Burlington (Iowa)

Burlington is a city in Southeast Iowa. It is on the Mississippi River and has a population of about 27,000.

From the raising of the American flag here in 1805 by Zebulon Pike to becoming a post of the American Fur Company in 1829 and then Iowa Territory's first territorial capital in 1838, Burlington has been a place of considerable historical value. Intriguingly, it is the source for the name Hawkeye State (from the name of a newspaper honoring Chief Black Hawk) and the name Burlington Railroad.

• 🌍 Snake Alley. Downtown Burlington's 'crookedest street in the world'. Like a miniature version of San Francisco's Lombard Street. 
• Des Moines County Historical Society, N.3rd Street. site of old public library. Now home to Historical Society. Changing exhibites creates fresh interesting local history. 
• Crapo Park, 2800 Madison Ave. A riverfront park featuring a scenic overlook, arboretum, and the Hawkeye Cabin.
• Starr's Cave Nature Center, 11627 Starrs Cave Park Rd. Nature reserve encompassing the Flint Creek ravine and other craggy topography, with a sealed-off "cave". Hiking and exploring opportunities. Sa-Su Noon-4pm.

• Burlington Bees, 2712 Mt. Pleasant St, ☏ +1 319 754-5705. Burlington Bees is a Minor league baseball team. The season runs from the second week in April to the second week in September. Price ranges are from $8 to $6 and can be as little as $1 on promotion days. 
• Catfish Bend Casino, 3001 Winegard Dr. Casino with an attached Hampton Inn, buffet, gift shop, and even a water park.
  • FunCity Resort, this outdoor/indoor water park has a number of slides, not to mention a go-kart track, bowling alley, and arcade.
• Wildlife Lakes Elk Farm Inc, 13810 Washington Rd, West Burlington. For when you've ever had an interest in petting or just watching an elk. +1 319-759-7548
• 34 Raceway, 10463 S Prairie Grove Rd, West Burlington. This is a country style race track where you can watch OHV dragsters and such compete.

Catfish Bend Casino/FunCity Resort has a Hampton Inn as mentioned above as well its own hotel property.

Or, for a more quaint experience with views of the river, you could try:

• Squirrel's Nest Bed & Breakfast, 500 North St, Burlington. +1 319-752-8382

Burlington has a touch of crime, so take heed when heading out, especially at night. Unfortunately, there was a traumatic LGBT hate crime death here in 2016, not wholly unlike what happened in Laramie, only this time the victim was only 16 years old.