Our Living Collections Team doesn’t just care for our animals, they are great at transitions! Who knew someone could put on scuba gear so quickly?! 🤿
Today is National Lobster Day!
To celebrate, here are a few fun facts about these amazing animals. 🦞
Lobsters can live to be 100 years old and continue to grow, molting as they get bigger. Their large crushing claw can exert up to 100psi pressure! Lobsters can also be right or left “handed,” depending on what side the larger claw is on. The chance of a lobster being blue is 1 in 2 million!
Check out this crustacean in our Rivers to the Sea exhibit!
Reserve your school’s spot for Nutrien Harvest Days at the River Museum!
Sponsored by Nutrien, Title I schools (up to 700 students) will receive free admission to the River Museum between October 28 – November 1. Students will be able to self-guide through the exhibits highlighting conservation initiatives and promote sustainable agricultural practices that conserve soil, water and wildlife habitats.
For more information on this programming, please contact our Education Team at [email protected].
Everything CAN be a two-person job if you try hard enough! 😂
You can see it from the highway as you travel through Dubuque. Down in the Ice Harbor, a large river boat with twin stacks floats near its permanent home at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. At 227 feet long, the 90-year-old sidewheeler dredge William M. Black is a testament to the intertwined relationship between human history and the natural world.
90 years today—Sept. 1, 1934—was the first time it set sail.
Preserving this massive artifact requires intensive, ongoing efforts, from moisture control to visitor safety to comprehensive surveys to prioritize restoration needs. The Black is just one of tens of thousands of artifacts under the museum’s supervision.
The River Museum’s collections department and community of supporters are bound to preserve The Black in perpetuity as a historical artifact in its collection. This hulking symbol of human ingenuity and industry perfectly represents a dichotomy: human vs. natural forces in competition and collaboration, each impacting the other for good and ill.
"The Black is a constant reminder of the interplay between humans and the environment,” said Emma Sundberg, Director of Curatorial Services. “Its survival depends on our commitment to protecting the very river it helped shape."
The Black is open daily seasonally for boarding and guests are able to tour the vessel to take in its unique history through an immersive experience.
Color a picture and watch it come to life! 🖍️
The River Museum just opened our new “Draw Alive” exhibit! Visitors can color an animal of their choice on paper or virtually, scan their paper or submit it with a code, and watch it come to life in the virtual aquarium!
Have you tried this out yet? Let us know your favorite part!
Thank you to everyone that came out and celebrated Smokey Bear’s 80th Birthday today!! Smokey and his friends had a blast! 😊
If hide-and-seek was an Olympic sport, our Giant Pacific Octopus would win a gold medal! 🥇
#olympics #octopus
Don’t let summer slip away without a trip to the River Museum!
Soak in these last few weeks of warm weather and sunshine with the family as you explore our 14-acre campus, make your way through our interactive maze, “American Adventure,” and even touch a stingray or a sea star!
We’re located in the Port of Dubuque, a short drive from southwest Wisconsin or Galena, Ill. if your summer travels take you there! Head to rivermuseum.org to plan your visit today!
Coming in to work on a Monday morning.. 🤮
Except when you work at the River Museum! Every day is a great day! 😊
Daily enrichment is important for all River Museum animals, especially the Giant Pacific Octopus! 🐙
Enrichment activities allow the animals to experience things that they would in the wild. These activities exercise them both physically and mentally. Be sure and check out the Giant Pacific Octopus in our Rivers to the Sea exhibit!
When you work at the River Museum, it’s very (out) fitting to have an animal polo of the week! 😄👕
Solar Eclipse Craft
No eclipse glasses? No problem! 🕶️
Join us in the Makerspace this weekend and make a Pinhole Projector which will allow you to safely watch the solar eclipse happening on Monday, April 8! If you can’t visit the River Museum, follow along with this video and make your own at home!
Materials needed: Cereal box, piece of paper, aluminum foil, tape, scissors, pencil, and a thumbtack or a nail.
Remember, don’t look directly at the sun!!
Now offering: Otter Encounters! 😮🦦
So many people have been asking about getting up close and personal with our North American River Otters - now is your chance! Only offered today, April 1 (😉), get your tickets before it’s too late!
This is the best April Fools' Day ever!!
Imagine treating various ailments with electricity!
This random collection item features the “Electreat Mechanical Heart!” This medical device was used in the early 1900s and was used to treat all kinds of pains, hair loss, and other symptoms. Later deemed unsafe to use, it played an important role in medical advancements today!
