Great River Road
Alma, WI

The village of Alma is seven miles long, but only two streets wide. Built by Swiss settlers, Alma is nestled in a narrow corridor between the Mississippi River and Twelve Mile Bluff, which towers 500 feet above the river valley. The town's shops, taverns, and hotels were busy when lumberjacks moved logs through the slough in the spring and down the Mississippi during the summer.

The entire city, with its turn-of-the-century commercial buildings and elegant homes, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Visit the observation deck at Lock and Dam 4 located on the riverfront in the downtown area. The city's Buena Vista Park, located on the bluff top, provides a panoramic view of the city, Lock and Dam, the Mississippi River and its vast valley. In the fall, stop at Rieck's Lake Park to see hundreds of migrating Tundra Swans.