An industrial center along the Mississippi River, Davenport is part of the metropolitan area known as the Quad Cities (the other cities are Bettendorf, Iowa; Moline, Illinois; and Rock Island, Illinois).
There's plenty to explore in the Davenport area. We like to start at the dazzling new Figge Art Museum designed by British architect David Chipperfield. The museum includes an excellent collection of paintings by Iowa native Grant Wood (the artist who painted American Gothic). Don't miss the Putnam Museum, which is devoted to natural history and features an IMAX theater. We especially liked the River, Prairie and People exhibit that explores Mississippi River history.
The Village of East Davenport is a pre-Civil War era historic district that includes more than 40 shops and restaurants. We also recommend the Family Museum of Arts and Science in Bettendorf, where the emphasis is on interactive exhibits, including a simulation that puts you in the seat of a tractor and activities that demonstrate the scientific principals of music. Baseball fans can catch minor-league games at Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits. The stadium, which has a scenic view of the Mississippi, was built in the 1930s but has since been refurbished. The Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival and Street Fest (said to be Iowa's most popular music festival) is held every July in Davenport as a tribute to jazz great and former resident Bix Beiderbecke.
The Quad Cities is a major center for casino gambling in the Midwest. On the Iowa side of the river, try the Isle of Capri Casino. To experience the wonders of the Mississippi, book a nongaming cruise on board the Celebration Belle or the Twilight, riverboats built in the classic nineteenth-century style.
About 70 mi/113 km southwest of Davenport is the Toolesboro Indian Mounds National Historic Landmark, a group of six ancient burial mounds (avid students of Native American culture will find these fascinating). Davenport is 170 mi/275 km east of Des Moines.
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