There are so many awesome things to do in the Quad Cities! And so many of them are FREE!
After many hours of exhausting research, compilation, and labor, our authors came up with the list you see below (in no particular order). We were so surprised and elated to see all the awesome free family fun in our community.
- Schwiebert Riverfront Park (includes spray park) in Rock Island
- Nahant Marsh – urban wetland boardwalk
- Skybridge in Davenport
- Walking around in LeClaire – along the river or downtown
- Arsenal Island (Mississippi RiverVisitor Center and Arsenal Museum)
- Black Hawk State Historic Site
- Centennial Park in Davenport (features basketball courts, playground, skateboard park, spray park, cricket and rugby fields, dog off-leash area, and riverfront trail access)
- Fryexell Geology Museum – located on the campus of Augustana College in Rock Island – one of the largest and finest collection of rocks and minerals in the Midwest (It also has a complete dinosaur skeleton!)
- Empire Park in East Moline
- Naibi Zoo (free days offered throughout the year – usually at the very beginning and ending of each season)
- Backwater Gamblers (water ski club – free family fun in the Quad Cities has shows on Wednesdays and Sundays in the summer) 5000 44th St. Rock Island showtime 6:30 pm
- Freight House Farmer’s Market in Davenport-Open Tuesday afternoons, Saturday mornings, and they just added Sunday afternoons (11am-3pm) as an additional market time! You can check out the Freight House Facebook page or website for specific times and dates.
- Other Quad Cities farmers markets
- John Deere Pavilion- will be opening soon for more free family fun in the Quad Cities
- John Deere Harvester Works – factory tours where you can see how the agricultural equipment is built
- One word of caution regarding the John Deere Harvester works. The tours are by reservation only. Seats are limited because it is a tram tour. The literature states tours are needed to be booked at least 48 hours prior to the requested date, but on occasion it may possible to get in sooner, just as on occasion it may take longer to have opening. No children under the age of 13 are allowed on the tour. That rule is not negotiable since it is a tour through the factory and is subject to OSHA rules.
- John Deere World Headquarters – you can view the display mural with 75 years of history, equipment, and memorabilia
- Two historic homes of John Deere descendants: Butterworth Center and Deere Wiman House, Moline, IL
- Bike trails
- Vander Veer Botanical Park Conservatory – free admission on Tuesdays, all kids 16 and under are free every day, plus free monthly concerts through the summer
- Loud Thunder Forest Preserve
- Walnut Grove Pioneer Village
- Scott County Park
- West Lake Park
- Credit Island
- Wapsi River Environment Educational Center in Dixon, IA-free nature activities
- Wild Cat Den State Park in Muscatine, IA
- Smith Island Nature Trail in Pleasant Valley, IA
- Frisbee Golf Courses in the QC: West Lake Park in Davenport, Middle Park in Bettendorf, Eastern Avenue Park in Davenport, Devils Glen in Bettendorf, Prospect Park in Moline, and Camden Park in Milan
- Dog Parks (Although some have limits on the age/size of children who can enter)
- Family Dollar Day$ Mondays: For the past several years, The Family Credit Union has been sponsoring “Funday Mondays,” offering $1 general admission to the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island, Family Museum in Bettendorf, and Riverside Aquatic Center (from 5 to 8 p.m. only) in Moline, Red Hawk Golf and Learning Center in Davenport, (This discounted offer usually runs from Memorial Day through mid August and has limited hours).
- Weed Park in Muscatine
- Kids Skate Free- sign up for free skating passes at Skate City in East Moline
- Lots of activities along the Mississippi River – including eagle watching, hiking, biking, and boat watching
- Visit any garden shops/nurseries or pet shops. My kids love to go to Petco and hold the guinea pigs!
- Go hiking at Maquoketa Caves
- Geocaching: if you haven’t heard of it, geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. You navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the little container hidden at that location. Sometimes you can’t find them, but when you do the reward of knowing something that no one else does is great. It’s free family fun in the Quad Cities that is also educational!
- Church events – free movie nights, carnivals, Vacation Bible School, and other family friendly activities for the community.
- Kids Bowl Free in Davenport at Bowlmor Lanes, Miller Time Bowling, and Quad City Family Entertainment Center– Register your child and get 2 free games of bowling per child ALL summer long (valued at $500). Includes children 15 years old and younger. Standard shoe rental rates apply.
- Davenport Parks and Recreation Department
- Bettendorf Parks and Recreation Department
- Moline Parks and Recreation Department
- Rock Island Parks and Recreation Department
There are so many parks in the Quad Cities; it would be impossible to list them all. Click here for an overview of all Quad City Parks and Rec contacts and links. It includes info on biking, hiking, golf, fishing, pools, water parks, playgrounds, skiing, tennis, and much more!
Public libraries are a huge source of free family entertainment (and a great place to go during the wonderful winters of the Midwest). Free baby, toddler, and preschool story times are just the beginning of the amazing programs that are offered year round. Click on the links below to view the scheduled free story times and to browse other programming options, including free summer reading programs!
FREE PASSES at local libraries offer tons of Free Family Fun in the Quad Cities:
Davenport Public Library offers free passes that can be checked out for the Figge Art Museum and the Putnam Museum. Many libraries offer free passes for the Bettendorf Family Museum. Rock Island Public Library offers free passes for the Quad City Botanical Center and the Niabi Zoo. Many of our libraries offer free passes for the Niabi Zoo.
There are specific stipulations for this free offer, so be sure to call the library before you go to see if the passes are available. You can also search here at the Davenport Public Library to see which passes are available and at which branches. You can only check out one pass per location per registered library card. Call your library for additional information.
Check out our list of restaurants where KIDS EAT FREE! Please call ahead to ensure the special still applies.
Definitely check out FYI QUAD CITES! They list tons of great ideas for free family fun in and around the Quad Cities.
Volunteering together is another great free family fun activity. The possibilities for this are endless, but please consider spending some time to serve the Quad Cities. Your kids will remember it for a lifetime! Check out Marie’s post and Siri’s post on ways to volunteer and give back to our community.
If you can get through this whole list in one summer, can you share some of your energy with me?
From the Quad Cities Moms to you…have a safe and fun summer with those kiddos!
(If you have any additional ideas, please post them in the comments!)
We would love to keep this list current for our readers. If you have any links, phone numbers, ideas, or information to share, please comment on this post. The more free stuff, the better! Have fun and don’t forget to share with your friends and family!
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