Attractions

Rebuilt in 2002, the LDS Nauvoo Temple

Begin your exploration of historic Nauvoo by examining an 1846 relief map of Nauvoo, viewing historic displays, or reflecting quietly near a statue of Jesus Christ.  Gather information on over two dozen restored homes, shops, and religious buildings in Nauvoo. ​

The Visitors' Center has two theaters with introductory videos such as Remembering Nauvoo (20 min.) and other films, including Meet the Mormons (77 min.) and Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration (62 min.). 

A walk through the beautiful and inspiring Monument to Women garden, honoring women of the past, present and future, is a must.

Come enjoy one of the top 5 rodeos on the American Rodeo Circuit. Held the weekend following Labor Day, the rodeo events start with special programs for the week, leading up to the Cinch Shoot-Out on Wednesday night.  Between the rodeo competition and Country Music's biggest stars, the Tri- State Rodeo is the place to be!

Oldest continually used prison west of the Mississippi, with structures and history circa 1839 and was deactivated on August 1, 2015.

The Fort Madison Toll Bridge is a tolled, swinging truss bridge over the Mississippi River that connects Fort Madison, Iowa, and unincorporated Niota, Illinois. Rail traffic occupies the lower deck of the bridge, while two lanes of road traffic occupy the upper deck. 

The Mississippi River Bridge is notable not only for its overall length of 1,675 feet, but because its 525-foot electrified swing span was the longest and heaviest in the country at the time it was built. The swing span is used to allow river traffic to pass through the bridge, the process of which fascinates on-lookers from the river bank. Excluding damage incurred by river traffic and regular maintenance-related repairs, the Mississippi River Bridge has functioned as a toll bridge in essentially unaltered condition [adapted from Crow-Dolby and Fraser 1992]. 

**Have some cash on hand! Toll going into Illinois is $2 per car and $4 for bus or RV. Entrance is free into Iowa.

Putt -A-Round is designed for a fun family experience. Our playground is situated next to our new Party Pavilion, so parents can relax , eat, and visit in a shaded area while keeping an eye on the little ones. Slow, Medium, and Fast pitch batting cages are available for the athletic members of your family.

For those who enjoy good food with a twist of yesterday. Our cheeseburgers, tenderloins, and chicken strip baskets will remind you of the "good ole' days". Top that off with Putt-A-Rounds old fashion hand dipped or soft serve ice cream cones, banana splits,  shakes, slush's, floats,sundaes, artic swirls ,whips,  . . . . . . . . .(You get the picture ! !)  and your visit is complete.

 http://appleberryorchard.com/ 

Appleberry Orchard & Petting Farm is located in our 1882, historic barn. Complete with windowed cupola, this historic barn is registered as a National Historic Site. Inside the barn, your family will find goats, pheasants, a miniature donkey, miniature pony, chickens, and rabbits. Be sure to check our News and Events page for upcoming activities as well as market specials. 

You might also be interested to know that the first apple tree was planted on this farm in 1852, making Appleberry Orchard the oldest working orchard in the state of Iowa.

Harvestville Farm is a 5th generation farm located in the heart of farm country in rural Southeast Iowa. Throughout the spring & summer months our farm features a variety of items ranging from plants, annuals, seeds, fresh garden veggies, local fruits, Farm to Table Dinners and Home and Garden Decor. In September and October our 40 acres of pumpkins, squash and gourds turn our farm into a harvest haven along with two large play areas for families of all ages to enjoy, a 10 acre corn maze, wagon rides and special fall events. In November our farm transforms once again into a winter wonderland that features fresh cut trees, wreaths, roping, gift items and arrangements up until the Christmas holiday.

http://nauvoowinery.com 

Baxter’s Vineyards, the oldest winery in the state of Illinois, is a small family winery located in the historic town of Nauvoo, Illinois. The winery was established in 1857 by Emile and Annette Baxter. Today, Baxter’s Vineyards continues within the same family with co-owners, Kelly and Brenda Logan. Kelly is a part of the fifth generation of Baxter’s to grow grapes and apples and make wine in historic Nauvoo.

Fort Madison is one of the few places where the river actually runs east to west instead of the normal north to south. Many waterfowl follow the river on their migratory flights and they seemingly spend quite a lot of time circling in this area, as if confused over this natural phenomenon. Thus the name "The Lost Duck Brewing Company" was born. 

The beer is crafted in the second floor, glassed in brewhouse that can produce over 800 gallons per month! Not only does it have great beer, The Lost Duck has unique pub style menu that is less than a minute walk from The Kingsley Inn!

After stopping at the farm, make sure to visit our second store, Harvestville Farm Mercantile, located in Historic Downtown Fort Madison in the Old Hesse Market Building on 7th Street. ​

Harvestville Farm Mercantile is a destination for beautiful farmhouse style decor, unique gifts, dishware, linens, fresh farm in-season produce,  local honey, maple syrups, jams/jellies, salsas, pickles and relishes and baked goods. 

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The physical limitations and steep elevation of Heritage Hill inspired the construction of Snake Alley in 1894. It was intended to link the downtown business district and the neighborhood shopping area located on North Sixth Street, of which Snake Alley is a one-block section. Three German immigrants conceived and carried out the idea of a winding hillside street, similar to vineyard paths in France and Germany: Charles Starker, an architect and landscape engineer; William Steyh, the city engineer; and George Kriechbaum, a paving contractor. The street was completed in 1898, but was not originally named Snake Alley, as it was considered part of North Sixth Street; some years later, a resident noted that it reminded him of a snake winding its way down the hill, and the name stuck.

The alley originally provided a shortcut from Heritage Hill to the business district. Bricks were laid at an angle to allow horses better footing as they descended. Unfortunately, riding horses back up the alley often resulted in a loss of control at the top; for this reason, even to this day, Snake Alley remains a one-way street, with all traffic heading downhill.

In the 1940s, writer Robert L. Ripley saw the street in person, and decided to add it to his Ripley's Believe It, Or Not! column, calling it "The Crookedest Street in the World". The idea was novel enough; however, San Francisco's Lombard Street beats it by several turns. The turns on Snake Alley are sharper though, giving it a total of 1100° of turning from end to end, where Lombard Street's straighter curves total only 1000°.

Keokuk is located at the site of the Des Moines Rapids. These rapids were 12 miles long and according to records had an average depth of less than 3 feet. The Des Moines Rapids comprised the first major obstacle to river traffic on the Upper Mississippi River since they were first scouted by the U.S. Army explorer Lt. Zebulon Pike in 1805. A number of different methods were use to circumvent the rapids beginning with a small fleet of keelboats that were used for “lightering,” where goods and passengers were transferred from steamboats to these smaller boats for carrying over the rapids. In 1866, Congress authorized the improvement of the rapids at Keokuk and Rock Island. Pressure by Keokuk city leaders resulted in a design for a 7.6 mile canal that would run parallel to the Mississippi. In 1877 the canal was opened providing unrestricted navigation.

In 1905 the U.S. Congress passed a bill granting the Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power Company the right to dam the river and construct a hydro-electric plant at the foot of the rapids and to build a new lock and dry dock to replace the canal which had become too small to handle the newer boats of the day. Construction on Lock and Dam No. 19 was started in 1910 and completed in 1913 with the cost being borne by the power company. The Keokuk Power House was the largest capacity, single powerhouse electricity generating plant in the world. The power house provided electricity for Keokuk and cities as far away as St. Louis. The power house also attracted a lot of industry to the Keokuk area.

In 1957, the lock was replaced and upgraded to measure 1,200 feet by 110 feet at a cost of 13.5 million dollars. The lock and dam obliterated the Des Moines Rapids and created Lake Cooper, named after Hugh L. Cooper, the designer of the Keokuk Dam. Lake Cooper is the largest pool in the series of dams with 240 miles of shoreline. With a 38 feet (11.6 m) difference between the normal pool above and below the dam, the lock has the highest "step" in the stairway of the Rock Island District locks and dams. Lock and Dam #19 is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The power house is owned and operated by AmerenUE, a privately owned utility company. The facility was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Lock and Dam No. 19 is an excellent spot to look for Bald Eagles because the facility keeps the water free of ice and allows the eagles to hunt for fish.

Quarry Creek Farms was established in 1989 by owners Kathy Anderson, Jim Kannenberg and the late Steve Daugherty in Augusta, Iowa. The farm started with Cattle and other livestock until 1992 when we purchased our very first elk, Molly, from Rush and Inez Johnson of Bucklen, Missouri. (Rush Johnson is credited with beginning the elk industry in North America.) We fell in love with the elk business when we first laid eyes on Molly. She was only fourteen days old and was being bottle-fed by Rush and Inez. Jim and Kathy continued to bottle feed and raise Molly in their own back yard until she was old enough to be moved out to the farm. Molly lived a great life on the Farm and passed peacefully away in the Spring of 2012, living way beyond the 13 year life expectancy of elk. We added Buffalo (bison) in 1998 to further diversify our farm. Today about 40 elk and 40 head of buffalo reside at Quarry Creek Farms and each Spring more babies are born. Our Elk and Buffalo are raised primarily for breeding stock, velvet and meat.

In 2002 we added our store front, Quarry Creek Elk & Bison Company, and expanded our love of all things unique. Visitors come from all over the United States to check out the live Elk and Buffalo roaming the fields, witness our large display of North American Mounts, experience the delicious Elk & Bison meat, and shop our ever-expanding unique inventory!

Sheaffer Memorial Golf Course features 6,639 yards from the longest tees for a par 72. The course rating is 69.5 with a slope rating of 123.​

Newly reopened theater in March 2017, this is a great local movie theater with fantastic deals.  $8 gets you admission, popcorn and a drink!

http://fortmadison-ia.com/index.aspx?NID=233

The Fort Madison pool has a kiddie pool that is separate from the main pool, a water slide, lap swim area and deep end for diving. $3 daily pool rate per person.  

Villages of Van Buren consists of 12 historical villages, located in Van Buren County in Southeast Iowa.

 Old Fort Players is a non-profit local theater that is dedicated to providing live community theater to the Fort Madison area.

We provide local, fresh cheeses to southeast Iowa. We are proud to make nothing but the highest-quality cheese from the milk of our cows.  We grow the crops that feed the cows, milk the sweet cows twice a day,  and use that rich, creamy milk to make the best cheese.  

Come visit our farm store to see the cheese-making process, or schedule a tour to get an up-close look into real-life on the dairy farm.  We love sharing our farm with our community through our cheese and hope to see you for a visit! 

A British Cafe & Restaurant selling the best in British and European cuisine, soups, paninis and desserts.

Whiskey and wine bar that is bringing a large variety of whiskeys along with a great selection of wines by the glass and bottle. We have amazing charcuterie to eat and hope in the future to bring a full food menu. 

A plants & records pop-up shop in Fort Madison, IA. Hand-picked new & used vinyl from $5. Plants with eyes and stories.

The North Lee County Historical Society museums are located in the Old Santa Fe Depot Complex between downtown Fort Madison and the Mississippi River. Staffed by dedicated volunteers, NLCHS is an active non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation of the history of area, including historic buildings, documents, artifacts, and photographs. The museums offer tours of their displays, tourist information for the city, region and state, and curate both the Old Lee County Jail, and Brush College, a one-room schoolhouse north of town. The museums are open 360 days a year. Admission is free with donations and/or memberships greatly appreciated.

Fort Madison is the only stop in Iowa on the Southwest Chief that runs from Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA!  The Kingsley Inn is 3 blocks away!

The Kingsley Inn's restaurant and bar that serves an Iowa favorite, Maidrites! (Loose meat sandwiches)

The NEW Fort Madison Marina will be completed in the spring on 2024, but the marina's soft opening weekend was July 2, 2022.