Cruise the Mississippi River to the Trempealeau Hotel

Houseboating Excursions in the River Valley took a Mississippi River cruise up to Trempealeau to visit and have lunch at the Trempealeau Hotel. We parked at the Sunset Bay Marina in Trempealeau. They are located on the east side of Lock and Dam No.6 in a small bay. They have a fee to stay the night and use their facilities of $1.00 a foot in boat length. You can make advanced reservations by calling their phone number at 1-800-627-4629. The marina has a bar, no food, gas,some supplies and can provide phone numbers to local restaurants and bar/grills that have a shuttle service to come to the marina and pick you up and bring you back.
We decided to walk to the Trempealeau Hotel which is about a 1/4 mile from the marina instead of calling for the hotel's shuttle service because you can view the bluffs and Mississippi River Valley as you walk. When you go inside the Tremealeau Hotel you will notice on your left a Wall of Fame which has pictures of past entertainers that played there. Entertainers like Survivor, Little River Band, Tokens, Molly Hatchet and The Marshall Tucker Band. The hotel has different seating arrangements like a screened-in porch with views of the Mississippi River and Lock and Dam No. 6. We stopped for lunch and had their famous Walnut Burger, which is very good and is amazingly made with no meat. The Tremealeau Hotel has free outdoor concerts on Thursday nights starting aroung 7:00pm as well as their regular fee required concerts they offer throught the houseboating season. You can find out about concert dates and who is playing by clicking on our link to their web site for more information. The Tremealeau Hotel has many different hotel rooms if you wish to stay there and some have jacuzzi's.
Continue to follow Houseboating Excursions in the River Valley as we make more Mississippi River cruise stops and adventures.

River Markers- What Do They Mean?

As you are cruising along the Mississippi River you will notice there are many different kinds of markers on the waterways. What do they all mean? These are very important navigational tools that direct traffic on the waterways in a safe and organized manner. You will see red and green buoys on either side of the (in our case) the Mississippi River. These buoys indicate where the main river channel is and this is the safest place to travel up and down the river. You will always see green on one side and red on the other. As you travel down river always keep the green on your right and red on your left and when traveling up river you would keep the red on your right and green on your left. If you venture outside of these areas you run the risk of hitting an underwater object that could damage your boat. That is why always take precaution when leaving the channel and heading to a sandbar, approach slow and with the motor(s) slight raised up for clearance.
You will sometimes see numbers on some of these markers along the river. These numbers are mile markers which indicate where you are on the river, just like you would see along the interstate highway, in case you should need to call for the US Coast Guard or other emergency personnel.
You will in some areas see small white buoys with orange symbols and black lettering. These are navigational aids that give information other than the borders of safe waterways. The most common ones you encounter on the river are the SLOW NO WAKE buoys. These have circles which indicate a controlled area which means to slow down to just above idle speed as to not create a wake(wave). These are generally found in an areas that may be narrow, housing, boat launching sites, or high erosion potential. These areas are determined with all the combined efforts of the DNR, US Fish and Wildlife, US Army Corps of Engineers,US Coast Guard and local officials.
As you are cruising along the beautiful Mississippi River keep an eye out for these markers and respect what they mean; safe boating is fun boating.

Houseboating the Mississippi River Valley

Houseboating on the Mississippi River is a unique and very enjoyable experience. It is much different than houseboating on a lake. The river valley is bordered mainly by river bluffs or to some by Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa mountain peaks and summits. The views are breathtaking. There's late spring when everything is turning green, the warm summers, and the colors of fall. You can see wildlife of all kinds from a small turtle to a large black bear. The fishing is always great and so are the stories about the big one that got away.

The best houseboating, in our opinion, is located between the cities of Prairie Du Chien,WI to the south, and Red Wing,MN to the north. This part of the Mississippi River Valley has many cities and towns located along it that offer access to tourism, entertainment, and restraunts. Some of them have marinas that offer gasoline, dock slips, pumpouts, supplies, and houseboat rentals. Some of them only have docks that are large enough to tie up to so you can venture into town. All of the cities and towns have their own festivals and fairs throughout the houseboating season.

The Mississippi River Valley has an abundance of sandbars for everyone to have such pleasures as campfires, swimming, camping with tents, fishing, or just anchoring to it and relax. Houseboating the Mississippi River Valley ia an unique and enjoyable experience for the whole family and friends. The scenery, wildlife, tourism and ability to travel to different destinations makes houseboating the river valley a pleasure for all.

Houseboating the Mississippi River Valley is easy to navigate with red and green markers, called buoys, show where the main channel is so there is little risk of hitting any obstructions under water. Houseboating the Mississippi River Valley offers an unique experience of being able to go through a Mississippi Lock and Dam which was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers starting in 1930. You can even watch a large commercial barge go through the locks and get an understanding of how the navigation system works on the Mississippi River. Come follow us as we will take you to many destinations and through many experiences.

4th of JULY

Houseboating Excursions in the River Valley hosted a 4th of July party for friends and family. Everyone had a great time on the houseboat with plenty of food and drinks for everyone. There were also other parties going on all around the marina. The weather was great. The fireworks started at 10 o'clock and lasted for about 20 minutes. The fireworks show was put on by the Skyrockers sponsored by Riverfest. The river was very busy that day with all the boat traffic, you could walk across the Mississippi River without touching the water. Houseboating Excursions in the River Valley hopes everyone had a safe and wonderful 4th of July.