Dozen Distinctive Destinations
Dubuque, IA
Year Listed: 2005
A hilltop view of Dubuque at night.
Credit: City of Dubuque
A picturesque urban work of art perched high on a bluff above America’s mightiest river, Dubuque, Iowa, proudly calls itself the "Masterpiece of the Mississippi." Settled in 1788 by Canadian fur trader Julien Dubuque, the vibrant city celebrates its heritage at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, which showcases three centuries of history, and through authentic paddleboat excursions. Dubuque’s steep hills also offer plenty of vistas for those who prefer to do their sightseeing on high.
The city boasts the nation’s shortest, steepest scenic cable car, offering a quick but breath-taking ride that deposits visitors in Fenelon Place, an area of lovingly preserved Victorian homes. If cable cars don’t appeal, the 164-acre Eagle Point Park overlooking the river has spectacular views of Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. For lovers of architecture and history, the 1856 Italianate mansion of Mathias Ham provides a rare glimpse of what life was like on the river for one of the elite few, while the gold-domed Dubuque County Courthouse, circa 1891, is a fine example of Beaux Arts Classicism. Just outside of town, the Crystal Lake Cave, known for its intricate formations, is a cool refuge in summer, and the "Field of Dreams" movie site, a quaint family farm with a baseball diamond carved into its cornfields, is the ideal place to unwind and run the bases after a great Dubuque day.
For these reasons, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country's largest private, nonprofit preservation organization, named Dubuque, Iowa, to its 2005 list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States. It was selected from nearly 80 destinations in 44 states that were nominated by individuals, preservation organizations and local communities.
