The Fenelon Place Elevator is a tiny funicular railway that has been carrying passengers up the 189-foot bluff face since 1882. The cars are small — barely enough for a few people — and the ride takes less than a minute, but the view from the top platform is one of the best in the region: a sweeping panorama across the Mississippi, the wooded Illinois bluffs on the far bank, and the rooftops of downtown Dubuque below.
The elevator costs a dollar or two for the ride and operates daily during the warmer months. The top station opens onto a quiet residential street on the bluff with a small park and benches for the view. It is an excellent way to punctuate a morning in the downtown — ride up, walk along the bluff, admire the view, ride or walk back down. The alternative is the steep Fourth Street staircase, which gives a more physically demanding version of the same experience.