Tuesday, August 31 - ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
Embark your ship and settle into your stateroom. Located near the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, St. Paul welcomed its first settler in 1838. And little more than a decade later, the thriving settlement was named the capital of the Minnesota Territory. Today, St. Paul is a modern metropolis and the capital of Minnesota. The city's historic residential districts invite long strolls, particularly around Irvine Park near the Mississippi, where late 19th- and early 20th-century mansions grace tree-lined streets.
Wednesday, September 1 - RED WING, MINNESOTA
Red Wing is known for its Red Wing Shoes, which were produced for soldiers in both World War I and World War II. The city was named after a Sioux chief whose red-dyed swan wing indicated his rank. The first settlers, many of whom came from New England, arrived in the mid-1800s. German, Irish, and Scandinavian immigrants followed, bringing skills in tanning, shoemaking, pottery, and more. The city boasts a diversity of legacies, including Red Wing Stoneware and Pottery, founded in 1877 as the nation's first commercial pottery. Today, Red Wing enjoys a place in the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Thursday, September 2 - LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN
La Crosse has a deep connection to the towering bluffs and rolling farmland of the Norskedalen, or "Norwegian Valley." Here, a Norwegian immigrant population has created a unique culture over generations. Historic immigrant villages dot the valley, a collection of preserved homesteads reflecting a frontier way of life. Today, La Crosse boasts numerous sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Its important architectural landmarks, along with an array of engaging statues along the riverfront, make La Croixse feel like a vast open-air museum.
Friday, September 3 - DUBUQUE, IOWA
One of Iowa's few cities laid out among rolling bluffs, Dubuque is called the "Masterpiece on the Mississippi" for its 19th-century ingenuity and modern-day cultural evolution. Timber and boatbuilding were central to the city's growth, with wood harvested in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The spirit of this river town endures in the Cathedral Historic District, which is dotted with well-preserved buildings and authentic period lampposts. Today, the city is hailed for its livability and for its riverside developments, including a museum and aquarium dedicated to the Mississippi River.
Saturday, September 4 - QUAD CITIES, IOWA
Straddling the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers, the Quad Cities area comprises Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline, Illinois. As the only section of the Mississippi that flows from east to west, it is geographically unique. Its tightly knit riverside towns thrived due to thoughtful planning and effective leadership. Today, the Quad Cities rest amid the fertile farmland known as "America's Breadbasket," the nation's most expansive and scenic agricultural region, and is home to agribusiness giants, including John Deere.
Sunday, September 5 - BURLINGTON, IOWA
The US flag was first raised over Iowa in Burlington in 1805 by Lieutenant Zebulon Pike during his Mississippi explorations. Later, it became an outpost of the American Fur Company, a trading enterprise founded by John Jacob Astor. In 1834, it took its present name after the Vermont birthplace of its first settler, John Gray. During the steamboat era, it was a major port along the river. Today, the city is home to many magnificent buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Art Deco Capitol Theater and the Gothic Revival St. Paul's Church.
Monday, September 6 - HANNIBAL, MISSOURI
Hannibal is the childhood home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, and the inspiration for his beloved stories, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Before the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and the arrival of European settlers, a variety of indigenous Native American tribes called the area home. Hannibal grew into the primary port of steamboats and flatboats traveling the Upper Mississippi. "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," the early 20th-century socialite, philanthropist, and survivor of the Titanic tragedy, was also born.
Tuesday, September 7 - ST LOUIS (ALTON), MISSOURI
Bid farewell to your fellow guests and journey home. Or spend more time exploring, perhaps joining one of our extensions.