The Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark on Dubuque’s Mississippi riverfront opened Thursday afternoon. The 26-million dollar hotel features seven stories and 194 rooms along with an indoor waterpark. The resort is a major part of the America’s River project which includes the Mississippi River Discovery Center and Aquarium which opens next May. The National Rivers Hall of Fame is already open along with a riverwalk and an amphitheatre. The project was partly funded by a 40-million dollar “Vision Iowa” state grant. Jim Rix of Dubuque is the head of Platinum Hospitality Group, which owns the hotel. Rix says he’s interested in feedback on the facility. Rix says there’s a little confusion about where the money came from that built the new hotel. Some people have stopped in saying they wanted to see what their tax dollars are buying, but Rix corrects them, saying the hotel is all the product of private investment.
