8 Night Minneapolis (Red Wing) to St. Louis (Alton) Cruise and Land Tour from Minneapolis

Enjoy your complimentary stay at the pre-cruise hotel. The evening is yours to become acquainted with the city. For your convenience, American Queen Voyages Hospitality Desk will be located in the hotel, and the friendly staff can assist with everything from general questions about your upcoming voyage to reserving premium experiences. Representatives from AQV and a local port/city partner will be available to provide you with dining, entertainment, and sightseeing options to maximize your time here.

Red Wing was included on National Geographic Traveler's list of the world's most historic places. The port city offers endless opportunities to travel back in time and learn about settlers and pioneers who occupied the land or admire the craftsmanship and creativity of local artisans of both the present and the past. The first settlers in town built small mills, factories, and workshops, similar to ones they were familiar with in New England where many came from. Immigrants from Germany, Ireland, and Sweden were also skilled craftsman. Some early and persistent industries are tanning and shoe-making. Other businessmen made farm equipment, bricks, barrels, boats, furniture, pottery, and buttons. Consumables included beer and lumber. Service industries including stone-cutting, hospitality, and retailing. The Saint James Hotel remains a working token of the earlier time. Red Wing also was the home of Gustavus Adolphus College, a private liberal arts college. It was founded in Red Wing but moved to East Union before settling in St. Peter. Red Wing was once home to Hamline University, founded in 1854 as the first institution of higher education in the state of Minnesota; it closed in 1869 due to low enrollment. The Red Wing stoneware and pottery industry developed in the northwest of the city. It used clay from the area of Hay Creek, near a hamlet named Claybank. A railroad branch line was built to carry the clay to Red Wing. The factory buildings remain, but only traces of the railroad, abandoned in 1937, are left.

La Crosse resides along the famous Great River Road National Scenic Byway, considered by some as the most scenic drive in America. This river town also has a long-standing romance with the steamboat era, and as our paddlewheeler kisses its port, guests are welcomed by its eye-catching vistas and expansive waterfront park. The La Crosse Region is a proud part of the Driftless Area, a part of the world with an ancient, distinct topography and unparalleled views. "Drift" refers to glacial drift; the rock and sediment deposited by a glacier as it moves over an area of land. During the last Ice Age, a small piece of the Upper Mississippi Region was miraculously left untouched by glacial erosion and deposits. The surrounding landscapes that once featured prominent bluffs were leveled to plains and rolling hills, yet no glaciers entered one small pocket; thus, the Driftless Area became the last remnant of the natural, rugged terrain that once spanned today's Upper Midwest. Straddling the Mississippi, the Driftless Area of today encompasses more than 24,000 miles across Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. La Crosse County is one of the 18 Wisconsin counties within the realm of the Driftless. Within its depths, La Crosse harbors a vibrant community; the cultural exchange among it and its six sister cities showcases a deep appreciation for enrichment through diversity. Influences from far-off destinations such as Bantry, Ireland, and Bavaria, Germany, woven into the history and charm of this scenic port, will certainly stir a traveler's soul.

Victorian meets bohemian in this ever-growing Mississippi River gem that's sure to leave dazzling memories. In Dubuque, you can check off your outdoor bucket list in the perfect nature getaway, and explore historic districts peppered with preserved history. Take a ride on the historic Fenelon Place Elevator, which is also the shortest, steepest, scenic railway, spanning 296 feet in length. Admire the 105 stained-glass Tiffany windows at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, home to "one of the five finest religious Tiffany collections in the world". See all the wildlife displays and hands-on exhibits at the National Mississippi River Museum. Cap your day in Dubuque with a tasting at one of the local vineyards or tasting rooms including Stone Cliff and Park Farm wineries. Be sure to take a little piece of Dubuque home with you with goodies from Betty Jane Candies, named the "Top Culinary Gift in Iowa" by People magazine.

Situated in southeastern Iowa, Bettendorf is part of a large metro area called the "Quad Cities", a collection of river vistas and metropolitan communities that meld Midwestern neighborliness with rich educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities. Comprised of the Mississippi riverfront towns of Bettendorf and Davenport in Iowa and Moline and Rock Island in Illinois, these distinctively different urban areas, without friction, blend into the melting pot that the region celebrates. Whimsical architecture complements the eccentric gardens of the Quad City Botanical Center in neighboring Rock Island. The first European-American settlers were predominantly German immigrants who worked as farmers, skilled laborers, and small business owners. They established a village called Lilienthal, after an early tavern and dance hall. An adjacent village of Gilbert developed alongside in 1858. The two villages eventually combined to become the town of Gilbert. Circa 1900, the town gave William and Joseph Bettendorf 70 acres of riverfront land on the condition that they move their iron wagon business from Davenport to Gilbert. In 1903, the town petitioned for incorporation, requesting to change the town's name in honor of the brothers whose factory was a major economic influence in the early development of the city. Today Bettendorf offers an array of recreational opportunities including three golf courses, numerous trails for biking, hiking, and walking, and dek hockey rinks. Dek hockey, a variation of ball hockey, is played on foot with an orange ball in a boarded rink on a surface that protects players from common leg and foot injuries.

Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area, which includes West Burlington and Middletown, Iowa, and Gulfport, Illinois. The site, originally called Shoquoquok, was settled as Flint Hills in 1833 and renamed a year later by a settler for his hometown of Burlington, VT. Iowa's nickname, "The Hawkeye State", has its roots in Burlington. At Judge David Rorer's suggestion, publisher James G. Edwards changed The Iowa Patriot newspaper's name to The Hawk-Eye and Iowa Patriot in tribute to his friend, Chief Black Hawk. Rorer is said to have found the name in James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, but Edwards proposed the nickname to "...rescue from oblivion a memento, at least of the name of the old chief". Burlington was a bustling river port in the steamboat era and a central city to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroads. The "Burlington Route" (1848-1970) merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad (1970-1996), which in turn merged into the BNSF Railway (1997-present). The Burlington name has been given to one of BNSF's main east-west lines (the largest in the U.S.) - Ottumwa subdivision - which still crosses the Mississippi at Burlington.

Located 100 miles north of St. Louis on the Mississippi River, Hannibal is one of Missouri's and the region's best tourism destinations. Hannibal could be described as ordinary, but the father of American literature would beg to differ. The town, with style and dignity, comes to life in the writings of Mark Twain. People, entities, and livelihoods of Hannibal's past endure within the pages of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Life on the Mississippi", and the town's preservation efforts allow visitors to step right onto the page where Twain left off. Today, the river stretches north toward country that's almost as wild and beautiful as it must have been then, and still enlivened by the coming and going of rivercraft. Hannibal attractions are sure to make your port call unforgettable. Explore the Mark Twain Cave written about in five of Twain's books. This famous cave was also used by Jesse James as a hideout following his 1879 bank robbery in Saverton, MO. His signature remains on the cave to this day. Or discover unique attractions like Karlocks Kars & Pop Culture Museum, home to more than 10,000 square feet of artifacts that allow you to relive historic, pop culture moments. Among the remarkable exhibits are more than a dozen vintage cars. The cars include everything from fame-off restorations of beautiful classics to one-of-a-kind American muscle cars. Alternatively, take a walk in the woods at Sodalis Nature Preserve, a 185-acre park with a paved walking and biking loop and the opportunity for woodland hiking.

As your American Queen Voyages journey concludes, there are other opportunities for you to take in the town - whether it's an optional premier post-cruise experience or a quick transfer to the airport for your final trip home - your AQV team can pre-arrange everything for you.