In Floods, Midwest Tourist Spots Stay Open
As midwest towns battle flooding rivers, monuments and sites keep doors open.
June 20, 2008 -- Even as some waterlogged Midwestern tourist spots mop up from this month's deluges, others are bracing for damage from a rain-swollen Mississippi River.
A state-by-state glance:
•Though severe storms washed away its man-made tourist magnet of Lake Delton on June 9, Wisconsin Dells — the self-proclaimed Waterpark Capital of the World — is up and running, with 99% of area businesses open. The drained lake is becoming a macabre draw in its own right: Rerouted Original Wisconsin Ducks boat tours incorporate views of the breach, and the 55-year-old Tommy Bartlett Show has replaced its iconic water-skiers with an expanded stage component that includes Aqua the Clown brandishing an oversized plug.
Elsewhere in southern Wisconsin, some smaller roads remained closed, but on Thursday officials reopoened two lanes of flood-impacted Interstate 94 between the state capital, Madison, and Milwaukee. 800-432-8747 or travelwisconsin.com
•Major highways have reopened in hard-hit eastern Iowa, but travelers should call ahead because conditions "are changing by the hour," says state tourism spokeswoman Jessica O'Riley. Among the cities still recovering are Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, where the local tourism bureau sustained heavy damage and was forced to relocate.
Two bright spots: Dyersville, the setting for the baseball classic Field of Dreams, remains high and dry, as does Winterset, centerpiece of the two-hankie film The Bridges of Madison County. 800-345-4692 or traveliowa.com
•Flood-affected Illinois tourist towns along the Great River Road, a National Scenic Byway, include Quincy, Alton and Grafton, where the Pere Marquette Lodge and State Park and Raging Rivers Waterpark are open, but boating access is closed. 800-226-6632 or enjoyillinois.com
•In northeastern Missouri, Mark Twain's boyhood home of Hannibal expects the Mississippi to crest near the 1993 high-water mark today. But a levee and floodwall protect the author's former stomping grounds, and "reports that we're underwater are, as Twain would say, greatly exaggerated," says the tourism office's Beau Hicks.
About 45 miles downriver, sandbags line the historic artist hamlet of Clarksville, where the river is expected to crest Monday. In St. Louis, the Gateway Arch and other downtown attractions remain open, but the city's summer-long "LIVE on the Levee" fair has been moved off the riverfront. Statewide traffic info: 573-751-2551 or modot.gov
Meanwhile, Amtrak plans to restore flood-disrupted service on its Southwest Chief trains Saturday, with a Wisconsin detour route for the Empire Builder trains set for Saturday as well. California Zephyr service between Chicago and Denver remains suspended. Information: 800-872-7245. or amtrak.com.