Summer Field Trips:

LSMMA field trips are open to LSMMA members as well as the general public.  Encourage family, friends and neighbors to attend!

2012 LSMMA SUMMER FIELD TRIP

The Mississippi River Bluffs & Minnesota Marine Art Museum Tour

Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23, 2012
Contact LSMMA to secure your reservation!
218-727-2497 or info@lsmma.com

Reservation Details:
Space is limited.  Secure your LSMMA Summer Field Trip reservation now! Contact at LSMMA at 218-727-2497, via email at info@lsmma.com.  Only one LCS Coaches, Inc. motor coach has been reserved.  Reservations canceled after June 8 are non refundable.
Cost: $75 per person

Accommodations:  AmericInn Lodge & Suites in Wabasha, MN
Individual pays own.  Individuals are required to make their own hotel reservation
Cost:  Sleeping room rate: $109.90 + tax per person
Call 651-565-5366 to make your sleeping room reservation.  The non-smoking property features a complimentary hot AmericInn Perk full breakfast, free wireless internet service, an indoor heated pool, whirlpool and sauna. 

 

Day One:
Friday, June 22 – Duluth to Red Wing, Wabasha, Lake City, and Wabasha, MN
Departs Duluth (DECC) at 7:30am

First stop of the day:  Minnesota’s oldest city, Red Wing
The scenic Mississippi River Valley town was known in the past as Proymueche – a Dakota word meaning “mountain in the water” and as of 2009 the “Home to the World’s Largest Boot”.  (Hint: photo opportunity!)  While in Red Wing, explore the vibrant downtown, view the attractive architecture, visit unique shops, the pottery district and enjoy lunch on your own at a café or restaurant.  Before departing the oldest city in Minnesota, be sure to see the city’s top attraction the historic 1875 St. James Hotel.

Afternoon Activity:  The National Eagle Center – America’s Eagle Destination
At 2pm the group will embark on a special guided tour of the National Eagle Center (NEC) located at 50 Pembroke Avenue South on the Mississippi River in historic downtown Wabasha.
Individual Pays Own – Cost:  $8 per person - $6 seniors

The 45-minute guided tour and program includes interactive exhibits, variety of displays, presentations, plus an opportunity to feed and take photographs with the eagles.  NEC features a second story observation desk, which offers breathtaking sights with scopes available for viewing the area eagles as well as other natural wonders in the Mississippi River Valley.  At the NEC, you’ll get up close and personal with the nation’s national symbol, the majestic bald eagle.

 The National Eagle Center is home to majestic Harriett, who has been rescued, rehabilitated, and can be viewed up close on the LSMMA summer field trip.

Afternoon & Evening Activities:  Lake City & the Lake Pepin Paddle Boat Cruise

Early dinner or just cocktails (individual pays own) from 4:30 – 5:30pm at the Skyline on Pepin supper club in Lake City.  Sit back and enjoy the breathtaking ambiance overlooking beautiful Lake Pepin and the bluffs beyond.  Skyline on Pepin restaurant has seating for 32 people on the outside deck and inside seating all with lake views.

Lake Pepin Paddle Boat, Inc. - Pearl of the Lake Cruise
Individual Pays Own – Cost:  $15 per person - $12 seniors – departs 6pm

 

Cruise Lake Pepin on a genuine replica of an 1800's Paddle wheeler!  The floating evening activity on the Pearl of the Lake includes is a 90-minute narrative tour of the largest river lake on the Mississippi.  The vessel’s lower level is enclosed with air conditioning and the upper deck is open with a canopy.  A full cash and snack bar are available.  The evening concludes with travel to the host hotel AmericInn Lodge & Suites in historic Wabasha.

Day Two:
Saturday, June 23 – Winona, MN, Alma, WI Lock & Dam No. 4, historic Stockholm, Maiden Rock Bluff, then return to Duluth

Enjoy a complimentary breakfast at the hotel or on your own at a Wabasha restaurant.  Bus departs Wabasha at 8:45am for the Minnesota Marine Art Museum

First stop of the day:  Minnesota Marine Art Museum
Individual Pays Own – Cost:  $11 per person – 10am – 12noon

 

Connect to great art inspired by water!  The Minnesota Marine Art Museum, which opened in 2006 at 800 Riverview Drive, features historic marine art, artifacts as well as an expansion gallery including Impressionism and Hudson River School works from Renoir, Monet, Pissarro, Homer, Sisley, Cole, Bierstadt, Buttersworth, Silva and one of Van Gogh’s first oil paintings.  The group will enjoy a special guided tour by the museum’s Curator of Education, Heather Casper, followed by time to visit exhibits and explore the museum gardens. 

Afternoon Activities:  USACE Lock & Dam No. 4 – Gateway to Lake Pepin, historic Stockholm and Maiden Rock, WI

Located at river miles 752.8 in Alma, WI, the Lock and Dam No. 4, completed in 1935 with major rehabilitation done in 1994, is an important link in the “step” system of the Upper Mississippi navigational channel.  Join the group for a self-guided tour to see the 600 feet long, 110 feet wide lock raise and lower traffic seven feet.  The dam is 6,876 feet long, including 1,367 feet of movable gate sections and 5,500 feet of earth fill dike. 

Located among the most spectacular views on Lake Pepin, the quaint and magical village of Stockholm, WI has just the right blend of shops, culinary arts and since 1970’s home to the renowned July Stockholm Art Festival.  The group will have time to meander around and enjoy the town’s quaint charm and exceptional beauty. 

The last stop of the day is Maiden Rock, which protects one of the areas premiere limestone cliff faces on a bluff high above the Mississippi River overlooking Lake Pepin.  The views of the river valley are said to be the best in the four-state area.  (Hint:  Photo opportunity!)  The historic logging settlement is known as the area where a young Dakota Indian woman leaped to her death from the top of the most prominent bluff…rather than to marry the man her Chief father had chosen for her.  Maiden Rock is a natural refuge for birds – home for years to peregrine falcons and other raptors and wildlife. 

Group returns to Duluth, estimated time of arrival 9pm.

Special Note:  LSMMA field trips are open to LSMMA members as well as the general public.  Encourage family, friends and neighbors to attend!  Contact LSMMA at 218-727-2497 with questions or to obtain more information.

Images of the 2011 Soo Locks Summer Field Trip:

 

The 2011 Soo Locks Summer Field Trip to Sault Ste Marie, MI included the following destinations:

US Army Corp of Engineers – Soo Locks for the special guided tour
Agawa Canyon Railroad Tour to Canada
Soo Locks Dinner Cruise by Soo Locks Boat Tours
Marquette Maritime Museum Tour and Lighthouse Tour