Muscatine County: Nature, Water and History

Natural destinations vary in landscape, size and designated uses; cultural sites, in turn, take you from regional agriculture and the Mississippi to the history of buttons.

Nature, Water and Trails

Deep Lakes Park is a former gravel and sandstone quarry with more than 120 acres of clear, deep water across numerous lakes and ponds. The designated swimming beach is at Lake Chester; swimming is restricted to this beach. If you are planning a stay by the water, keep this rule in mind when choosing activities.

The park also has a 1.4-mile paved trail for walking and biking. This means a clearly defined swimming area and a designated route for outdoor exercise offer two distinct options.

Discovery Park is a 100-acre natural area in an urban setting. Its facilities and offerings include walking trails, fishing ponds, an Environmental Learning Center and nature programs for the public. At 675 acres, the Saulsbury Bridge Recreation Area is considerably larger and is also a wildlife area on the Cedar River. Its landscape includes floodplain forest, open fields, streams and wetlands. The two areas therefore differ in both scale and their described surroundings.

The river is also part of the experience in different ways: the Running River Trail System runs along the Mississippi River and passes historic Weed Park and the Norbert F. Beckey Bridge. Riverside Park has ample parking for vehicles with boat trailers.

Fairport Fish Hatchery has 18 ponds. Largemouth bass, bluegill and walleye are raised there to stock waters in Iowa. Tours can be arranged for groups. The hatchery can be a distinct focus for visitors interested in fish farming and raising different species.

Museums and History

Muscatine County Home Dairy Barn was built in 1926 as part of the Muscatine County Poor Farm, also known as Muscatine County Home. Dairy cows were kept in the barn: the cream was sold, while the milk and butter served the residents of the home. This former use places the building within the history of providing for the home’s residents.

The Muscatine Art Center displays paintings, objects connected with Muscatine’s past, decorative arts, historic rooms and a Japanese garden. Its Mississippi River Collection offers a special perspective on the Mississippi. It documents towns, places and communities along the river from historical and aesthetic viewpoints—from its headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico.

Admission to the National Pearl Button Museum is free. Its exhibits cover the immigrant entrepreneurs and workers, as well as the buttons and shells that made Muscatine famous. The Sino-US Friendship House is a nonprofit museum in the Muscatine home where Xi Jinping stayed during a visit in 1985. Tours are available by appointment only.

Another local attraction on the Muscatine riverfront is the unofficial World's Largest Watermelon Slice sculpture. It was installed in the fall of 2023 and is illuminated in the evening. In Wilton, the Wilton Candy Kitchen combines culinary history with a specific historic distinction: founded in 1860, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered the world’s oldest continuously operating ice cream parlor with a soda fountain. Ice cream, meals and candy have been served there for more than 150 years.

For your trip, you can choose among natural areas, trails, river-related sites and a range of historical themes. If visiting the Sino-US Friendship House, note that an appointment is required in advance; group tours at Fairport Fish Hatchery can be arranged.

Discover more destinations: Muscatine, West Liberty, Poweshiek County, Wapello, Clarke County, Lee County, Buena Vista County, Woodbury

For the overall travel overview: Iowa.