The story of the Mississippi River region comes alive as you travel the Great River Road. Along the byway, you’ll find nearly 100 designated Great River Road Interpretive Centers and a number of scenic overlooks and locks and dams. If you’re interested in experiencing the Mississippi River, the Great River Road is the way to go.
Minnesota • Wisconsin • Iowa • Illinois • Missouri • Kentucky • Tennessee • Arkansas • Mississippi • Louisiana
Minnesota
Minnesota Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Itasca State Park-Jacob Brower Visitor Center – Park Rapids
- Itasca County Historical Society – Grand Rapids
- Forest History Center – Grand Rapids
- Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site – Little Falls
- Oliver Kelley Farm, Minnesota Historical Society – Elk River
- Mill City Museum – Minneapolis
- Historic Fort Snelling – St. Paul
- Minnesota History Center – St. Paul
- The Science Museum of Minnesota – St. Paul
- NPS Mississippi River Visitor Center – St. Paul
- National Eagle Center – Wabasha
- Minnesota Marine Art Museum – Winona
- Winona County History Center – Winona
Locks & Dams on the Mississippi River in Minnesota
- Upper St. Anthony Falls – Minneapolis
- Lower St. Anthony Falls – Minneapolis
- Lock & Dam #1 – Minneapolis
- Lock & Dam #2 – Hastings
- Lock & Dam #3 – Red Wing
- Lock & Dam #5 – Winona
- Lock & Dam #7 – LaCrescent
Scenic Overlooks in Minnesota
- Great River Bluffs State Park – Winona
- Garvin Heights City Park – Winona
- John A. Latsch State Park – Minneiska
- Summit Avenue – St. Paul
- Barn Bluff – Red Wing
See Minnesota Great River Road map.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Great River Road Visitor & Learning Center – Prescott
- Genoa National Fish Hatchery – Genoa
- Villa Louis – Prairie du Chien
- Fort Crawford Museum – Prairie du Chien
- Stonefield State Historic Site – Cassville
- Potosi Brewing Company – Potosi
Locks & Dams on the Mississippi River
- Lock & Dam #4 – Alma
- Lock & Dam #5a – Fountain City
- Lock & Dam #6 – Trempealeau
- Lock & Dam #8 – Genoa
Scenic Overlooks in Wisconsin
- Nelson Dewey State Park – Cassville
- Wyalusing State Park – Bagley
- Larson Bluff – Lynxville
- Grandad Bluff – La Crosse
- Perrot State Park – Trempealeau
- Buena Vista Park – Alma
- Freedom Park – Prescott
See Wisconsin Great River Road map.
Iowa
Iowa Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Driftless Area Education & Visitor Center – Lansing
- Effigy Mounds National Monument – Harpers Ferry
- Motor Mill Historic Site – Elkader
- Iowa DNR – Guttenberg Fish Hatchery – Guttenberg
- National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium & National Rivers Hall of Fame – Dubuque
- E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center/Mines of Spain Recreation Area – Dubuque
- Hurstville Interpretive Center – Maquoketa
- The Sawmill Museum – Clinton
- Mississippi River Eco Tourism Center – Camanche
- Buffalo Bill Museum & River Pilots Pier – LeClaire
- Putnam Museum of History & Natural Science – Davenport
- Nahant Marsh Education Center – Davenport
- Pine Creek Grist Mill – Muscatine
- Muscatine History & Industry Center – Muscatine
- Toolesboro Mounds & Museum – Wapello
- Heritage Center Museum – Burlington
- Old Fort Madison – Ft. Madison
- George M. Verity Riverboat Museum – Keokuk
Locks and Dams on the Mississippi River in Iowa
- Lock & Dam #9 – Harpers Ferry
- Lock & Dam #10 – Guttenberg
- Lock & Dam #11 – Dubuque
- Lock & Dam #12 – Bellevue
- Lock & Dam #13 – Clinton
- Lock & Dam #14 – LeClaire
- Lock & Dam #16 – Muscatine
- Lock & Dam #19 – Keokuk
Scenic Overlooks in Iowa
- Pike’s Peak State Park – McGregor
See Iowa Great River Road map.
Illinois
Illinois Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Mississippi River Visitor Center Lock and Dam 15 – Rock Island
- Black Hawk State Historic Site – Rock Island
- Villa Kathrine/Friends of the Castle – Quincy
- Pere Marquette State Park – Grafton
- National Great Rivers Museum – Alton
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site – Collinsville
- Fort de Chartres State Historic Site – Prairie du Rocher
- Pierre Menard State Historic Site & Fort Kaskaskia – Ellis Grove
- Cairo Custom House Museum – Cairo
Locks and Dams on the Mississippi River in Illinois
- Lock & Dam #13 – Fulton
- Lock & Dam #15 – Rock Island
- Lock & Dam #17 – New Boston
- Lock & Dam #18 – Gladstone
- Lock & Dam #21 – Quincy
- Lock & Dam #26 – East Alton
- Lock & Dam #27 – Granite City
Scenic Overlooks in Illinois
- Old Chain of Rocks Bridge – Madison
- Sunset Park – Rock Island
- Mississippi Rapids Welcome Center – Rock Island
See Illinois Great River Road map.
Missouri
Missouri Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum – Hannibal
- City of Clarksville Visitor Center – Clarksville
- Howard & Joyce Wood Education & Visitor Center at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area – St. Louis
- Gateway Arch National Park – St. Louis
- Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center – Sainte Genevieve
- Trail of Tears State Park – Jackson
- Cape Girardeau Conservation Campus Nature Center – Cape Girardeau
- Sikeston Depot Museum – Sikeston
- New Madrid Historical Museum – New Madrid
Locks and Dams on the Mississippi River in Missouri
- Lock & Dam #20 – Canton
- Lock & Dam #22 – Saverton
- Lock & Dam #23 – Between Saverton and Clarksville
- Lock & Dam #24 – Clarksville
- Lock & Dam #25 – Winfield
Scenic Overlooks in Missouri
- Old Mississippi River Bridge Scenic Overlook – Cape Girardeau
- Trail of Tears State Park – Jackson
See Missouri Great River Road map.
Kentucky
Kentucky Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site – Wickliffe
- Columbus-Belmont State Park – Columbus
See Kentucky Great River Road map.
Tennessee
Tennessee Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Reelfoot Lake State Park – Tiptonville
- Discovery Park of America – Union City
- C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa/T.O. Fuller State Park – Memphis
See Tennessee Great River Road map.
Arkansas
Arkansas Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Delta Gateway Museum – Blytheville
- Mississippi County Historical & Genealogical Society Museum – Osceola
- Historic Dyess Colony | Johnny Cash Boyhood Home – Dyess
- Hampson Archeological Museum State Park – Wilson
- Parkin Archeological State Park – Parkin
- Sultana Disaster Museum – Marion
- Mississippi River State Park – Marianna
- Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie – Stuttgart
- Helena Museum of Phillips County – Helena
- Delta Cultural Center – Helena
- Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge – St. Charles
- Arkansas Post National Memorial – Gillett
- World War II Japanese American Internment Museum – McGehee
- Lake Chicot State Park – Lake Village
- Lakeport Plantation – Lake Village
See Arkansas Great River Road map.
Mississippi
Mississippi Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Tunica RiverPark Museum – Tunica
- Delta Blues Museum – Clarksdale
- Washington County Welcome Center & Museum of the Delta/River Road Queen Welcome Center – Greenville
- Lower Mississippi River Museum – Vicksburg
- Vicksburg National Military Park – Vicksburg
- Grand Gulf Military Monument Commission, aka Grand Gulf Park – Port Gibson
- Natchez Convention and Visitor Bureau – Natchez
- Mississippi Welcome Center/Woodville Hospitality Station – Woodville
See Mississippi Great River Road map.
Louisiana
Louisiana Great River Road Interpretive Centers:
- Poverty Point World Heritage Site – Pioneer
- Port Hudson State Historic Site – Jackson
- West Feliciana Historical Society Museum – St. Francisville
- LSU Rural Life Museum & Windrush Gardens – Baton Rouge
- Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site – Plaquemine
- The Louisiana Great River Road Interpretive Center and Museum – Darrow
- The Historic New Orleans Collection – New Orleans
- Louisiana State Museum – New Orleans
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve – New Orleans