LA CROSSE -- The Mississippi River starts as a trickle at its headwaters at Lake Itasca, winds past sandstone bluffs capped with limestone, squeezes through a system of levees and dikes further downstream, and transforms into a bustling commercial highway for tows and cargo ships before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Upper Mississippi River National Fish and Wildlife Refuge spans more than 240,000 acres of river and wetland. The refuge offers wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, canoe trails and environmental education.
Tundra swans gather in large groups near Brownsville, Minn., on the Mississippi River. The swans, numbering in the thousands, are among a host of species that make their way through Wisconsin as part of their migration routes.
The National Brewery Museum in Potosi, Wis., includes a collection of beer memorabilia from big-name brewers like Pabst and Schlitz in Milwaukee but also the smaller and lesser known breweries that at one-time dotted the state.
The Upper Mississippi River National Fish and Wildlife Refuge spans more than 240,000 acres of river and wetland. The refuge offers wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, canoe trails and environmental education.
Tundra swans gather in large groups near Brownsville, Minn., on the Mississippi River. The swans, numbering in the thousands, are among a host of species that make their way through Wisconsin as part of their migration routes.
The National Brewery Museum in Potosi, Wis., includes a collection of beer memorabilia from big-name brewers like Pabst and Schlitz in Milwaukee but also the smaller and lesser known breweries that at one-time dotted the state.
