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March 2024 by Chris Myers
If this isn't the reason you're going to Dubuque, it should be.
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March 2024 by Rob Edelman Jr
Amazing place a must see
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February 2024 by Sean Lang
My family comes here everytime we're in the Galena area. There's so much for our boys to see and do and admission is good for 2 days. The facility is interactive, clean, and loaded with educational material. We've never had an issue with large crowds so seeing the animals up close is very easy.One final thought... The animals all appear to be taken very well care of. The love invested in this museum is obvious.RJ over near the steam shop was a breath of fresh air and his knowledge about the equipment is fascinating. Makes me wish I could have a wood or metal shop in my backyard!!!
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January 2024 by Jayme Caspers
Behind the Scenes tour - we really enjoyed this private tour. Our tour guide Dee, was very informative. Between the turtles, insects, snakes and sturgeon there was plenty to see and learn. I had no idea our little museum plays such a prominent role in sea and river life beyond our coastal shores. We had a group of adults and 11/12 yr olds. The tour has a good blend of knowledge to learn for both adults and kids. Of course seeing all the animals was the best part. I hope some day you will offer a behind the scenes tour on your ocean side.
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January 2024 by Merry Trotter
This was a marvelous family adventure. Everyone learned a lot about engineering, tools, pioneers of innovation, conservation, Native Americans, trades, floods, stingrays, & a lot more!! I encourage everyone to make this visit, so worth it!!We were even able to touch sting rays, starfish, & sea anemones??? totally Fantastic experience!!
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January 2024 by Kelley Rowe
Tickets are about $25 with tax. We ultimately bought one ticket so a member of our party could bring a toddler inside to see the animals. Everybody else sat on the benches outside in winter because unlike most museums they don’t even have a public cafe or pavilion area. Sorry but this price point is ludicrous for Dubuque, IA and I can’t imagine how many people just steer clear because of it. So much for having an educational mandate.
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December 2023 by Sara Emily
This place has been hyped up for a while so I decided to give it a go during a trip home recently. First of all, even if the animals aren't fit for the wild, they do not need to kept in those conditions. Secondly, the entire place is a mess that doesn't make any sense. Parents do not control the children from running wild & there is no staff to stop this - which makes navigating the space as a disabled person very hard. I specifically do not visit zoos to avoid seeing stressed out animals & I regret supporting them by giving them any money. Literally do anything else in dubuque, this is not worth the time/money/energy.
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November 2023 by Brittany I
Great place to go. My kids LOVE petting the sting rays and the sea anemones. There used to be another play area upstairs I thought but I don’t know what happened to it. Your ticket is a 2 day pass, my kids only spent about 2 hours there before they were ready to leave. I have a 6 year old and 8 year old. The boat was put away for the season so that usually takes about 30 minutes and they were too cold to go to the marsh area. But they had a lot of fun. We went the next day to pet the stingrays again and play in the kid area. We were also members with out zoo so we were able to get a discount!
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November 2023 by Jack J.
The little one loved this gem. Tickets were a little expensive but we got our moneys worth exploring the two buildings. The wing by the boat shop was a hit with lots of hands on activities. Also loved the manta ray touch pool. Was quiet on a Friday morning. Good food options for kids at the cafe.
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October 2023 by nicholas Titley
Great place to visit grand kids loved it, indoor and outdoor bits to visit. Outdoor you can wander round the dock and explore the old dredging paddle steamer. Indoors there's the aquarium with fish, alligators touch pools, displays on the Mississippi and it's flood plains. There's a kids discovery area with pools too play in, with an activity room.There's a old line shaft driven machine shop with lathes, planner, grinding and polishing wheels radial drill. In the second building there's more of the story of the Mississippi it's captain's and the natives.There a restaurant with a good clean bathroom.A good gift shop with a good range of bits and bobs.There's offers on the entry prices depending on the mix of the group visiting we got two seniors, two adults and one child in for 109.75 adults are 23.95 seniors 21.95 youth 17.95 under 3 are free
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October 2023 by Jean Bringgold
A smaller aquarium but still very enjoyable. I loved the otter, the octopus, and the raptures! The boat museum was an added bonus. Even though we went on the day there were many little kids dressed for Halloween, we still enjoyed ourselves. We were able to see everything. The added Halloween decor and band playing made it extra fun!
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October 2023 by Bruce Heling
We heard good things about this place and made a day trip from our home in Madison to take a look. It was fall in Wisconsin so we knew the drive would be beautiful at least. Turns out the museum element of this place is far superior to the aquarium elements. There is a lot to be learned here about the history and role of life along the upper Mississippi. Definitely worth a visit.
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October 2023 by Leah R.
Cool museum for kids and adults. The museum is located along the river and set against the marina. I didn't realize until we entered that the museum had two buildings. The first building is The Mississippi River Center. There's a really cool aquarium with turtles and native fish. One of the aquariums is set up so you can look into it from above and below. Great for kids. The path through the museum leads you into the boatyard with additional displays and eventually across the courtyard to the next building. The walk outdoors between buildings is covered - this was great during our visit because it was raining. There's a fun sting ray exhibit and touch tank area. Lots of hands on activities for the kids to explore and learn. The tickets are good for two days and can be purchased online for a small discount.
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October 2023 by michael l.
So. I went again. And same girl at upstairs counter by movie theatre again said I had to pay the same price as a soda for tap water!!! I talked with some level of management before who said. No we don't charge for tap water. Yet again this girl fought with me about that. I like the museum, but this ridiculous Call me to figure this out. 319-491-0263
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September 2023 by Lee Stockley
I just loved this museum & aquarium so much to see so little time. Make sure you see the otters & string rays.
