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East-Central Iowa Scenic Drive
Clinton
(Population: 29,200) Lighthouses guard the banks of the Mississippi at this his-toric town, with its landscaped riverfront. Catch a minor-league baseball game at Riverview Stadium or a show aboard a paddle wheeler at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre.
Docked nearby, the big, Victorian-style gambling boat Mississippi Belle II welcomes guests to its casino, dinner buffets and cruises. You can watch barge traffic at Lock and Dam 13 or hike the 4-mile asphalt trail between Riverview and Eagle Point parks.
At the funky Smith Brothers General Store downtown, owner Steve Smith chills soda pop in an old-fashioned "bevrador," a 1930s silo-shaped cooler set on the mercantile's original wood floor. Steve's father and uncles opened the store nearly 70 years ago.
Taking stock of the 40,000 items in-side, from rubber chickens to enamel roasting pans to pictures of Elvis, you'll understand why locals say, "If you can't find it here, you don't need it."
From US-67 just north of town, drive 1 mile east on State-136 across the river.
