Quad Cities

Looking for a "sure bet" on a Midwest destination? You might want to roll the dice on The Quad Cities: Moline and Rock Island, Ill., and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa.

The Quad Cities is the place where the Rock River flows into the mighty Mississippi, and it has the largest concentration of riverboat casinos in the world. One of these "boats," Isle of Capri, also has an attached hotel, fine dining at Farradday's Restaurant, and a poker room where golfers can play Texas Hold 'em at night or on rainy days.

If gambling isn't your thing, there are plenty of family-friendly options. In nearby LeClair, Iowa, are museums dedicated to riverboat pilots and to Buffalo Bill Cody, whose birth house is still standing. President Hoover's birth house is also nearby, in West Branch, Iowa. The Rock Island Arsenal Museum is the oldest U.S. Army Museum after West Point. One of the first museums established west of the Mississippi is the 140-year-old Putnam Museum in Davenport, which houses a number of displays on local and world subjects as well as an IMAX theater. The Figge Art Museum, also in Davenport, provides a breathtaking view of the Mississippi and access to over 3,000 works from the Renaissance to the modern day.

For kids and nature-lovers, the Family Museum of Arts and Science in Bettendorf and the Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island are worth a visit. Outdoor fun is plentiful, too, at Whitewater Junction and Wacky Waters waterparks. Niabi Zoo is located in nearby Coal Valley, Ill.

Downtown Moline boasts the John Deere Pavilion, site of a glass-encased showroom of historic and modern-day farm implements, and the John Deere Collectors Center where the really old tractors are found. Getting around the Quad Cities is easy, as long as you don't mind high bridges. One fun way to travel is via the river itself aboard the Channel Cat River Taxi.

The TPC at Deere Run, Home of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, is in nearby Silvis, Ill., and is probably the most accessible and affordable TPC in the nation. Other area "must-play" courses are Emeis Municipal Golf Course, Byron Hills, Highland Park Country Club, and Glynn's Creek Golf Course.

Dining options are as plentiful as courses and museums. Along with Farradday's, try Bent River Brewing Company or River House Bar and Grill for a cool beer and great pub fare. And don't miss Lagomarcino's for world-famous ice cream and sweets.