When I told people Nate and I booked a few nights in Dubuque, the response was always a “Why?” or “What’s in Dubuque?” The perception that people have of Iowa is certainly one that does not align with a destination one might adventure to. I am happy to report that it is! Dubuque has all the things….foodie restaurants, cute coffee shops, outdoor activities, history museums, wineries, and gorgeous old Victorian homes (for those who love that sort of thing!) Nate and I have compiled a list of To-Do’s that will make a trip to Dubuque a memorable one! We are so happy we chose Dubuque…or perhaps Dubuque chose us??
The History:
A quick history lesson on Dubuque (cuz every town has a story on how it came to be…). Dubuque is Iowa’s oldest city, it all began way back in 1785 when Julien Dubuque, a fur trader, came…saw…and conquered. He had a good relationship with the local Mesquakie Indians and was allowed to mine the bountiful lead deposits. Eventually, these lead mines attracted many others who then settled in the town along the Mississippi River. The towns official birthday, according to what I’ve read, was 1837. As we all know, rivers often lead to new towns and prosperous cities as it was an ideal way to get goods to other places. The Mississippi River was the inspiration that led to Dubuque’s beginnings, and it still inspires today. The stories of how places came to be are at the top of our list when we venture somewhere new. To learn more about Dubuque, the city website has a really great history page…
Stay in Something Historical…
The homes here are astounding. They are massive old Victorian homes with elaborate front doors, mouldings, millwork and trim, with wrought iron fences, spires on the roof, and carved stone. There are plenty of hotels to choose from, but if you want a true experience here….we suggest renting an old home.
I found our perfect staycation home on AirBNB. We actually worked here too during the day so renting a home was a much better fit for us…we brought a few groceries and beverages with us, packed some of my comforts from home, and truly enjoyed living ‘somewhere else’ for a few days. Our house was on the big hill overlooking town, surrounded by more Victorian mansions.
Dubuque is for Foodies
When I look for restaurants, I look for menus that 1. Promote a Chef (I am looking for talent!) and 2. Have a menu that changes with the seasons, and 3. Have unique crafted cocktails! I made reservations at three restaurants and they exceeded my expectations. I recommend trying all three as they were exceptional meals and reasonably priced.
Brazen Open Kitchen – This was my #1 favorite restaurant. Had I known how great it would be, I would have eaten there all three nights and tried something new. Everything here is made from scratch, and you can taste it. Amazing. We started with a savory sweet potato pancake with some kind of crazy delicious gravy. I then had the shrimp, Nate had the salmon, and we both had Aviator cocktails. Dessert was a cream cheese/goat cheese cheesecake topped with a homemade caramel sauce. We didn’t want to leave…
L.Mae Eatery – this restaurant was also good and made delicious crafty cocktails… I had the honey lavender martini. Dinner for me was the filet with blue cheese butter. We also couldn’t say no to cheese cake and ordered a piece of their turtle cheesecake with this decadent cinnamon and sugar topping…. so good.
Pepper Sprout – This restaurant is more of a meat and potatoes kind of place. I say that because the menu had a variety of heavier meals…. Beef Stroganoff, Mac and Cheese, Steak (of course), pastas, etc. We started with a very original Winter Neopolitan appetizer which was phyllo dough stuffed with goat cheese, cranberries, carmelized onions, and squash. It was very unique! Then we had the pumpkin squash soup which I loved… had a nice spicy finish. I ordered the Stroganoff but barely ate it… Nate ordered the pecan-crusted pork chop.
But first, Coffee…
We have a travel tradition…find local coffee houses and GO THERE. It’s how we prefer to start our day when we travel. And, if those coffee houses brew their own beans, well you’ve just hit the powerball of morning coffees. We only had enough time to try two coffee houses, although I will say that Carolines’ Restaurant in the Hotel Julien made an excellent cup of coffee!
Charlottes Coffee House
We spent our first morning in Dubuque at Charlotte’s Coffee House, a delightful coffee house with lots of seating inside and great breakfast items!! I ordered a cranberry scone, definitely made from scratch. Nate had a scrumptious bacon cheddar panini…We took our coffee to go, love the Coffee Love sticker!!
Habits Coffee and Mini Donuts
You have to check out Habits Coffee and Mini Donuts. This was a GREAT find… their thing is tiny fresh donuts topped with sauces, fruit, nuts, bacon, candy, etc. We both got lattes and 12-mini donuts… my favorite was the maple bacon!!! This little coffee house was on Locust St. and right at the bottom of the hill for us! So fun, and they had a travel-themed wall which I had to get a picture of!
A Town Filled with Art
When you drive around the downtown area, you’ll notice the big, beautiful murals every few buildings. They are quite amazing. These are naturally popular Instagram locations…who DOESN’T want their picture taken in front of a beautiful work of art?
There are close to 40 murals in Dubuque. The project to create beautiful murals here started in 2015. They are done by renowned artists from all over the world…how amazing it was to see them. Below are just a few…. There were so many others I wanted to see, not enough time!
Ski the Hills at Sundown Mountain Resort
When I met Nate, I had never gone skiing. Our first experience together? Breckendridge, Co. We went straight for the Colorado ski elite challenge. I spent most of the day falling down… and vowed that I would get back on skis again and do better next time. When I saw the Dubuque had a ski resort, I booked a full day of skiing. Sundown Mountain is the perfect size ski resort with every level of hill. I spent the entire morning doing lessons, both in a group and then private. It was so helpful, and if we come back, I’ll do private again for sure. I learned so much from my instructor…the one-on-one makes a huge difference. Nate is the opposite of me, he is a natural with the balance and motion of skiing. He glides down the hill effortlessly. He stayed right with me when we ventured down a ginormous hill, he was wonderful. He never left my side. Although I had my fair share of falls in the afternoon, I also improved greatly and plan to do this again! Practice makes perfect, and I very much want to go back to Colorado and try a new ski resort. Some people have been skiing their whole life, I’ve only been skiing a fraction of mine.
Sundown Mountain is a small resort and very manageable. The buildings and facilities are a bit run down, but the outdoor space glistens in its perfectness. The landscape was quite beautiful. It was a wonderful day and ski experience, and the price to ski all day was affordable! It was about $80 a person for the day pass and lift fee. We then paid for lessons on top of that. The private lesson was around $50 a person.
Wineries
I look for a winery everywhere we go. I just love trying new wines and maybe taking a bottle home! Thank goodness wineries are open in the winter…There were only two wineries open on Friday so we sampled Barrel Head Winery and Stone Cliff Winery. If you’re a wine adventurer, here are three more we wish we could have tried!
Our first stop was at Stone Cliff Winery downtown Dubuque…this wine was mostly fruit wines, so if you are into the sweet wine, this place is for you. They did have a Cab, so we had a glass and then moved on to the next one.
This trip was 4 nights, 5 days and it was cozy, adventurous, delicious, and memorable. There’s a lot more to do here… I am thinking we need to plan a long weekend to Galena, then hit Dubuque, then try Lake Bluff (a recommendation from someone we met). Dubuque has a few places to go hiking, like the Mines of Spain, and it would be nice to hit the wineries we missed, as well as go to the local museum here. We are so glad we traveled to Dubuque… we find that one adventure always leads to another. I’m sure we’ll be back 🙂
#GoAdventure
Heather and Nate
Welcome to our Book of Adventures 