Summer can be bursting with activities and travel or it can be filled with long lazy days of doing much of nothing. I prefer a combination of both. We’ve got lots of options for a terrific Quad Cities summer!
2022 Quad Cities Summer Bucket List ideas
Go to the Food Truck Fight in Galena, Bettendorf or Muscatine! There will be live music, lots of fun, and of course FOOD!
Plant a raised bed vegetable garden
Ride the Channel Cat Water Taxi! Boats will be running starting Memorial Day weekend
Go for lots of walks and hikes along the river
Head to the Maquoketa Caves
Attend Red, White & Boom (July 3)
Check out Nahant Marsh – an urban wetland boardwalk
Walk around the shops in LeClaire – along the river or downtown
Fly a kite
Get out the sidewalk chalk and bubbles
Check out the Family Museum in Bettendorf
Visit the Quad City Botanical Center
Check out Quad City Arts’ Chalk Art Fest (July 16-17)
Attend Sunflower Days at Pride of the Wapsi (mid-July)
Check out Black Hawk State Historic Site
Visit a splash pad
Run through the sprinkler at home or have a water balloon fight
Check out Whitewater Junction Aquatic Center
And view local pools and aquatic centers
Check out the Figge Art Museum
Watch the Backwater Gamblers (water ski club – free family fun in the Quad Cities has shows on Wednesdays and Sundays in the summer)
Head to 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
Have an outdoor movie night with friends
Have a scavenger hunt or play nature bingo
Go to Empire Park in East Moline
Walk the Skybridge in Davenport
Check out Wild Cat Den State Park in Muscatine, IA
Pick out some fresh produce at a Farmers’ Market
Play 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)
Make your own Summer Reading Program and join in on the local library’s
Go Bowling (check out the Kids Bowl Free program)
Go camping – we love Scott County Park!
Check out the Mississippi Valley Fair (August 2-7)
Get to a River Bandits baseball game at Modern Woodman Park
Enjoy the many trails the Quad Cities has to offer
Visit the fountain at Vander Veer Park
Practice yoga in the park by taking your mats and an iPad to watch a virtual teacher
Take a bike ride by the Mississippi River
Visit a State Park in Iowa or Illinois (so many to choose from!)
Stroll through the Village of East Davenport
Hit up Schweibert Riverfront Park
Eat some Whitey’s Ice Cream
Make snow cones at home
Enjoy Kurbside Kona Ice when possible (you can check the schedule with the zip code)
Go on a day trip (these are some options!)
Stargaze – or go to the Augustana Planetarium
Have a picnic in the yard or at one of our local parks… simple can still be fun!
There are so many options in the QCA – let us know your favorites!
Hey, QC Moms, thanks for the shout out to summer reading programs! Our Reading Colors Your World summer information, including the downloadable summer guide and a list of reading ideas, is available at our website in the link below. We’re kicking things off Tuesday, June 1, from 3:30 to 6 pm with an outdoor “Curbside Colorama Kickoff.” It’s free and open to anyone. We hope to see some of you!
Lisa Lockheart, Rock Island Public Library, 309-732-7303