visiting from out of town?

WHERE TO STAY

7 Best Hotels In Dubuque Iowa USA

I recommend staying at the Hotel Julien in Downtown Dubuque.  (Disclosure: I have worked with this hotel but there’s no denying that it’s an icon and it’s LOVELY). Those with kids may prefer to stay at the Grand Harbor for the free waterpark access and Mississippi River views!

DRIVING DISTANCES

• Chicago, IL – 165 miles (3hrs)
• Milwaukee, WI – 170 miles (2hrs 40)
• Des Moines, IA – 195 miles (3hrs)
• Minneapolis, MN – 250 miles (4hrs 40)
• St Louis, MO – 335 miles (4hrs 55)

Dubuque also has a regional airport with 3 daily flights to Chicago.

If you’re planning on visiting and would like anymore information on what to do from a ‘local’, please feel free to message me or comment below and I’ll be more than happy to point you in the right direction!

Related Reading: America’s Longest Highway: Awesome Events & Roadside Attractions Along Highway 20 in East Iowa!

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Last Updated on May 23, 2025