Hotel at a Glance: Hampton Inn Muscatine

After checking in at this Hampton Inn hotel, guests are free to lounge in their expansive rooms or take a dip in the clean and spacious indoor pool. From their location just northeast of downtown Muscatine, visitors will never be far from events and attractions in the city or along the Mississippi River, like the Muscatine Art Center and Riverside Park. And with a complimentary hot breakfast, they’ll awake each morning and fuel-up for the day’s adventures.

• Surf the web using the hotel’s complimentary Wi-Fi.
• Pump some iron or get in some cardio time at the on-site fitness center.
• Enjoy a morning snack like an apple or a bowl of oatmeal, or fill-up a plate with eggs and bacon at the complimentary hot breakfast.
• Bring the family pet and stay in a pet-friendly room for an additional fee.

Muscatine, Iowa: Historic Small Town on the Mississippi River

If not for the mighty Mississippi River, there would be no Muscatine. The small city, on a series of bluffs at a large bend in the river, rose to prominence as an important trading post. But it wasn’t just traders that came here. Mark Twain lived in Muscatine briefly, and the town left an impression on him—he once reminisced, “And I remember Muscatine . . . for its summer sunsets. I have never seen any, on either side of the ocean, that equaled them.”

Today, you can watch the sun set behind the river from the Mark Twain Scenic Overlook. It’s located in the quaint downtown district, most of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here, you’ll find plenty of shops and restaurants, the Muscatine History and Industry Center—which chronicles the city’s history as the pearl-button capital of the world—and the Mississippi Mist Fountain. Cool off on hot days by playing in the water cannon’s 30-foot-high stream. You can also stretch your legs in one of Muscatine’s 20 parks, which are interlaced with 10 miles of trails and the working historic Pine Creek Grist Mill, built in 1848.