Travel Guide | Quad Cities, IA
Coop, Collins and I recently got to experience our first road trip as a family of three and I couldn’t NOT give it a permanent spot on the blog 😉 In case you happened to miss it over on Instagram Stories, we recently got to spend a weekend in the Quad Cities and had the best time exploring this new-to-us spot - centered around Davenport, IA. If you ever find yourself near this part of the Midwest or if you are getting the itch to book a vacation not *too far* from home anytime soon, I highly recommend pulling the trigger. I wanted to recap our trip, including some of the must-see spots that you should add to your list the next time you find your way to the Quad Cities. We seriously had the best time, and I am so glad we were able to take this trip thanks to Travel Iowa and Visit Quad Cities.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Travel Iowa and Visit Quad Cities, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Where We Stayed | Hotel Blackhawk
We stayed at the most gorgeous historic hotel right in the heart of downtown Davenport. Hotel Blackhawk is a MUST and their lobby alone will take your breath away. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with a cocktail and the best service. Coop would second this, but we would genuinely stay there again if and when we find our way back to the Quad Cities.
I do want to mention that they also have a sister hotel called The Current that wasn’t too far from where we were downtown. Another great option if you aren’t able to book your stay at the Blackhawk. The Current’s rooftop bar looks AMAZING and looks right over the Mississippi River.
P.S. I highly recommend enjoying a cocktail (or two) at the hotel lobby bar. Cooper and I ended up grabbing a drink there before our dinner reservation on Saturday night and we both had amazing handcrafted cocktails. I give the Rosemary’s Cosmo a 10/10.
Quad Cities Eats
Bad Boyz Pizza and Pub
Almost every Friday night, Cooper and I have a Mach family pizza night and we couldn’t pass up trying out some Quad Cities style ‘za 😜 We ended up at Bad Boyz Pizza and Pub and it did not disappoint. Cooper and I both split some of their Bad Boy’Z bread and the Bugsy’s BBQ Chicken pizza. Not gonna lie, that pizza definitely hit the spot, especially after a long-ish travel day with a 3.5 month old baby 😂
I also want to mention that everywhere we went in terms of restaurants and activities, was well within a fifteen-minute drive or less from our hotel! It was super easy to navigate and get around the Quad Cities overall–a big time bonus if you plan to travel with little ones.
Coffee Shops | 392 Caffe + Iron Grain Coffee House
I was pleasantly surprised that there was a plethora of really great coffee spots that Coop and I wanted to try, but since we were only in town for a couple of days, we had to narrow it down to just a couple of places. Something fun about the Quad Cities is that they have an official “coffee trail” with an app and everything, so anytime you visit one of the locations within the QC Coffee Trail, you can earn points and prizes along the way!
The two spots we ended up grabbing some extra caffeine at were 392 Caffe and Iron Grain Coffee House. If you swing by Iron Grain Coffee House, I highly recommend their smores cold brew. SO SO GOOD. 392 Caffe had a location on our way to the farmer’s market on Saturday morning and it was so cute inside! A place becomes that much better to me if the vibes are good - hah! I ended up having a honey lavender iced latte and it definitely hit the spot on that hot morning walking around the outdoor farmer’s market.
STACKS Pancake House
STACKS is an amazing breakfast stop that you cannot pass up. Coop and I had some of the BEST breakfast dishes here. Definitely gave me some nostalgic vibes of a similar family style diner we used to go to growing up back home in Wichita, KS! I highly recommend this spot for some good ol’ fashioned breakfast. Plus the service was 100/10. Would definitely go back the next time we are in town.
½ Nelson
This was probably one of my favorite stops of the entire weekend! Coop and I had the BEST dinner at the ½ Nelson on Saturday night. The food, drinks and service were all amazing. The vibes alone of this dreamy restaurant already make me miss it 😂
In terms of food and drink, I highly recommend grabbing the crab beignets as an appetizer and their garlic salad was also a divine starter. The “Self-Obsessed & Sexee” cocktail was also delicious. If you like Mezcal, you will love this take on a margarita with some extra flare.
Quad Cities Activities
Freight House Farmer’s Market
The Freight House Farmers Market was honestly the best way to start our Saturday morning. It was well within walking distance from our hotel and the 392 Caffe was along the way. We ended up grabbing a bag of local coffee to bring back home with us from Deb’s Daily Grind and also ended up having breakfast at the market - there were TONS of food trucks lined up and ready to serve. Tons of amazing local QC vendors pop up there every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. right along the Mississippi riverfront.
Wide River Winery Tasting Room
After we spent the morning at the farmer’s market and then refueling for the rest of the day at STACKS pancake house, Coop and I drove over to the Wide River Winery tasting room located in Le Claire, IA. We had so much fun doing a wine tasting and their staff was so friendly and knowledgeable on all the wines they offer.
We ended up sticking around to enjoy their blushing frozé out on the patio before heading back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. P.S. If you ever go and are a red wine lover, I highly suggest trying their Felony Red wine. I am kind of kicking myself for not bringing a bottle back home with us! Guess we'll just have to go back sometime soon 😉
Overall, we had such a great experience checking out the Quad Cities and staying in Davenport, IA. If you are looking for a quick getaway anytime soon, I highly suggest checking out and booking a trip to this little Midwest oasis. We are so thankful we were able to spend this first road trip as a family of three there and will never forget the memories that we were able to make.
with love,
~Katie