Pikes Peak, Dubuque’s River Museum To Be Featured on New Iowa PBS Show

Last week, I wrote about a new Iowa PBS show that's mission is to take viewers on a road trip through the scenic beauty of the Hawkeye State. Now, it's been revealed that the show will be featuring a popular state park as well as some Dubuque attractions in an episode that will be aired later this month!

The show is Road Trip Iowa, which premiered on Wednesday, April 3rd. An upcoming episode of the show will take viewers to Pikes Peak State Park, which was voted America's 8th favorite landmark in 2022. In addition, the episode will also hit up some popular Dubuque attractions, including the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, per a press release from Iowa PBS.

Road Trip Iowa will take viewers specifically to McGregor, IA, a lovely river town in northern Iowa I happened to visit shortly after moving to Dubuque. McGregor affords visitors the opportunity to get a great look at Pikes Peak State Park. Overlooking the Upper Mississippi River and the Wisconsin River, Pikes Peak State Park is a sight to behold with its 500-foot bluff.

The park is operated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and gets its name from the high point that overlooks the gorge of the Upper Mississippi.

Beyond Pikes Peak, the episode will highlight several other locations, including:

• Lockmaster's House Heritage Museum
• The Driftless Area Education and Visitor's Center
• The Effigy Mounds National Monument
• Mohn's Fish Market
• The Fenelon Place Elevator in Dubuque
• Catfish Charlie's in Dubuque
• The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque
• The Dubuque Street Art Trail

One of the unique elements about this show is that it doesn't seem to explore common tourist attractions in Iowa. Even an Iowa PBS spokesperson said the goal of the show is to take viewers "off the interstate:"

We're inviting viewers to get off the interstate and discover the rewards found along the longer path. It contains a mix of the small towns that made Iowa what it is today as well as the natural wonders that were here long before us. We're excited about the variety we captured along the byways and we hope viewers will be, too. - Iowa PBS Senior Producer and Director Tyler Brinegar, per Iowa PBS' website

The episode of Road Trip Iowa featuring Pikes Peak State Park and numerous Dubuque attractions will premiere Wednesday, April 24th at 6:30pm CST. The episode will also be rebroadcast on Saturday, April 27th at 9am CST.

You can find out more about the show on its official website, and also find clips of it on Iowa PBS' YouTube channel.