Great River Road trip. What were your highlights?

RVwife

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We are considering doing the Great River Road. There are so many scenic overlooks, historic sites, and "interpretive" centers along the way that it would be hard to at every one.

Any of you who have done this trip (or segments of it) what do you recommend as the best/your favorite stops? Any unexpected pleasant surprise discoveries?

The plan is to stay at COE campgrounds when possible, but we are open to suggestions of other nice campgrounds as well.

We are hoping to do it in 2 sections, at a leisurely pace. Segment 1 in Fall 2024 possibly; from the headwaters in MN to St. Louis. Then head back home to Michigan for the winter. In spring 2025, we'd pick up where we left off and finish the southern half down to New Orleans.

We'd like to include as many National Parks along the way (such as Effigy Mounds, Gateway Arch, and the various parks around New Orleans. We'll likely cruise home via the Natchez Trace, which we have done once before.
 
Louisiana part of your trip

As you are heading south into LA, catch Poverty Point, our only UNESCO site, spend the night in a haunted mansion in St Francisville, check out LSU’s campus and see Mike the Tiger, (check online for visitor parking, it’s complicated), Visit the Houmas House in Burnside, go to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, visit the Chalmette battlefield where we beat the British in 1812, cross the Missippi River in Canarvon on the ferry into Bell Chases and get some bbq at Hwy 38 on your way down to the mouth of the Mississippi River in Venice. Then turn around and head to Natchez to ride the Trace.
 
My wife crossing the Mississippi River on foot.
 

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Thanks so much. Will certainly count those in for our second leg of the trip.
 
Bob, great photo. Where was that photo taken? The headwaters up near Itasca? We certainly want to get that iconic, walking across the river, photo. We have one from our New Mexico trip, camping next to the Rio Grande where it is just a little stream.

DH sent that to one of his former migrant workers joking that it wouldn't be hard to get across there. (Just to dispel concerns, DH's crew were all here legally through the H2A program or were actually Texan born US citizens. All those guys are still great friends and keep in touch even though DH retired several years ago.)
 
Bob, great photo. Where was that photo taken? The headwaters up near Itasca? We certainly want to get that iconic, walking across the river, photo. We have one from our New Mexico trip, camping next to the Rio Grande where it is just a little stream.

DH sent that to one of his former migrant workers joking that it wouldn't be hard to get across there. (Just to dispel concerns, DH's crew were all here legally through the H2A program or were actually Texan born US citizens. All those guys are still great friends and keep in touch even though DH retired several years ago.)

Yes, that photo was taken at the headwaters of the Mississippi River here:

https://tinyurl.com/2asc5jdp
 
Columbus-Belmont State Park, KY (on the bluffs of the Mississippi) with nice campground and the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN. Are must visits on the Great River Road.
To travel and see the River and all its sights took us five years and some 4,000+ miles in our small RV. . Home base was Murray, KY just 98 miles on KY-80 from Hickman, KY, a walled town on the Mississippi with an operating ferry across the River. Just on the other side is Big Oak Tree State Park, AR. Another place not to be missed if you are a nature lover.
 
Way to many places along the river to mention in one post. But my favorite part was Memphis. Elvis, Mud Island, the Memphis Belle was there then, the zoo was great, Beale Street. We have done most of the river, in sections. It's pretty nice because most places are not over crowded tourist traps.
 
Thank you. Will have to check it out, especially since we will probably end our first leg of the journey somewhere near that area before we head back home. We do like to stay @ SPs when COE parks are not also in the area.

We loved Columbus Belmont SP when we were there a few years ago. It was a chance find then, but is definitely on the list for a return visit. There are still places fo us to explore near there. Will absolutely be making a side trip to Paducah to revisit the National Quilt Museum. Do not miss that place. The river murals are cool too.

The National Eagle Center is also on our must visit list. Really looking forward to that. They are such magnificent birds. We are lucky to have several nests in our area. Love watching them. Just today on the way to town we saw one, not 15 yards, away scavenging a roadkill deer. What a sight!

We had originally planned to make the journey in 2 parts, one in fall with the rest the following spring. As you are pointing out, I keep discovering more to see that sounds like we would not want to miss. We may have to rethink the trip, slow down and do it in more segments so we can fully enjoy and appreciate. It is nice to hear that it is not too crowded with tourist traps. We much enjoy the real everyday life, scenic beauty, culture, and history without overdone tourist hype.
 
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Columbus Belmont State Park in Kentucky is a nice park. You overlook the Mississippi River from the campground. This place is near enough you can cross the intersection of the Ohio River where it meets the Mississippi River. You drive the old US rte 62 across both rivers with a minute cut through the tip of Illinois in Cairo.
 
Watching this thread as we are planning some stops along the Great River Road. If you haven't done the top of the Arch, it is unforgettable. The John Deere Pavillion in Moline, Illinois is a worthwhile brief education about historic and current agriculture.

Have been to the National Eagle Center with a grandchild, great stop. While in Wabasha, we did a kayak tour of the backwaters and saw a lot of bald eagles. Highly recommended!
 
If you're still in the planning stages, be sure to include Cahokia Mounds in the St Louis area. Interpretive center for the culture of the Mississipian natives circa a thousand years ago.


Don't miss Ted Drewe's Fozen Custards on Chippawa in southwest St Louis city.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. We visited Cahokia Mounds years ago, probably 20+ and absolutely plan to visit it again as part of our eventual trip. Our kids were young at the time, but we all found it so interesting.

When we did part of RT 66 a few years ago, we passed up going into the bigger cities such as St Louis and Tulsa, so haven't been to Ted Drewe's yet. It is at the top of the St L bucket list as we very rarely pass up a chance for ice cream.
 
Great question. I am planning this great river trip next year or the year after. Would like to know more suggestions about this. The total length is around 2,000 miles. If I drive 50 miles a day, it will take 40 days to travel the whole trip. Plus 20 days to stay and visit big cities, that should take 2 months. Am I too optimistic? Thanks for your advices and suggestions.
 
Great question. I am planning this great river trip next year or the year after. Would like to know more suggestions about this. The total length is around 2,000 miles. If I drive 50 miles a day, it will take 40 days to travel the whole trip. Plus 20 days to stay and visit big cities, that should take 2 months. Am I too optimistic? Thanks for your advices and suggestions.
The times it takes to see the sites It depends on just how far of the Mississippi river road you wander. For instance Paducah, KY is about 60 miles east of the Mississippi on the Ohio River (actually at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers). It is the largest city in the Jackson Purchase part of KY. Paducah is home to the National Quilt Museum as well as having a great river wall with nationally famous murals, Market House Museum and the River Heritage Museum. Of interest is the display of how millions of mother-of-pearl buttons were cut from the Tennessee River mussels in Paducah.
If you are interested, the Gaseous Diffusion Plant C is located just west of Paducah and across the river just west of Metropolis, IL (home of the Superman Museum) is the Honeywell uranium hexafloride plant. Near by is the massive TVA Shawnee power plant that supplied electrical power to these two AEC facilities. Both plants are now closed to tourism because of the contamination.
 
Absolutely make that side trip to Paducah! We were only able to visit the quilt museum and walk along the river walk with the murals since we were there toward the tail end of covid. Town was nearly deserted, which was a little weird, but also nice in its own way.

Beau, the Heritage museum was not open at that time, but it sure sounds like fun to go see the button collection. We'll have to check it out when we side trip to revisit the quilt museum to see their latest displays.

RetiredTorng we are planning to break our trip into 2 legs because of the distance and so many cool things to see. I see you would be coming from quite far away as well, but you might want to consider it.

We are coming from northern Michigan and will start at the headwaters in MN hoping to catch the fall color season. Journey as far as St Louis or somewhere slightly south of there (Cahokia perhaps) and them return to MI for the winter. The following spring we hope to pick up where we left off and continue the southern leg all the way to New Orleans.

Then return north via the Natchez Trace. We've done the Trace once in the fall, but I hear if your timing is right, spring blossoms are quite nice. Hope to catch that.
 

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