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

A beautiful 200 acre park located on the north side of Clinton on the bluffs overlooking the…read moreMississippi River. You can picnic,hike or cross country ski in this treasured asset of Clinton. There is a historic lodge which we did not visit and a castle turret open for stair climbs and fantastic views of the Mississippi . Lots of play areas, restrooms, pavilions and trails makes this park a fun way to spend a day.

Nice park, love climbing the old tower and the great views. A lot of play areas, restrooms,…read morepavilions, and trails. Needs a little better maintenance and some tree trimming to improve the views.

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.

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.

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.

Black Hawk State Park is a real gem for Rock Island. Beautiful at any time of the year, there are…read moreseveral picnic areas, three playgrounds, a lodge, a museum and reception hall, and many hiking trails throughout the park. I've loved coming here throughout my life! Lately I've mostly been utilizing the trails which are easy, though some maintenance is needed for deteriorating wooden walkways, washed out sections, and fallen trees on the trails. It's pretty quiet on the weekdays, though I'd imagine things will start picking up now that summer is in full swing. If you haven't been to Black Hawk Park, I highly recommend it! Please pick up after yourself and your dogs.

At Crow Creek Park for my oldest daughter's cross country meet. This park has every sport you can…read morethink of! It is pretty big and parking is plentiful but it gets crowded based on the current events. Easy on/off from 53rd and you can grab Portillos down the street after as an added bonus! (Perfect for this Iowa implant from Chicago:) ) Go West CC!

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.

Great place to kayak especially in the morning or evening. Trails have varying difficulty with none…read moreof them being too difficult. Camping area is nice as well.

While a smaller camp site, it is still pretty nice. We stayed in the Pines, which as the name…read moreindicates, was covered in beautiful pine trees which made you feel like you were walking through a Roman colonnade. Now, I'm not very "hardcore" when it comes to camping, and this trip marked my first real tent camping trip since I was in third grade (roughly 19 years ago!), so this review is more written from the point of view of "that chick" who screams and panics at the site of any and all insects. Yes, I'm not proud to admit it, but I have to be real. For my fellow entomophobics, let's have a heart to heart. Okay, so there are bugs. Come on! It's camping. BUT, it wasn't nearly as scary or terrible as I had expected. Can I get an "amen!" I even posted some photos of the ever scary bathroom situation, just so you can see it is not like walking into a spider's web. Really...overall, it wasn't too "buggy." Now, here are some other notes about the site that will help you decide if this place is for you: Site 1 = Camp Host; This is where you pay for your camp site, which as I recall was pretty reasonably priced at about $10. Big bummer! The concession stand is closed until further notice, so give up your dreams of canoeing and ping pong. This change happened the week of our reservation, and it was very disappointing. So, if getting on that pretty lake is important to you, definitely check out their website to verify if the concession stand has been re-opened or not. Since we were tent camping, I can't speak to whether or not there were water hook-ups for RVs. If not, there is a fill station as you enter, so you should be fine. Off the beaten path, there is a historic red barn which you can tour (1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays, May - Oct, 1-4), a nearby water park, and a playground for kids. Overall, we had a very pleasant trip, and we would definitely consider going back. Until next time, sleep tight, and don't let the weird-insects-that-appear-at-night bite!

This is a beautiful park with super interesting geological formations (especially striking at the…read morelower level picnic area and the Punchbowl Trail). For a quick visit the Punchbowl Trail is a good short hike (a couple of miles to and back?) but there are some steep stairs if you end up on certain paths. To avoid the stairs park at the lower level and hike on the (mostly) level path to and back... The Boundary Trail is also awesome and usually very peaceful, but it takes quite a bit longer and there will be a few steep hills... The Pine Creek Grist Mill is a picturesque historic site in the park, with its own spacious parking lot, a cool bridge across the creek, and an old schoolhouse and cabin...the mill is open limited hours during part of the year...it was interesting to see the mill machinery and learn about the historic flour-making processes (but it's very hot in the building during the summer months)... Nice shelters and campsites, too, some with fireplaces and fire pits...there's probably not a spot in the park that is not scenic!

Great hiking and don't forget to see the Grist Mill!! Also, the school house with grade pictures!read more

Wonderful educational experience! It is lovely here and the kids loved it! The staff was extremely…read moreknowledgeable about EVERYTHING!