Dubuque Vacation

Last spring we took a weekend trip to Dubuque and had a great time.  After seeing a Groupon for Hotel Julien I thought it would be fun to do again.  It was a bonus when I was able to get a buy one get one free ticket to The National Mississippi River Museum after our trip was already planned. 

We visited the Dubuque Museum of Art when we got to town.  They had a student art display and a few Grant Wood paintings.

Dan enjoyed talking about the artwork with Sylvia and trying to explain perspective to her.

Eric and I talked about the colors and animals we saw in the artwork.

After checking into the hotel we took a dip in the pool.  Sylvia is becoming quite the swimmer and Drake went under water for the first time.  We think Eric may take after daddy and not like swimming as much as his big sister.

We all enjoyed the "hot pool" for a bit before heading back up to our room. 

We ate dinner at a restaurant named Star on the Mississippi.  The kids enjoyed looking out the windows with Dan while we waited for our food and I tried to get Drake to sleep.  Kid's meals were followed with Dippin' Dots ice cream.  It may not be the ice cream of the future but our kids sure enjoyed it.

Sylvia and Eric enjoyed the view out our hotel room.  It was a foggy morning but you could still see quite a ways.  We enjoyed a giant breakfast in the hotel restaurant.  The kids each got three "mini" pancakes which actually filled their plates and were not mini at all.  It was a delicious.

We stopped in the lobby for some pictures while daddy loaded up the car.

After leaving the hotel, we took a ride on the Fenelon Place Elevator.

Daddy, Eric and Sylvia walking up to the train car.

Checking out the view from above.  As I mentioned before, it was a foggy day.

Our family of 5 loaded up and ready to head on down.

Our next stop was The National Mississippi River Museum.  They have great aquariums.  This one has a giant catfish in it that Eric is trying to "pet."

Sylvia wasn't too sure what she thought about the catfish.

Daddy and Sylvia pushed a button and flooded the Mississippi.

Sylvia wasn't interested in touching a crawfish until her little brother did.

We took a tour of the W.M. Black.  It was a working dredge boat on the Mississippi during WWII.

Watching a short film about the Mississippi.

We filled a bucket of water until it dumped out by peddling these bikes.

Deepo's Undersea 3D Wondershow and Dinosaurs were the shows playing in the 4D theater.  Sylvia was excited to try out the theater again.  She got scared during the turtle movie last year.  She enjoyed the movies although she did not keep her 3D glasses on.

What better way to end our trip than a visit to the Mississippi River.  Eric likes to play in and eat sand so it was a little difficult to keep him on his feet.

All three kids slept most of the way home and Dan and I got to spend the carride home talking.  We had a wonderful weekend and the kids really enjoyed themselves.  Drake was a real tropper while hanging out in the stroller or swing most of the trip.  We're looking forward to longer vacations in the future, but this was the perfect location for our young family.  They may not remember much from these ages but I'm thankful for the time we're spending together.