QC, That's Where There's a Museum for Everyone
May 23, 2022
Quad Cities – Visit Quad Cities and area museums have teamed up again to bring Quad Cities Museum Week on June 5-12, 2022. For all the details, go to www.qcmuseumweek.com. Museums throughout the Quad Cities regional destination will welcome visitors with activities, new exhibits, discounted admissions, tours, special programs, and more.
Quad Cities’ museums offer adventures, discovery, and hours of fun. There is a museum in the QC to meet everyone's interests—from art, science, and technology, to local, national, and world history. There are exhibits and stories just waiting to be discovered.
“The Quad Cities is home to more than ten museums,” says Charlotte Doehler-Morrison, Vice President Marketing & Communications, Visit Quad Cities. “Each of our museums offers something completely different to appeal to various audiences and ages. We invite people to get out and explore with family and friends, and discover new stories, experiences, and adventures.”
This year’s QC Museum Week participants include the following, and information on each museum and their specials can be found at www.qcmuseumweek.com. Area museums encourage visitors to post about their museum experiences on social media using the hashtag #QCMuseumWeek.
- Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archives – complimentary admission and extended hours
- Buffalo Bill Museum - $1 off adult and senior admission
- Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead – complimentary admission when you mention “QC Museum Week”
- Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House – complimentary tours, programs, exhibits
- Colonel Davenport House - Pioneer Days June 11-12, from 12-4:30 p.m. each day
- Dan Nagle Walnut Grove Pioneer Village - free admission and live demonstrations of old world crafts on select dates
- Davenport School Museum - complimentary admission and new exhibits
- Family Museum – new Thomas & Friends™ exhibit
- Figge Art Museum – special programming throughout the week for all ages
- German American Heritage Center – complimentary admission
- Hauberg Estate – complimentary “Behind the Scenes” tours
- Iowa 80 Trucking Museum – complimentary admission and gift shop discount
- John Hauberg Indian Museum – complimentary admission and farming activity (sensory table)
- Karpeles Manuscript Museum – complimentary admission and scavenger hunt with prizes
- Putnam Museum & Science Center - $5 discounted admission & special movie, Kaluoka-Hina, playing on the GIANT Screen
- The Sawmill Museum – buy-one-get-one-free admission
Fun Facts about QC Museums
Iowa 80 Trucking Museum: Did you know that the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum is home to what is believed to be the first truck ever built in the U.S.? The 1903 Eldridge was built by George Eldridge and his employees in Des Moines, Iowa.
John Hauberg Indian Museum: Before opening in 1939, John Hauberg welcomed Meskwaki people from Tama, Iowa, to construct a wickiup and part of a long house for the museum. These examples of summer and winter homes are still on display.
Putnam Museum & Science Center: The Putnam displays and preserves over 250,000 artifacts representing history, science, and culture for future generations.
Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archives: The museum houses many personal artifacts owned by jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke, including his piano, first cornet, performance tuxedo, touring trunk, and the door hardware to his final apartment. The museum houses the largest collection and archives in the world dedicated to the study of Bix Beiderbecke, including the primary resources for multiple biographies written about Bix.
Dan Nagle Walnut Grove Pioneer Village: Did you know that Walnut Grove was once a crossroads settlement, not a town or a village, but a stagecoach stop? It encompassed approximately three acres and at one time was blessed with many walnut trees, hence the name.
Cody Homestead: True to the name, two buffalo make their home at the historic boyhood home of Buffalo Bill Cody.
German American Heritage Center & Museum: This historic building opened in 1862 as a “gasthaus” or hotel, for immigrants. It remained a hotel for over 100 years through the 1980s. Since that time, the building at the foot of Centennial Bridge has been renovated into a museum. It is only one of a handful of historic buildings of its kind still in existence.
The Sawmill Museum: Who are the real Lumber Kings? Weyerhaeuser of the Quad Cities and Clinton lumber firms formed the Mississippi River Logging Company in 1870. Learn about this industry at the Sawmill Museum.
Buffalo Bill Museum: Buffalo Bill from 1872-1886, traveled the country for 14 years, bringing his “Wild West” show and melodramas to the stage. He performed six times in Davenport and seven times in Rock Island.
Davenport School Museum: Known as “Reunion Central” the history of the Davenport Community School District’s buildings and classes can be traced through artifacts, documents, and photos.
Quad Cities Museum Week is presented by Visit Quad Cities and media sponsors Big 106.5, WOC 1420 AM, and WVIK, Quad Cities NPR.
This collaboration between area museums and Visit Quad Cities was first launched in 2015. The event celebrates the wealth of museums in the Quad Cities bi-state regional destination on the Mississippi River and creates greater awareness of what each museum has to offer. For information on QC Museum Week, go to www.qcmuseumweek.com. For information on Visit Quad Cities’ year-round QC Family Pass, go to www.qcfamilypass.com.
About Visit Quad Cities
Founded in 1990, Visit Quad Cities is the official Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO) for the region. Visit Quad Cities is a private 501(c)(6) non-profit engine charged with driving economic opportunity through tourism, building our authentic brand, telling & selling the Quad Cities story, and enhancing Quad Citizens’ quality of life and quality of place. www.visitquadcities.com
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Media Contact: Charlotte Doehler-Morrison, VP Marketing & Communications, Visit Quad Cities, 309-781-4235 [email protected]