Join the Mississippi Valley Grand Excursion celebration

Tour one of the most scenic parts of the American Midwest this summer by taking advantage of a four-state celebration of the early days of commerce along the upper Mississippi River.

It's called the Grand Excursion -- www.grandexcursion.com -- commemorating a train and steamboat expedition up the Mississippi in 1854 that promoted what was then America's frontier. You can follow the full 400-mile route by river, rail and road, or just pick points along the way in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota to join in the festivities. Click on "Map & Communities" for an interactive map that will take you to information on towns from Muscatine, Iowa, to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.

The height of the celebration is the Grand Flotilla, June 25 to July 5, billed as the biggest paddleboat flotilla on the river in more than a century. Check out "Tickets & Registration" to learn about the bike tour, or rides on a steam-driven train or riverboats that include the famous Delta Queen. Get your reservations in early. Or you could always drive.

You can do the whole trek in grand style. History America Tours -- www.historyamerica.com -- offers a luxury cruise package on the Mississippi Queen. Click on "Cruise Calendar" for details.

Another interactive map is supplied by Big River Magazine -- www.big-river.com/grandexcursion.html -- which supplies articles it has run about sections of the route.

Communities plan events

The Grand Flotilla, train rides and bike tour all start in the Quad Cities -- www.visitquadcities.com -- of Moline and Rock Island, Ill., and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa. Look down the left side of the page to find links to info on riverboats, history, golf courses and events. For a change of pace, you can visit the John Deere Museum.

On your way upriver, visit the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium -- www.mississippirivermuseum.com -- in Dubuque, Iowa.

Other communities along the river in northeastern Iowa and southwestern Wisconsin promote themselves as the Ports of Discovery -- www.portsofdiscovery.com -- with links to seven major towns in the area. Click on "Recreation" to learn about the region's hunting, fishing, camping and canoeing.

Look up some possible side trips in northeast Iowa at the state's Travel Iowa -- www.traveliowa.com/travel/northeast -- but you have to consult the map for town names and then look them up in the menu.

Explore the river valley along the southeast corner of Minnesota by going to the Destinations page of the official Explore Minnesota -- www.exploreminnesota.com/destinations -- and clicking on "Mississippi River Valley/Bluff Country" on the map. Look for "Scenic Byways" at the bottom of the page, especially the "Great River Road." There's more information at Historic Bluff Country -- www.bluffcountry.com

Between Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Mississippi widens out into Lake Pepin. Mississippi Valley Partners -- www.mississippi-river.org -- provides a guide to the communities around Pepin.

Travel Wisconsin -- www.travelwisconsin.com -- can tell you more about things to see and do. Click on "Great Wisconsin Tours" and then "Great Drives/Great Rides" to see what's available along the Great River Road.