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Experience Driving West

From your base in Ferryville, cross from Wisconsin on the Highway 82 bridge to Lansing, Iowa. From there explore Upper Iowa and Lower Minnesota through small towns and historic places.

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Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center

The cultural, recreational, natural, and historical significance of the Driftless Area is the primary focus of the interpretive exhibits at the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center.

 

Featuring three levels and 10,000 sq.ft., the Center is nestled beneath limestone bluffs with scenic river views. In the facility, you can come face to face with native wildlife of the region, step back into the past and learn about the rich tradition of Native Americans of the area, and explore the more recent history of European and American settlement of Northeast Iowa.

 

Shop for locally made treasures at our gift shop. There's a little something for everyone at the Driftless Center!

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1944 Columbus R

 Lansing, IA 52151

563-538-0400

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Mt. Hosmer Park & Scenic Overlook

Mt. Hosmer Park is a 25 acre city park offering a breathtaking view of three states, Lansing Bridge and the river valley. The elevation of its summit is 1,060 feet and it rises 440 feet above the Mississippi River.

 

This hill was named Mount Hosmer in June 1851, after Miss Harriet Hosmer, a noted eastern sculptress, climbed the hill in record time. Park facilities include a shelter house, cooking grills, picnic tables and hiking trails.

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271 Main St.

Lansing, IA 52151

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Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Exhibits at Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School, explore the diversity of American immigration through the lens of the Norwegian-American experience and showcase the best in historic and contemporary Norwegian folk arts.

 

This national treasure features a world-class collection of 33,000 artifacts and a Heritage Park of 12 historic buildings, as well as a Folk Art School in scenic Decorah, Iowa.

 

But you don’t have to be Norwegian-American to enjoy all the beauty and wonder Vesterheim has to offer. Be inspired, share history, and create art while visiting the exhibits, taking a class at the Folk Art School, and shopping the Museum Store!

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520 W Water St.

Decorah, IA 52101

563-382-9681

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