Day 1 Dubuque, IA

Get acquainted with your fellow travelers as we make our way to Dubuque on this mid summer getaway today! On arrival to this beautiful city located on the Mississippi River, we’ll visit the Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Summer is the time for full color on the grounds. During our visit, you will see a variety of flowers including roses, lilies, dahlias, annuals, clematis, lupine, daisies, coneflowers, hydrangeas, yucca, balloon flowers, hibiscus, and so much more. Next, we will check-in to the luxurious and historic, Hotel Julien. This evening we will board the Celebration Belle for a cruise along the Mississippi River. Enjoy an evening full of fun including dinner and dancing while we cruise down the river! (D)

Day 2 Fort Atkinson, WI

Our morning begins at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium to learn about the history and wildlife of the Mississippi River. Lunch is included today at a local favorite restaurant. We cross the “Mighty Mississippi” and enter Wisconsin making our way to Fort Atkinson for a two night stay. This evening we attend “The Church Basement Ladies in The Last Potluck Supper” at the Fireside Dinner Theater. It is 1979, the day of the church’s Centennial Celebration, and past parishioners have gathered to share hotdish, bars, and stories from the last 100 years. As the women work in the kitchen, shared memories set off a series of flashbacks and we travel back to 1897 and meet Vivian’s grandmother; see Karin as a newlywed cautiously navigating the politics of the kitchen; and 1944 when Mavis first barreled her way through the door. The Centennial Celebration is bittersweet. Times are tough in this small farm community, and hard decisions will have to be made. (B, D)

Day 3 Home

Today we begin our travels toward home making a stop in Lake Delton for a horse-drawn carriage tour through Lost Canyon, the longest and deepest land canyon in Wisconsin. Ride through a mile of cliff-walled gorges in comfortable yet quaint horse-drawn carriages. At the narrowest passages, the guides must talk the horses through the tight squeeze. In some of the deeper parts, the sheer rock and sandstone wall have not felt the touch of the sun in more than 50,000 years. Later we’ll arrive back at our original pick-up points and say our goodbyes after a fun mid-summer getaway! (B)