Tenn-Tom Waterway
The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is the flyway used almost exclusively by “snowbirds” migrating from the northern climates in autumn and going back north in the spring.
The Complete Listing of Marinas and Locks on the Inland and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways
Eating Your Way Along the Inland Waterways
Part of the fun of traveling on or along Heartland waterways is discovering new places, new people and, for some, new restaurants. To help you reach the levels of gastronomic joy, we’ve compiled a list of our all-time favorites — along with one promising new spot. Harbor View Cafe – Pepin, Wisconsin On the east […] Read More
Profile: Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores, Alabama
For boaters who frequently ply the Tennessee-Tombigee Waterway, Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores, Alabama, is likely a well-known waypoint on the chartplotter. The marina is the perfect location away from the hustle and bustle of the popular tourist town and is also offers protection from fast-rising storms. With 76 slips, 10 of which are available […] Read More
Profile: Bay Springs Marina
If you were to Google the phrase “best kept secret on the Tenn-Tom,” you might land on Bay Springs Lake and Bay Springs Marina, located at Mile 412. The marina opened to the public in 1984 while the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was still undergoing excavation by the U.S. Corps of Engineers in what is considered to […] Read More
Lovin' the Loop, Part 6
It’s 4 a.m. when we wake to a nightmarish sound of grinding metal and straining diesel engines. Suddenly, we’re blinded by a powerful searchlight. Anchored 200 yards off the mighty Mississippi, we’re tucked into the mouth of Little River Diversion Channel, 130 miles south of St. Louis. The huge towboat pushing a long, wide […] Read More
Lovin’ the Loop!
Recently on a trip to Florida, my son and I stopped by to visit old friends we met in Canada years ago while our families were doing the Great Loop. The last time we had seen each other, we were celebrating our successful arrival in Florida after traveling down the inland rivers and waterways […] Read More
Time and Again
Two-and-a-half decades. A quarter of a century. Two-dozen-plus-one boating seasons. No matter how you slice it, 25 years is a pretty long time, and HeartLand Boating has been on the water for every one of them. Rather than unleash a history lesson on how and why “Mid-America’s Premier Boating Publication” came into […] Read More
Sail Like Columbus
Remember that poem: In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, a gravedigger, a history teacher and a bartender sailed the ocean blue. True, it once was Christopher Columbus in that childhood poetry, but now the sailors on his ships, replicas of the Nina and Pinta, are a diverse crew of mostly volunteers. Allison Asher […] Read More
Fall Fests
Marked by a pleasant change of color and climate, fall offers boaters in the Midwest a chance to enjoy their favorite pastime from a whole new perspective. What’s more, a variety of annual festivals spread throughout the region add to the seasonal opportunities with their autumn-inspired flavor and attractions. No, it’s not too late […] Read More