Hotel Blackhawk

The Hotel Blackhawk in downtown Davenport, Iowa, closed in 2006 due to a devastating fire. Now, the Restoration St. Louis company has great plans for the hotel's redevelopment. Plans for the 11-story hotel, built in 1915 and on the National Register of Historic Places, include a first floor with a restaurant, retail space, and a renovated atrium hotel lobby. The attached RiverCenter convention center will participate in the operation of the second floor banquet space including the famous Gold Room. The 131-room botique hotel will occupy seven floors. The top two floors will feature upscale residential apartments. The project is expected to be finished by the end of 2010.

The Loop Transit System

Three new, 1950s-style retro buses will snake along both sides of the Mississippi River when the riverfront circulator - called The Loop - is launched to provide tourists and residents a way to hop from city to city and easily take advantage of the area's many entertainment venues. Two of the three new glass-roofed buses are planned to travel a 14-mile route along River Drive from Bettendorf through downtown Davenport, across the Centennial Bridge to Rock Island, then to Moline. They will then cross the I-74 bridge back into Bettendorf. Meanwhile, the third bus will run the same route in a clockwise directions. THe 35-passenger, low-emission diesel buses will be distinctly identifiable from other system buses. As with all other Quad Cities public transit buses, the Loop buses will be wheelchair accessible and have bike racks. The Loop will operate Thursday - Sunday. Buses will run approximately ever 20 minutes. The fare is $1 per trip. Call 563-344-4085 or visit www.qctransit.com for more information.

Quad City Mallards Hockey

The Quad Cities has a new hockey team in town - with a familiar name. The Quad City Mallards are part of the International Hockey League and will play at the i wireless Center, 1201 River Drive in downtown Moline, Illinois. The Mallards' 76-game, 2009-10 season is from October 24 through April 16. Call 309-764-2000 or visit www.myqcmallards.com for more information.

German American Heritage Center

The German American Heritage Center in Davenport, Iowa underwent a complete $2.8 million interior renovation and has increased exhibit space by six times the original layout. In October 2009, the museum opened the new, interactive, autio-visual, intergenerational exhibit that takes visitors on an exploration of what it was like to be an immigrant to this area in the 1800s complete with a theater, education stations, and two restored historic hotel rooms. Saving the building from demolition, this building is the last remaining immigrant hotel of the 1800s in the region and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
712 West 2nd Street, Davenport, IA
563-322-8844
www.gahc.org

Schwiebert Riverfront Park

A new riverfront park area is being created in downtown Rock Island, Illinois, located between 17th and 20th Streets. The park will take advantage of the stunning Mississippi riverfront views and will include an open-air stage, playground areas, interactive fountain, observation shelter, waterfront promenade, bike trail, and beautifully landscaped grounds. Attend an event, stop by for a picnic, or relax and enjoy the spectacular riverfront views while you play in downtown's newest park. It should be ready for use in 2010. Call 309-732-PARK or visit www.rigov.org for more information.

Centennial Park Active Recreation Corridor

The new Centennial Park Active Recreation Corridor in downtown Davenport, Iowa, has much to offer families, including a complex of two full, tournament-quality basketball courts, a youth half-court, concession/restroom pavilion, and stage, as well as picnic and informal play areas west of the Skate Park for skateboards and BMX bikes that opened in 2006. Surrounding the active recreation elements is an area for spectactor viewing, family play, and picnicking. A new sprayground incorporating themes of the Mississippi River backwaters is set to open in July 2010 and includes artistic, colorful waterfowl creatures, misting fountains, and water cannons.
905 West River Drive, Davenport, IA
563-326-7812
www.cityofdavenportiowa.com

New Egyptian Gallery

The Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre in Davenport, Iowa has housed two mummies since the 1960s. They are described as being among the museum's most prized and popular possessions. The newly-renovated Egyptian Gallery reopened in August 2009 with several updated components, including new flooring, new lighting, new mummy cases, and a touch-screen video monitor that features results from the CT scans of the mummies performed at Genesis Medical Center two years ago.
1717 West 12th Street, Davenport, IA
563-324-1933
www.putnam.org