The Great River Road Byway follows the Mississippi River 2,159 miles from the river’s source at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to Venice, Louisiana, near where the “Big Muddy” empties into the Gulf of Mexico.  

Along the way, the Byway passes through 10 states and several large cities including Minneapolis, St. Louis and New Orleans. It also leads through numerous small towns that, together with the gorgeous scenery, make the Great River Road one of the country’s premier road trips.

In late summer, we traveled what may be the best section of the Great River Road, the 225-mile stretch along Wisconsin’s portion of the byway. Surrounded by bluffs and lined with small villages, this is the perfect road trip. 

While the Wisconsin segment of the Great River Road can be driven in a day, it makes little sense to hurry.  

The road is meant for leisurely travel with frequent stops to check out the unique stores, linger at small restaurants, explore local museums and enjoy the river. 

During five days on the road, we visited interpretive centers, enjoyed a brewery tour, took a river boat cruise, toured an historic estate, hiked in a state park, visited the birthplace site of Laura Ingalls Wilder, enjoyed a trolley tour, mingled with friendly local residents and enjoyed good beer and multiple baskets of cheese curds.

Heading into Wisconsin from Dubuque, Iowa, we stopped at the Dickeyville Grotto to visit an unusual shrine built by a Catholic priest. 

A short distance north in Potosi (population 700), the Potosi Brewery includes a Great River Road Interpretive Center, Potosi Brewery Transportation Museum, the National Brewery Museum, all in a single building.  

Following the museums, take a brewery tour. What a great place this turned out to be!  

Potosi claims the longest main street without an intersection (three miles) in the world. Claiming a world record no matter how obscure is always a good tourist draw.

A short distance north near Cassville (pop. 920), Stonefield State Historic Site offers a look at early farm life on the grounds of an estate once owned by Wisconsin’s first governor, Nelson Dewey. The State Agricultural Museum houses a large collection of farm tools and machinery.

Following a night in Prairie du Chien (pop. 5,700), we paid a morning visit to Villa Louis, a mid-1800s restored Victorian home.

The town is also home to Fort Crawford Museum and its extensive medical museum.

On the way to La Crosse, we stopped near Genoa (pop. 270) at the Great River Road Interpretive Center, a facility that had opened a couple of months earlier. A film and exhibits describe the area’s history and natural resources. 

During a two-night stay in La Crosse, we hydrobiked (pedaled a water bicycle older people like us can’t tip over), gained a wonderful view of the river and surrounding land from Grandad Bluff, enjoyed a Mississippi River cruise on replica paddleboat La Crosse Queen, hiked in nearby Perrot State Park and took an evening trolley tour of the town.

Traveling north from La Crosse, we stopped in the picture-perfect village of Alma (pop. 780). Here, we hiked a trail from the Buena Vista Overlook into town, visited a coffee shop and explored the Big River Theater. The town sponsors a September music and art festival.

Twenty minutes north in the town of Pepin (pop. 800), we explored the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum before driving to the author’s birth site and reconstructed cabin.  

A few miles north and we were in the village of Stockholm (pop. 66) where we would spend our last night on the Great River Road. The village offers galleries, a general store and a wonderful old bookstore, but it was the Stockholm Pie Company where we encountered the piece de resistance, the best coconut cream pie we’ve ever tasted.

During our stay in Stockholm, we drove eight miles north to Maiden Rock (pop. 120), an historic river and railroad settlement. The town has small shops, galleries and an interesting record shop.

The next morning we drove north to Prescott (pop. 4,200), the northern gateway to Wisconsin’s Great River Road. In Prescott, we stopped at the Great River Road Visitor & Learning Center. 

For those interested in exploring the Upper Great River Road, consider flying to Minneapolis, renting a vehicle and driving south along the Minnesota/Iowa side of the river and returning north along Wisconsin’s side. A week will offer time to explore the small villages, parks and stores.  

Don’t forget to stop in Stockholm for a piece of coconut cream pie. You’ll thank us if you do.

David and Kay Scott are authors of “Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges” (Globe Pequot). Visit them at mypages.valdosta.edu/dlscott/Scott.html. Read past columns at www.facebook.com/DavidKayScott. The Scotts live in Valdosta, Georgia.