13 things to do in the quad cities with your kids

            We have lived a lot of places and have tried to explore each area we've lived in. We lived in the quad cities (Iowa/Illinois border).  In the winters I used to have a hard time, because it was so cold, cloudy, and windy.  I have listed some ideas of what to do to help you get out of the house and keep those winter blues at bay. I have also listed some fun outdoors things to enjoy in the warmer months.

Spring/ Summer time

Quad city Botanical Center
This is a great place to go in the summer. On Mondays they do a dollar day! It has a splash pad area. The kids can build their own dam, play in the fake stream, & play in the sandbox area. My kids absolutely loved this place.  

Credit Island
It has a playground, beautiful view of the Mississippi river, and a great bike/walking trail. We also watched 4th of July fireworks from here. 
Splash Landing
Best splash pad & pool in the area. They have a darling, small kid area with a slide and a fun splash pad. They have another zero depth pool that has a cute kiddy pirate slide and bigger water slides for the older kids. Admission for 3 and older is $6 & at night it is only $3.
Niabi zoo
Small, but appealing zoo. They will sometimes do 2 free days a year. It has a train and a new playgroup area the kids love. It is smaller zoo, so going once a year is enough. 

Rocket park/McManus Park
This park is so cool. It has a lot of things there that accommodate special needs.  It has some awesome slides and swings. The kids love it. 
White Water Junction
My kids actually took swim lessons here. It is a lot less crowded than Splash Landing. My kids loved the slides there. It is also a zero depth pool. Great place to get some sun and let the kids play.
Quad cities river bandits baseball game
We went to a couple games and it is so much fun! Nothing more american than a baseball game. It is pretty cheap to get into games too. My daughter even won a t-shirt at one of the games for cheering so loud. 

First pic is  my daughter wearing the shirt she won

Fall/ Winter time


John Deere Pavilion
This place is really cool and it is FREE! You can see huge tractors and climb in them. They also have kid zone. You can check out the link here.

Pride of the Wapsi
A perfect Pumpkin patch.We have gone here twice and loved it. We went with a homeschool group. It included a hay ride, a pumpkin of your choice, an educational video on pumpkins, and access to their play area. On weekends they offer pony rides! The people there are so friendly! Go support them!

1-pumpkin they picked themselves 2-view from hayride 3-looking at chickens 4-petting sheep 5-sitting on the hayride

Happy Joes
This is a huge indoor play area with lots of tunnels and a small arcade. Go grab some pizza and a few tokens & enjoy a couple hours here. Seriously, getting out in the winter is necessary. Invite some other moms and go. 
Chick-fil-a
I love Chick-fil-a food. This is a great place for a play date. Grab some food, let the kids play, have some mom time to talk with friends.. win/win.
Story time at local library
We LOVE the library. We went to the Fairmount, Walcott, & Eastern branch. We lived closet to Walcott branch so we went erhe the most. The librarians there are so awesome, they took so much time to put together a great story time. Fairmount & Eastern do a fun dance party story time and ended with play time. Super fun!

playing at story time

Family Museum
This was a big hit with my kids. Their favorite part was the pizza place. There is a telephone that connects to the different play areas. Other kids would call in to order pizza & they had so much fun.

1- my son in the pizza oven 2- My daughter next to the phone & cash register 3- Firefighter dress up 4- veterinarian dress up & x-ray play area.

   We really enjoyed our time in the Quad cities and enjoyed a lot of what the city has to offer. I ran across a blog that has so much more about the area so check out Quad City Moms Blog for more info.