National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

06/03/2026

Mark your calendars for Member Appreciation Day this Saturday, June 6!

Enjoy an exclusive 15% OFF all regular-priced merchandise at our Museum Stores!

This offer excludes local merchandise and already discounted items.

Be sure to show your active membership at checkout.

Not a member yet? Or has your membership expired? Purchase or renew your membership today and join in on the fun!

To purchase, renew, or learn more, visit: https://www.rivermuseum.org/membership

06/01/2026

Is school out for the summer? Make this summer your greatest adventure! Kids entering Kindergarten through 5th grade can join us for a summer filled with hands-on activities and endless fun!

Summer Camps:
June 15-19: KinderKamp: Animal Heroes
June 22-26: KinderKamp: Superpower Camp
July 7-9: Explorers of the Driftless
July 21-23: River Rats
July 28-30: Survival Camp
August 4-6: Living History at the Mathias Ham Historic Site.

Register today! Camp Registration Closes One Week Prior to the Start of Each Camp.

Learn more and register at https://www.rivermuseum.org/summer-camps. Scholarships are available.

05/30/2026

As Historic Preservation Month wraps up, we would like to recognize the four recent awardees of the Dubuque County Historic Preservation Awards. Today, we're recognizing the work of Jim and Betty Coohey.

First noticed by this committee in 1978, we return again as they celebrate a 50-year milestone of stewardship that brings the historic Maurice Brown House into the 21st Century. The Maurice Brown House is one of the contributing structures of the Seminary Hill Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. It is a late Victorian, Second Empire-style, with a two-story pavilion with a gable roof. It features a triple-dormer set with round flat-top hoods. The property was converted into four apartments in the 1920s, and later owners additionally converted the garage into living spaces as well. It was in this state that the Cooheys bought the home in 1977.

The Coohey family poured their efforts into preserving the Maurice Brown House, meticulously remodeling the interior, including all apartments, while honoring the home’s rich history. Their commitment to retaining the original woodwork, moldings, hardware, and other key features helped maintain the house’s unique character. They have restored the original Yankee gutters and brackets and did significant repairs in the last year, including replacing the asphalt roof and updating the exterior staircase.

Congratulations, Coohey family!

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

Today is National Learn About Composting Day! Celebrate by learning about the benefits of composting and what you can do!

When food scraps and yard waste sit in landfills, they trap harmful gases and produce methane, a powerful driver of climate change. Composting completely transforms this waste. Instead of creating pollution, these materials become nutrient-rich organic matter that builds healthy soil, improves water retention, prevents erosion, and supports vibrant pollinator habitats.

Best of all, anyone can participate! You can easily compost at home, or if you live in Dubuque, you can utilize the convenient curbside pickup program for your food scraps and yard waste.

This one small habit makes a big impact locally. Healthier soils act like a sponge, absorbing rainwater and drastically reducing polluted runoff into the Mississippi River. By composting, you are directly supporting cleaner local waterways, resilient landscapes, and a more sustainable future right from your own backyard.

For more information on composting, be sure to check out Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency’s webpage, https://www.dmaswa.org/166/Compost

05/28/2026

As Historic Preservation Month wraps up, we would like to recognize the four recent awardees of the Dubuque County Historic Preservation Awards. Today, we're recognizing the work of Ron and Mary Breitbach.

Derby Grange, a quintessential English manor-style home built in 1856–1857 by Joseph Herod, stands as a remarkable example of mid-19th-century craftsmanship six miles west of Dubuque. Constructed of triple red brick, the house features eight-foot-tall windows fitted with interior wooden folding shutters, a hallmark of wealthy property owners of that era. It boasts eleven-foot-high ceilings on the first floor and nine-and-a-half-foot ceilings on the second floor. Its most celebrated interior element—the grand marble fireplace in the dining room—has served as the focal point for generations.

Over the past two decades, skilled craftsman and general contractor Joseph G. Mulgrew meticulously restored Derby Grange. His work exposed the original pine floors, modernized the kitchen while preserving historic character, and added custom marble and cabinetry in the dining room to complement the original fireplace.

Congratulations, Ron and Mary Breitbach!

05/28/2026

Reminder! Our 4th Annual Native Plant Sale is happening TONIGHT from 5 to 7 PM in the River Museum Plaza!

Shop native plants and shrubs while connecting with local experts and organizations passionate about creating healthier habitats for pollinators, wildlife, and water quality.

The Conservation Department will offer over 10 different native species starting at $2. We'll also have local native growers set up outside the Plaza gates (Partner growers set their own prices).

Featured growers & resources include:

- NMRMA greenhouse-grown native plugs
- Friends of Dubuque County Conservation
- Dropseed Farms
- Blooming Prairie Iowa
- Genuine Landscape Design
- City of Dubuque Branching Out Tree Program
- Iowa State Extension Office
- Dubuque County Master Gardeners

Whether you’re planting a pollinator garden, adding native shrubs, or just getting started, there’s something for everyone! Come early for the best selection!

This event is located in the Plaza and takes place after hours, and does not require general admission.

05/27/2026

As Historic Preservation Month wraps up, we would like to recognize the four recent awardees of the Dubuque County Historic Preservation Awards. Today, we're recognizing the work of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey.

Originally, the property the Sisters now manage was settled by various individuals from the first Indigenous Peoples, the Meskwaki or Fox Nation, to the European settlers who pressed West of the Mississippi River. Among those were Joseph and Angelina Mannhart, Swiss immigrants who arrived in Iowa and made their first purchase of land in October 1853 in Mosalem Township. The 1860 census reveals they had 25 acres of tilled ground and another 135 of untilled acreage. This homestead is in a valley toward Masset Road in what is today part of the Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey property and commonly called the North Farm due to its location from the main house-monastery. The Sisters took ownership in 1964, including all buildings on the property, like the log cabin.

The log cabin was story and a half high, but due to being abandoned, it had logs that were rotted and unsalvageable. It was reconstructed at a new location by the Abbey farm pond between 1989 and 1990. This process involved chiseling mortars off the logs, moving them by flat-bed trailer, and placing them on a new foundation to be re-mortared. An overhanging roof was added for protection.

Congratulations to the Sisters of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey!

05/27/2026

Happy World Otter Day!

At the River Museum, we have North American River Otters (Lontra canadensis), which are semi-aquatic mammals native to much of North America, though they are largely absent from the west and southwest. Their thick fur keeps them warm and dry while swimming, and their webbed feet and long, flattened tails make them excellent swimmers. They can even close their nostrils when diving. As one of the larger members of the weasel family, they have a varied diet. While they mostly eat other animals (fish, mollusks, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, etc.), they will also eat some vegetation.

North American River Otters were extirpated from Iowa (locally extinct) in the early 1900s, but were successfully reintroduced in the mid-1980s. Now, they can be found in every county of the state!

You can find our otters in the Jim & Jean Gantz Otter Habitat, both inside and outside. You can also watch them on the otter we**am by visiting https://www.rivermuseum.org/we**ams

05/26/2026

Since 1975, Dubuque County Historical Society honors those individuals and organizations that preserve the architectural heritage of their properties. The awards committee works in conjunction with the City of Dubuque’s Historic Preservation Commission to discover, research, and document these properties. As Historic Preservation Month wraps up, we would like to recognize the four recent awardees of the Dubuque County Historic Preservation Awards. Throughout the week, we were highlighting and congratulating the four award winners!

Today, we're recognizing the work of Barbara and Calvin Gatch. Their property is a farmstead with a history tracing back to an original Julien Dubuque land claim in 1788. It is one of the few remaining that represent the Luxembourgian settlement of the mid to late 1800s in this area. As agriculture and rural life changed, these limestone houses, barns, and well-houses became less practical and less frequently built. Since taking ownership in 1973, the Gatches have made additions to the main house, but they have done so with limited impact on the original stonework.

The main house has yielded some surprises, such as finding a rosary amid the stonework while tuckpointing, which the family has since framed in the room it was found. The discovery of the rosary is a hallmark of the strong religious ties Luxembourgians had with the Catholic Church.

Congratulations, Barbara and Calvin Gatch!