There’s plenty for guests to see and learn on both ship and shore
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The Mississippi River looms large in the American psyche. Long before trains, planes and automobiles, Native people — and later fur traders, rum runners, colonists and goods — traversed the river by canoe and steamship.
Flowing, and sometimes meandering, for 3,767 km from Minnesota’s Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico, the river touches 10 states on its southward journey. Cities and towns along its shores are woven together into the very fabric of America — backdrops for classic literature, music history, industrial innovation, rich agricultural land and more.
Today’s travellers can do a deep dive into Mississippi history and culture aboard a river cruise. Southern locales such as Memphis and New Orleans are perhaps more well known but Upper Mississippi ports have their own appeal as I recently discovered on Viking River Cruises’ eight-day Heartland Of America itinerary and land tour option, which added two-day stays in St. Louis and St. Paul.
I find it impossible to travel and not learn something new. And there was plenty to learn on the ship and the shore.
Our voyage aboard Viking Mississippi started in St. Louis, considered the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The 1804-1805 journey explored the vast territory from the Mississippi to the Pacific, which was acquired in the Louisiana Purchase and almost doubled the size of the United States. The expedition’s start is marked by the Gateway Arch, a freestanding 192-metre-high engineering marvel, and a small museum.
St. Louis is also known for the blues. The musical genre was born in the south but when millions of Black Americans migrated north in the early 1900s, they brought the music with them and it continued to evolve. The National Blues Museum showcases both greats of the genre and emerging artists.
Our journey ended in St. Paul, where I discovered a fun Canadian connection. The Minnesota capital was originally called Pig Eye, after founder Pierre Parent — a one-eyed, Montreal-born retired fur-trader-turned-bootlegger. Things to do in St. Paul include the Science Museum of Minnesota, where hands-on exhibits provide hours of fun. In addition to many scientifically sound galleries and a domed “Omnitheater.” I was taken with the display on questionable medical devices. These included a psychograph, a scary looking contraption that measured users’ skulls to rate mental faculties. As it wasn’t operational, I’ll never know how I would have scored on its 32-point scale from “deficient” to “very superior.”
HmongTown Marketplace was another learning opportunity during a fun afternoon out. St. Paul has a sizable community of Hmong people, who settled in the Twin Cities after being displaced during by war in Laos. The marketplace showcases their culture and cuisine.
This sailing has attracted many older Americans who are eager to explore their own backyard. Canadians are the second largest group on board.
The ship stops in six additional ports and while most excursions are not physically demanding. they are interesting in their own right.
Viking offers a complimentary excursion in every port as well as paid excursions. Choices include visits to farms, museums, a fort, historical homes, the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, and the National American-Norwegian Museum and Folk Art School.
En route to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, our group is joined by self-described “bird nerd” Conor Masak, who hops aboard our bus and gives us a pre-visit talk about bald and golden eagles.
Masak, the centre’s avian education specialist, tells us despite their reputation as excellent hunters, bald eagles are “basically lazy,” and would rather “find and feast on available food — or steal it.”
Minnesota has the country’s second-largest population of bald eagles (Alaska is first). And while they are America’s national bird, and protected by several laws, bald eagles are not endangered, Masak says.
The centre rehabilitates injured birds and returns them to the wild whenever possible. It also has two resident eagles and an eaglecam.
Another day, we are welcomed to Hannibal, Mo., by an adorable pair straight out of Tom Sawyer before touring author Mark Twain’s Boyhood Home and Museum. Each year, the town picks a pair of seventh-graders to act as greeters for the summer.
In Iowa, the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville is a big hit with fans. And in Moline, Ill., the John Deere Pavilion is a popular choice. Perhaps because visitors are permitted to climb aboard some of the big green machines. After the pavilion, there is a visit to the John Deere Houses.
Days on shore are followed by relaxing and convivial evenings back on board which revolve around cocktails, dinner and music.
Meals served at the Restaurant, the River Cafe and the Aquavit Terrace are well prepared, delicious and reflect regional tastes. Southern staples — seafood, sausage gravy, biscuits, creamed spinach and grits — compliment contemporary American and international cuisine. Cocktail demonstrations focus on regional beverages.
The nightly entertainment in the comfy Living Room also has a strong sense of place. Not only do pianist Ethan Leinwand and singer Valerie Kirchhoff give lively performances of ragtime, jazz and blues, they also provide a lesson on the evolution of music along the Mississippi. Other highlights were singer Courtney Burton, who performed numbers from the Ella Fitzgerald Song Books, and Eddie Allen’s River and Folk Music.
Repeat Viking guests will feel at home aboard Viking Mississippi. With five decks and accommodating 386 guests, it falls between the 200-guest Longships Viking operates on European rivers and its 980-passenger ocean-going ships. The design is understated Scandi-cool throughout.
Accommodations range from Veranda Staterooms with king-sized bed, ample storage, mini-bar and safe, to Explorer Suites with separate dining, living and sleeping areas. All staterooms have balconies.
Public spaces and bars, including the two-storey Explorer’s Lounge, never feel crowded. The bar at the River Cafe has TVs for viewing American sporting events — a first for Viking, which has never had a sports bar before now.
One of my favourite places is the small infinity plunge pool on the Sun Terrace — an ideal spot to cool off on hot days and watch the river roll on as it has for millennia.
IF YOU GO
