Channel your inner flying squirrel near Dubuque at historic Union Park. Sky Tours features seven ziplines that soar above treetops and ridges. The unique history and natural beauty of this century-old park combine to make for a fascinating tour as you hike from one zipline to the next. But you’ll forget all that when you strap in and step off the 45-foot tower into thin air! (Check out coverage of the course via Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Outdoors.) Spelunkers rejoice! The famous caves of Maquoketa Caves State Park are open again. When you visit, you’ll learn about our friends the bats and how to protect them. Enjoy caves, limestone formations and rugged bluffs – visit the interpretive center to learn more about the caves. Come for a day trip or pitch a tent in wooded campground. Iowa’s oldest state park, Backbone State Park near Strawberry Point, is named for the rugged bedrock formation that twists and turns through the area. Rock climbers enjoy steep bluffs; boaters enjoy the lazy Maquoketa River. Bring your banjo and jam at the Backbone Bluegrass Festival in late July. Try your hand at whitewater rafting without traveling to the Rockies. It’s just a short trip to the Charles City WhiteWater at Riverfront Park, where the Cedar River flows through the middle of town and provides exciting recreation for paddlers and tubers of any experience level. Be sure to mark your calendars for the first annual Charles City Challenge: WhiteWater Weekend June 15-17, and see stand-up paddling make a splash!One of Iowa’s longest trails, the Wabash Trace Nature Trail stretches more than 62 miles through southwest Iowa on a converted railroad bed. An annual trail pass will grant you unlimited access to this multi-use trail – see bikers, hikers, even horseback riders enjoying Iowa’s wide-open scenery and friendly little towns. Ask locally about the Taco Ride… we dare you. Can you ride a mountain bike without a mountain? Of course! Hundreds of mountain bikers will gather June 22-24, 2012, at Scott County Park in eastern Iowa for the 2012 Midwest Mountain Bike Festival. Look for more ideas to paddle, bike, run and swim across Iowa at http://www.traveliowa.com/.
Kathy Bowermaster, Iowa Tourism Office
Looking back on my childhood, I can remember every nook and cranny of our yard. I spent all the time my mother would allow gallivanting around our yard dressed as Wonder Woman and frequently rolling down the hill in our front yard. I still love to be outside and the rolling hills of southeast Iowa are a calling card for adventure seekers like me. Ripley’s Believe It or Not named Snake Alley in Burlington the world's crookedest street. Biking enthusiasts should check out the 30th annual Snake Alley Criterium, slated for Saturday, May 26. It tests the skills of even the most seasoned of cyclists as they maneuver the five major turns while they ascend 60-feet on the 276-foot-long alley. I’m more of a runner then a biker, but every time I see Snake Alley, the kid in me imagines rolling down it. The area has other great outdoor adventures like Starr’s Cave Park and Preserve with its massive limestone bluffs rising from the creek, and, of course, the Mighty Mississippi River. There are several great restaurants with picture perfect river views. If you are traveling with kids, you may want to pay a visit to FunCity. The complex includes indoor/outdoor water parks, bowling, go-karts, laser tag, restaurants and a hotel all under one roof. Not far from FunCity, you can sit back and enjoy America’s favorite pastime as you watch the Burlington Bees, a Class A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Every game features a fun promotional event like Dollar Mondays to Community Basket Day, with this year’s basket including a $10,000 prize!Want to see more in southeast Iowa? Check out these nearby destinations:- Old Fort Madison, Fort Madison – Rebuilt in the likeness of the 1808 original, Old Fort Madison features living history demonstrations and costumed interpreters.
- George M. Verity Riverboat Museum, Keokuk – Check out a retired paddlewheel steamboat that was built in 1927 along with photos of 19th century riverboats and artifacts of the steamboat era.
- Villages of Van Buren – A unique cluster of towns offering antiques, historic lodging, bed-and-breakfast inns, wineries and specialty shops.
Colleen Murphy, Iowa Tourism Office
