National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
River Aquarium · Dubuque, Iowa
A fourteen-acre campus in the Port of Dubuque devoted to a single river, combining aquarium tanks of Mississippi fish with the working history of the people who used it. It is a Smithsonian Affiliate and is accredited both by the American Alliance of Museums and by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which is an unusual pairing and describes the place exactly — half natural history, half industrial and social history, and better at the join than either half alone.
350 East 3rd Street, Dubuque, Iowa, 52001, United States
Open daily, 9:00 to 17:00, year round — unusually reliable for Iowa, where much else closes seasonally or midweek. Adult admission is typically in the region of $20-$25 with reductions for children, seniors and members; the rate varies with season and special exhibitions, so check rivermuseum.org. ⚠ THE MUSEUM PARTICIPATES IN MUSEUMS FOR ALL, giving substantially reduced admission to visitors with an EBT or WIC card — it is not prominently advertised and is worth asking about at the desk. Military discounts are offered. The fourteen-acre campus is both indoor galleries and an outdoor boatyard, so a fair-weather day gets you both halves. Parking in the Port of Dubuque is a mix of free and paid; check arrangements on arrival.
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