We love our favorite Quad Cities adventures like the Chanel Cat Water Taxi, River Bandits baseball games, and mural hunting, but it's always fun to try something new. Check out these Five Fun New Quad Cities Experiences.
Pedal Pub Quad Cities is a party bike with three routes through Davenport, Moline or Rock Island. You can gather with friends (up to 15 on a bike), bring your own beverages, and stop at local hot spots all while pedaling your way though the Quad Cities. Your guide will show you highlights of town and you'll see the Quad Cities in a whole new way. So whether you're a visitor or a local, this is a great perspective of the lovely river towns we live in.
“Our group had a blast! We played boozy games, listened to fun music, and laughed thewhole time. We made a few great bar stops along the way. What a spectacular trip and unique memories of town via the QC Pedal Pub!” - Heather Muir from Rock Island, IL.
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Palmer Hills Golf Course in Bettendorf addeda new putting coursecalled The Forge consisting of 18 individual holes played on a 1.5 acre putting green. It is the first of its kind in the region. The putting surface will have more undulations than a regular golf green to create strategic shots, challenge and most importantly a fun experience. The putting course can also be scheduled for parties, celebration, or work outings. Read more insider details about fun at The Forge.
The Enhanced Children’s Garden and Train Garden at the Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island is a great family stop. The Children's Garden includes phase two exhibit additions with new water features representative of the headwaters of the Mississippi. The Train Garden featuring a G scale railway has new sites that will delight young and old. Note: the Train Garden is open on Sundays and for special events.
“I like the train garden the best. And playing in the water with the alligator. I bring my toys and they float down the river past all the flowers and bees.” - Simon, age 4.
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New Rhino & sloth atNiabi Zoo - The first ever Rhino at the Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley arrived in May 2021. “Kito”is a two-year-old male Southern White Rhinoceros. He's one of the first animals you will see when you get on the train or if you start your visit on the path to the left after crossing the tracks. The zoo hopes to add a female rhino by early summer 2022. Inthe early 1900s there were fewer than 50 Southern white rhinos left. Now, due to important conservation efforts there are about 18,000 in the world today.
If you're really lucky, you'll get to see Kito wallow in the mud spa. Candice Wilson from Rapids City, IL says, “Seeing the Rhino, Kito, at the Niabi Zoo was so exciting. When we heard the zoo was getting him we couldn't wait to go see him. We actually got a zoo membership because we were so excited for the Rhino!”
While Niabi has housed sloths before, they are excited to welcome a new femaletwo-toed sloth named Monique at the Biodiversity Hall. Hear more about her welcome.
The renovated Kaiserslautern Square pocket park in downtown Davenport is a lovely respite in the middle of downtown. Stroll by and check outlighted walls, overhead lights, shade trees, different elevations for seating and events, improved accessibility, and an interactive water feature with nozzles that produce an extremely fine spray of water, which creates a fog effect colored by LED lighting.Kaiserslautern Square is often shorted to K-square by locals and is named after Davenport's partner city inGermany.
The Quad Cities are always improving and delighting visitors and locals by offering just that much more to enjoy!
Meghan Cooley moved to the Quad Cities from St. Charles, IL, as an Augustana College student over 20 years ago. She left briefly after graduation and then returned to work in admissions and then marketing at Augustana College for 18 years. She now works as a consultant for admissions marketing and social media. She also does copy editing and writes for the Quad City Moms Blog. Now a true Quad Cities transplant, Meghan lives in Rock Island with her husband, Luke (R.O.W.V.A. & Augustana grad and Modern Woodmen employee) and four boys. She loves living in the Quad Cities and finds it the perfect place to raise a family, plan a date night, and go on adventures.
