in july im headed south from wisconsin along the mississippi river to new orleans anyone have any suggestions of must sees along the way?

 

Sounds like a really nice ride. Lots of great scenery along the way, and some not so great rivertown sections....

Been a long time, used to live in Rock Island 1976-77. If ya like history stop in at the Rock Island Arsenal (I'm not even certain if it's still open to the public-check first). It served as a POW camp during the Civil War, and a variety of other Military purposes over the years. If Jim's Rib Heaven is still there...Tryhis Q. Again, been thirty years....Everything changes.

Take your time and watch the tugs 'lock through'. Interesting to see how they break them apart then re-assemble them.

Davenport, IA (used to anyway-again, been a long time), has a AAA ballclub...Davenport Angels (IIRC). Got a neat little stadium right on the river.

 

Everything Hack talked about is still here. Jim still makes the best Ribs you'll find anywhere, the R.I. Arsenal is still there( remember it is a government installation, you'll need a helmet, vest, gloves and eye protection just to get on). And the Angels are now the River Bandits. The North East section Of Iowa along the Miss. is a really nice place to ride. Pikes Peak is beautiful, nice riding around Balltown, across the river from Dubuque is Galena, and from there south on rte 84 to Savanna. If you go to Savanna try "Poopys Bar & Grill" , don't let the name fool you they have great food and are biker friendly. South of Davenport is a lot of little river towns , some nice some not so nice. A word of caution for you, I know being from Wisconsin you see a lot of deer but in Iowa we don't have as much timber and the deer of course are in the small amount of timber we do have. A lot of that timber is along the river so you will need to be especially wary of the big Iowa deer. Just had a friend of a friend meet up with one of them and both he and the deer lost.

Jeff

 

Dang, now I gotta take my own road trip! He used to be closed on Monday's smokin' meat, driving all of us that either lived or worked downtown RI nuts waiting for Tuesday to arrive. Can you still buy a six-pack across the street and bring it in with ya?

When you get further south, where the Mississippi and the Ohio rivers meet, find yourself a good vantage point and stop...Awesome sight. Imagine that in 1993(?), the whole area was underwater during the floods.

St. Louis (MO...Don't go to East St. Louis, IL), has a decent river town section with lots of good places to eat. I remember a bar that served up their burger in a steel pail filled with fries. Yum, Yum. And ya gotta go to the top of the Arch. If you're claustrophobic the ride in the little 'Mork from Ork' cars will be a bit stressful. Especially if they're packed with other tourists. And then there's always some riverboat gambling...If ya feel lucky.

New Orleans....Don't know what it's like after the big blow, but I can tell ya this (IMO): Being that it's below sea level, there is an ever present (although slight) sewer smell. Find a place to stay that has SECURE parking.There is a healthy presence of police, especially in the French Quarter, but street crime is a concern. There are scam artists everywhere,don't bringthe Midwest attitude, pickup some New York attitude. You will get 'approached'. Also, if you're homophobic...Ask (discretely)where the 'Lavender Line' is...And try not to stumble across it after too much partying. And you really want to 'experience' the Quarter at night. Get yourself a room somewhere and take a cab, or pay the big $$$ and get a place in the midst of everything. You're not gonna want to ride anyway. Especially after a few 'Big *** Beers', or 3 for 1 drinks.

If youlike to eat good...WellTheBig Easy is the area. I love raw oysters, and theyhand them out like bread baskets down there. Acme Oyster House is where ya wanna go... Also, K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen (Chef Paul Prudhomme), excellent food-eat outside in the small courtyard. Emeril's is another good place (you'll need reservations-I couldn't get in).Looking to get stuffed? Commander's Palace. They serve a seven course meal, that'll blow you away. Especially if you (likeI did)ask them to pair a glass of wine with each course. In the morning wander down by the river and get yourself some fresh Beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Monde.

Then get outta town.

 

You're probably familiar with Savanna, IL, but I'll recommend the Iron Horse Social Club anyway. Classic bar in the front; motorcycle museum in the back. The town fills up with motorcycles on the weekends.
Is Poopy's still there? Haven't been there since they moved out of downtown.

 

Yeah Poopy's is there, on the south side of town now. As you come in from the South on Highway 84 they are on the right. I think they have camping facilities for bikers also. I have also spent some time at the Iron Horse, nice bar.

 

Something I would like to see on the mississippi river would be one of those paddle boats. Maybe even take a day or two cruise on one of those boats.

 

Make stop at Natchez,Ms. and St. Francisville, La. Nice scenery.

 

Agree with Natchez. If you pertake in a cold one check out "Under the Hill" bar on the banks of the river. Used to be an old ***** house around turn century.

 

I'll see if I can help out on the southern end of your trip.

Memphis can be a lot of fun. Beale Street is the entertainment area; great blues joints and food. Don't miss ribs at the Rendezvous. You might catch a Redbirds game if they are in town; they are the triple A team for the Cardinals. Ah, and be sure to catch Graceland.

If you don't want to take I-55, jump on US 61 (The Blues Highway)from Memphis to Tunica (10-12 big casinos if you are interested. On down the road is Clarksdale where Morgan Freeman owns a club called Ground Zero. Good food and blues music. Next is Vicksburg where the Yanks beat the Rebs on the same day the Yanks beat the Rebs at Gettysburg. There is a great Military Park in Vicksburg.Stay on 61 to Natchez and see the old homes. The Natchez Trace would be a side trip but it's a great ride in and of itself.

If you want to add Arkansas to your list of states you can hop across the Bridge at Helena (US 49) and you can add Louisiana at either Vicksburg or Natchez just by going across the Bridge.

Keep on going South and St. Francisville is beautiful.

Like someone else said above, I can't tell you much about the Big Easy since Katrina but I am sure things are different from the last time I was there. I'd definitely take the Ponchartrain Bridge into N.O.

Ride safe.