The riverfront town of Alma has only two streets, but they stretch for a few miles along the shores of the Mississippi. Visitors enjoy exploring charming stairway "streets" that head up the river bluffs and the town’s terraced cemetery. The main streets are lined with historic 19th century buildings, feature gift, art and antique shops. Nearby, Rieck’s Lake Park is a perfect spot to view the annual fall migration of graceful Tundra Swans.
About 17 miles north of Alma, the town of Pepin sits on the edge of a strikingly wide expanse of the Mississippi known as Lake Pepin. A natural dam below the town created the "lake" Pepin is famous as the hometown of "Little House in the Big Woods" author Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was born on a farm near here in 1867.