What a beautiful park!…read more During a quick trip to Iowa we kept our activities limited to outdoor activities and carry out eats. I pulled up the Yelp app to find a park to explore and voila, there was Vander Veer Botanical Park. It was a toasty 93 degree day so we were quickly drawn to the plentiful shaded spaces found throughout this large park. In addition to a botanical garden (which we didn't visit specifically), they also have a rose garden, small pond with a fountain, long shaded promenade, and plentiful paved paths for walking. We strolled through the rose garden and then were naturally drawn to the long shaded walkway that leads up to a large and entertaining fountain at the end. This park has so many lovely uses for varying audiences and interests. Highly recommend giving it a visit if you find yourself in the Quad Cities!

It the most fun me and my kid add I love how handicap accessible it was in the summerread more

This review is for the kids area at veterans memorial park…read more The play area is well laid out and maintained. The ground doesn't have mulch, but a nice padded floor. There are 6 swings, multiple slides and 3 benches for parents to sit and watch over their children.

This is a great park for a variety of ages. There are two areas 1}Toddlers 2}Kindergarten and Up…read more I am reviewing the toddler section since I have twin 1.5 year old girls. The toddler section was very nice and safe. The canopy on a portion of it to shield from the sun. The slides seemed appropriate as far as safety. I liked the squishy type ground for this play area. Its a welcomed change from rocks or wood chips. The fencing around the playground is also nice. And more then one park bench inside the fence was appreciated.

Great place near central Bettendorf (along Devils Glen Road) to take a leisurely scenic walk. Very…read morespacious, great for kite flying. Nice wide, paved trails as well that surround a former rock quarry. Diverse activities include a cool skate park, several baseball diamonds, very popular floor hockey, swings & slides for the youngsters, and a couple fenced dog parks to run both large and small dogs. Nice picnic area as well! Bettendorf parks are monitored by volunteer Park Ambassadors who help maintain a secure and enjoyable experience.

I live over an hour from this wonderful park, but try to get here once a month…read more Some of its amenities include: Dog park, skate and bike park, cross country trail, recreation trail, adult and youth softball, baseball and soccer fields, playground areas, six picnic shelters, a creek and a "catch and release" fishing pond. (watch your dog's paws for fish hooks on the bank) The main reason I love this park is the dog park which is divided into three sections. One section for "small dogs" and two sections that they rotate use of so the grass doesn't get wore down and too muddy. The land slopes for great water run off, but does get muddy sometimes. A huge plus is they have benches and trees. The two water fountains have water spigots with attached bowls for dog's use. This spring they fenced off a "small dog" section, but patrons still take their little ones into the other sections to socialize them, because they trust the dog owners are watching over their dogs well. There is friendly adult social time with great advice on area dog places, but always with a watchful eye on their dog responsibilities. I feel comfortable taking my dog here. I highly recommend this park and hope to see you there! ((: Here is a link for dog park rules and information: http://www.bettendorf.org/egov/docs/1256326798212.htm

McManus Park has a lot of things for kids of various ages to play with. Swings, slides, rock…read moreclimbing, etc. The downside is the amount of bugs is mind-boggling. As a parent, I was tired swatting the bugs but the kids were having fun.

John O'Donnell Stadium... I mean Modern Woodmen Park is the best minor league stadium in the United…read moreStates. I am not exaggerating, they have won the award to state it as a fact. Going to Modern Woodmen Park is a must for any baseball fan. It is one of the oldest parks in the nation. Many MLB stars got their careers started here in Davenport, Iowa. This family friendly stadium offers a wide variety of entertainment for the whole family. If the great game of baseball isn't for you, check out the different amusement rides. The Ferris wheel is huge and gives spectators a glimpse of the field and mighty Mississippi River. The concessions have many great foods and drinks to purchase at reasonable prices. You won't go broke here like at a MLB stadium. Where else can you watch a baseball game, see river boats cruise the river, and hear trains fly down the tracks? Modern Woodmen Stadium is the answer.

We came here from metro Minneapolis to watch a game. We were here in 2022, but the team was out of…read moretown. The ball park is unique as it sits on the banks of the Mississippi River. On one side is a bridge and another side, an amusement park with Ferris wheel and merry go round. I walked around a lot. The layout is graded up high, as you had to walk 20 steps up to it. The reason 4/5 stars is lack of good concessions. A couple of places such as a Mexican grill weren't open. The line for this one grill was insanely long the whole night. The Whiteys ice-cream did not have malt cups, supposedly sold out the night before. Piss poor planning for a crowd. I settled for Cheesesteak nachos without onions and peppers in a helmet. Also shared a chip witch or chocolate chip cookie with ice-cream between it. The stadium was really iconic and cool. The Ferris wheel lit up at night. Just work on better concessions with product and have more open. Review 94 in 2023.

Review Visit: November 17th, 2014…read more The Davenport Skybridge is a nifty pedestrian bridge that lets you take in the views of the city and see things from a 'high up' perspective. Right outside where Rhythm City Casino used to be, this bridge is easily accessible and free to use. You can take an elevator or stairs to the top and once up there, you can walk from end to end. There are glass inserts in the ground that lets you see traffic whizz by underneath you. The walls are mostly glass that lets you get a great view of the city. The only disappointing thing about the bridge is that at one of the ends, you are just overlooking a bunch of buildings, so the view is kind of lame. But to each their own. Overall, it's a great view and if you are in the area, just park at the casino and check it out.

An elevated glass bridge that connects downtown Davenport to the park along the Mississippi River…read more A nice free vantage point to check out the river, bridges and downtown Davenport and Rock Island. For a medium size city it is a nice attraction. Kansas City has something similar at our riverfront, but it is not as elevated to give as good of a vista of the downtown area. Certainly a must do when visiting the Quad Cities to acclimate oneself to the area.

We returned to the Illiniwek again this year because we enjoyed the location, sites, and views…read more They only have electric and water, but no sewer. However, there is a dump station. Also, you can only stay two weeks per month. In September you can stay three weeks. We are in the area for the months of June and July. Even without a sewer hookup we'd stay the entire time, if there wasn't a time limit on it.

Staying here was my first camping experience since moving to the Quad Cities, and we had a great…read moretime! We camped with four adults and three preschool aged children and there was plenty for all of us to do. We stayed along the river at a tent site, and had plenty of space. The campgrounds were clean and quiet, and only $16 for the night. With little ones, it was especially great that there are clean, stocked restrooms. We really enjoyed being on the river at our site, but also the easy walk along the bike trail that connects to other parks. Overall, I highly recommend this site for easy, nearby camping.

Great park and historical site in Rock Island that's an important part of Native American culture…read more If you want to know more, come here and check out the museum about it. Black Hawk State Historic Site is located on the former location of an amusement park, that's no lie. Lodge has a museum about the famous warrior and the village that was here. The rest of the park has other feature such as trails. Black Hawk was a famous chief. In the 1800s the Sauk tribe was living here. They were later forced to move west. Soon this area became an amusement park. The railroad was used to bring people here, and when cars got popular, the park didn't have as many visitors. It soon closed. Then the Civilian Conservation Corps build the lodge and made the area a park. All this can be learned by visiting the museum. This is located in the lodge, and you can watch a video about the history of all this. Also there's trails for hiking. One overlooks the Rock River. Elsewhere in the park is the site of an 1886 coal mine. There's also a pioneer cemetery with a few old tombstones. Also there's lots of deer. The last time here we came across a bunch in the woods just standing around and eating leaves. Cool place as far as this area goes. It's got a lot of history to it. The museum in the lodge is helpful for learning about whatever.

I spent three days in Moline for a business function at the iWireless center. I needed a break so I…read morefound this park on Yelp. Moline is rather compact so this is a about 15 minutes from the downtown area. The park is named for Black Hawk, the leader of the Sauk people who built a rather sophisticated culture in the Mississippi basin area. The draws are the native peoples museum and the surrounding park with hiking trails. I visited the museum and walked down to the banks of the Rock RIver. The musuem has about five or six dioramas which give you a pretty good idea of everyday life for the Sauk people of the area. As I walked the path straddling the river I couldn't help thinking that this path was in everyday use hundreds of years ago.. From my visit I learned: * the native peoples in the area had a rich culture * it wasn't exactly a picnic living in the path of Europeans as they moved westward (google Black Hawk War) * my knees aren't what they were as I made it down the steep path to the river. Here is the lowdown from the website: Pause a moment and picture a forest in the middle of the city -- an urban paradise... Hiking trails that wind deep into the woods, up rugged hills and along the banks of a gentle river, remote spots where nature wraps around you...the songs of birds...scampering squirrels...oaks that were here when the first pioneers came... Picnic shelters with stone fireplaces, a museum of Native American life, a nature center where children can learn the values of the natural world, playgrounds, a rustic lodge that a duke would envy...

Nice place to walk playground outhouses nature trails to walk cycling great outdoors plenty of…read moreparking space and shelters with fireplaces to have family gatherings

Beautiful scenery. Well kept paths. Very kind patrons. Great for walking and dogs! Highly recommend…read morevisiting!!

This was a nice place to take a break in my road trip! I was skeptical as I followed my navigation…read moreinto a rather industrial area-could there really be a park and an island there? And as promised, a little parking lot and a park sign popped up as I rounded the corner. There were a number of other cars parked in the lot, but there was ample parking. I walked along the river, and then crossed the bridge to the island. There's an display right as you enter the island, and it has information about the history of the area and the island as well as information about the wildlife present. There's also a map displaying the various trails. I did the factory trail, which takes you through the Republic Steel ruins. This connected with the Loading Dock trail, which I used to connect back to the bridge and leave the island. It was cool to see the ruins, however it is marred with graffiti. It would be a cool place for a photo op otherwise.

We took the dogs here for a morning walk with family members. It's a very nice area, somewhat…read moretranquil through the trees. Nice scenic overlooks of the backwaters. We had to do a few laps on the perimeter trail to get our steps in, will likely weave through the different trails next time. There are a few areas with graffiti and one area with a lot of broken beer bottles. Someone always has to ruin a good thing. Several locals we talked to said they've never been. I recommend giving it a try.