The Tour Clarksville office is on Front Street, and tours depart from the Clarksville Eagle Center, Thursday through Sunday. The center, operated by the World Bird Sanctuary headquartered in St. Louis County, will show you a variety of birds, mammals and reptiles, depending on the season. Riverfront Park is also the site for special events, such as Eagle Days, held the last weekend in January. This festival features the viewing of a captive eagle as well as hundreds of the regal birds in their natural habitat. Big River Days, held the third weekend in September, also takes place at the park.
Folks celebrate the river's history with music, food, exhibits and demonstrations.
Ralph Huesing, program manager with Main Street Clarksville, said the town is looking to the future, with long-range plans for a Mississippi River interpretive center, and the reopening of Lookout Point, a scenic overlook that is the highest spot on the river between St. Paul, Minn., and New Orleans. Sample the Mississippi's history and character by traveling this portion of the Great River Road. If you take time to listen, you'll come away with stories as timeless as the river itself. Deborah Klein is managing editor of AAA Midwest Traveler.