Plenty to Do
From outdoor activities to museums, meeting-goers can choose from a host of entertainment options. On the river, visitors can also try out open-air water taxis and cruises on larger boats, including the option of riverboat gambling.
Nothing highlights the region’s strong agricultural profile more than the John Deere Corporation’s worldwide headquarters. It boasts an outstanding visitors center that celebrates the history of agriculture and maps out an exciting future.
For golf lovers, the John Deere Classic is an annual stop on the PGA tour. The first-rate courses also provide a challenge for amateurs at every level.
Art aficionados will appreciate the Figge Art Museum, home to one of the Midwest’s finest art collections and host of world-class traveling exhibitions. Prominent among its collections are the Grant Wood Archive, works by other American regionalist artists, Haitian art and a variety of contemporary works.
Less than a half-hour’s drive from Davenport is the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum, found on the grounds of the world’s largest truck stop. Displaying a wide range of antique trucks and memorabilia, it also boasts a theater showing short films on the history of trucking.
Of interest to gun buffs, the Rock Island Arsenal Museum is the Army’s second-oldest museum. Along with exhibits on the history of arsenal, the museum features a highly regarded small arms collection with over 1,200 military and civilian small arms on permanent display.
Butterworth Center is a beautiful property in Moline now used as a civic center for educational and cultural activities. Two 19th century homes include impressively maintained grounds and gardens. Visitors may take free guided tours, and special events range from old-fashioned music and games to antique car shows.
The area is also home to all types of festivals and events. The annual Quad City Air Show is considered one of the top civil air shows in the nation, and the twice-yearly Beaux Arts Fair offers distinctive works of art in a variety of styles.
Rally on the River is the Midwest’s largest gathering of motorcycles, and the Quad Cities Criterium features hundreds of bicyclists racing through East Davenport. Other popular events include jazz festivals, street music of many genres, hot air balloon festivals and river races. And Tug Fest is a yearly tug-of-war competition across the Mississippi between Illinois and Iowa.
The Quad Cities:
Davenport, Iowa
Bettendorf, Iowa
Moline, Illinois
Rock Island, Illinois
Location
East-Central Iowa and Northwest Illinois.
Access
Interstates 80, 74, 88; Quad City International Airport
Major meeting spaces
Quad Cities Event Center, Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center
Hotel Rooms
5,400+
Offsite Venues
Adler Theatre, Figge Art Museum, Celebration Belle River Cruises, Bass Street Landing
Contact Info
Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau
309-277-0937 or 800-747-7800
