More Than You Bargained For

[HostDave]

Not all voyages are created equal. If you look through our sailing schedule online or order a brochure, you’ll see adventures between New Orleans and Memphis, from St. Louis to Minneapolis/St. Paul and from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, among many other destinations. Each has been carefully crafted to offer an intriguing blend of small towns with unique attractions, cosmopolitan cities, historic sights, poignant battlefields and a spirited dose of Americana presented with both love and elegance. We offer similar ports on numerous dates to provide a consistently rewarding experiencing and make sure your ideal journey fits within your travel plans. There are numerous cruises that visit Mark Twain’s boyhood home of Hannibal, Missouri, for example and several opportunities to walk among the towering oaks shading Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Louisiana. And what would a trip through the South be without a stop among the colorful gardens and cobblestone streets of captivating Natchez?

In addition to offering the most popular standards on many of the American Queen’s voyages, we periodically like to mix things up and offer a few journeys that feature ports of call not available on some of our other river discoveries. For example, we offer a number of wonderful 9- or 10-day journeys between Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis which feature a deluxe hotel night in the departure city included in the fare. Ports of call include Hannibal, Dubuque, LaCrosse and Red Wing on every voyage. But we have a special 11-day departure on August 21, 2013 from St. Louis to Minneapolis/St. Paul which adds two intriguing destinations: Alton, Illinois and Winona, Minnesota. Winona is also included in the July 4, 2013 cruise, but first we’d like to throw the spotlight on Alton since the only time this intriguing town becomes part of our itineraries is on this special August 21 journey from St Louis.

Alton is famous for its limestone bluffs along the river north of the city, for its role preceding and during the American Civil War, and as the hometown of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in history. It was the site of the last Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate in October 1858. The former state penitentiary here was used during the war to hold up to 12,000 Confederate prisoners of war. The city has been labeled "The most haunted city in America" by paranormal enthusiasts, due to its claimed haunted hot spots, such as McPike Mansion and other structures. Most were built on foundations of stone taken from the former Civil War prison after it was abandoned. Confederate prisoners had suffered severe overcrowding, and many died during a smallpox epidemic. The city holds regular "ghost tours" and has been visited by television crews hoping to film proof of the paranormal.

Winona is one of the most beautiful places in the country, nestled between the covered limestone river bluffs that rise 500 feet and the stunning mighty Mississippi River. The historic architecture and cultural opportunities give Winona a soul that is living, breathing and growing. Still, Winona and its wealth of culture, arts, history, recreation and festivals, is relatively undiscovered, making Winona one of the Midwest’s best kept secrets.

The point of travel is not just to visit the familiar but also to discover the unexpected. And on this special 11-day journey, our guests get to do both. Won’t you join us and uncover the hidden gems of the upper Midwest?