Bicycling along the Mississippi River in Moline

On a recent trip to the Quad Cities of Moline and Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, one item I was looking forward to was some time riding bikes along the river. I was excited to learn that the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau has a few points where you can rent bikes and go for a ride, with rental for an hour up to a whole day.

We squeezed in a ride between breakfast and lunch on a beautiful, clear and mild day. It could not have been more perfect cycling weather. My husband and I picked up bikes at the Quad Cities visitors center at 1601 River Drive. With over 100 miles of paved bike trails, we could have ridden for hours, but to fit within our schedule, we went out for about an hour, but it was a perfect break in our day to slow down, enjoy some fresh air and get some exercise. We put on our helmets, grabbed our water bottles, slathered on the sunblock and hopped on the bike trail that was just yards from where we got our bikes. 

We first headed a bit north, which took us away from the river briefly around an industrial area, but we ended up at Butterworth Park, a beautiful 50-acre park along the Mississippi River where we took in the scenery of the river and wildlife and enjoyed the nice breeze and we greeted others walking and biking along the route. 

If you find yourself in the Quad Cities, it's a perfect way to spend an hour or two and something I'd highly recommend on a visit to the area. It ended up being one of my very favorite things we did on our trip. For more information, visit QuadCities.com.

Confederate Cemetery at Rock Island Arsenal

On a visit to the Quad Cities, as my husband and I were planning to visit the Rock Island Arsenal, I came across the Confederate Cemetery among the listing of sites. I tried to wrap my head around why there would be a Confederate Cemetery in a union state and then learned that there had been a prisoner of war camp at the arsenal. The cemetery is the final resting place of all those who died while being held at the camp during the war.

The cemetery is all that remains of the prisoner of war camp that held over 12,000 inmates over the course of the war. Nearly 2,000 are buried in the Rock Island Confederate Cemetery, who succumbed to injuries and disease between 1863 and 1865. The cemetery covers approximately three-quarters of an acre of white stones (installed in 1908 to replace wooden markers.) Four confederate cannons sit at the entrance.

As with a visit to any military cemetery, you're hit with a mix of sadness and respect for those who served. The soldiers laid to rest there may have fought for the losing side, but they fought and served for a cause they believed in. As American soldiers it's good to see that they were laid to rest with dignity.

Down the road is the Rock Island National Cemetery, which stands in stark contrast as it is massive in size. Click here for more information. **Be aware that the Rock Island Arsenal is an active military facility and a guest pass must be obtained for entrance. Passes can be obtained at the visitors center with a photo ID and additional paperwork.

Don't Miss Big River at Theatre at the Center

The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana is just a stone’s throw across the Illinois border and offers a number of classes, exhibits and performances for lovers of the arts. The Theatre at the Center is a 410-seat rounded theatre that is the only professional theater company in Northwest Indiana and the quality of the experience is comparable to that of a professional theater in Chicago.

The current run of Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn continues through October 15. Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score, the musical follows some of Mark Twain’s classic tales along with music by Roger Miller.

I had the opportunity to see this masterpiece twice and couldn’t recommend it more. James Romney as Huck and Jonathan Butler-Duplessis, who plays the role of a slave named Jim, do an extraordinary job of portraying this unlikely friendship and the adventures they encounter along their journey. 

Humorous and heartfelt, you’re completely transported to another time and place and enthralled by the story and each musical number. A feature of this performance that really helps to pull you in is that the music isn’t pre-recorded, nor are musicians placed in a pit or off-stage. The musicians are front and center on stage and actors move in an out from reciting lines to playing various instruments along side the band.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see Big River. Click here for tickets. The Theatre at the Center is located at 1040 Ridge Road in Munster, IN. Contact the Box Office at (219) 836-3255.

Camp Atterbury Visitors Center and Museum

My youngest son, who is a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol recently attended a weeklong encampment at Camp Atterbury in Indiana (about 30 miles south of Indianapolis.) A friend of ours who served in the Army Reserves during the Iraq War and a nephew serving in the National Guard have spend a bit of time there and my son was excited to be able to be there living and learning on a working military base for a few days.

His older brother has been through encampment twice, but this was my first time heading down there for an encampment graduation since another brother of theirs had been performing at Notre Dame on the same day - so dad went one direction and I went the other.

It's interesting getting see the barracks and the PX. After the graduation, we paid a little visit to the Camp Atterbury outdoor museum, which includes a number of military vehicles, and an indoor museum across the street. It's next to the base, but with a separate entrance, so you can easily pull off the road and take a walk to check things out.

If you have kids who enjoy military history and vehicles, it's worth a detour if you are traveling along I-65 through Edinburgh.

The Camp Atterbury Visitors Center and Museum houses a number of interesting artifacts that stretch back to the base's beginnings during World War II. It's free to visit (donations accepted) and the museum is run by eager volunteers who enjoy sharing their knowledge and experiences.

Old State Capitol in Springfield

No matter how many times I visit Springfield, one thing I always love to do is visit the State Capitol and gaze up at the amazing interior of the dome. It is absolutely breathtaking. Not quite as impressive in size and design, but stunning on its own is the Old State Capitol. In fact, I like to visit one and then the other just to examine the contrast between the two.

Built in the Greek Revival Style between 1837 and 1840, the structure was the fifth capitol building in the state. It served as the statehouse from 1840 to 1876. It was the first state house to be located in Springfield. It is where Abraham Lincoln presented his famous "House Divided" speech in 1858 and it was where he spend much time doing research and work as both a lawyer and a politician.

The Old State Capitol is open daily from 9 - 5 p.m. (with the exception of some holidays) and there is no admission fee, but donations are welcome. For more information, visit www2.illinois.gov.

Keep an eye out for special events. One of my favorite memories of 2016 was sitting with my son on the lawn of the Old State Capitol last October watching the World Series on a big screen as they played the Indians in the World Series. I will cherish that memory forever and I'm glad Springfield and the Old State Capitol were part of it.

LeClaire, Iowa

On a recent media visit to the Quad Cities, we did a day trip to LeClaire, Iowa. It's a river town just north of the Davenport that was about a 20 minute drive for our hotel. The main street through town runs adjacent to the river, divided by a railroad with several blocks of eateries, shopping and other attractions.

Dotted with specialty shops, you'll find clothing boutiques, salvage/antique stores and gourmet shops galore, most notably Antique Archeology, which is the store that spurred the "American Pickers" show on the History Channel. You'll find a canning company, olive oil company, popcorn shop and chocolate store.

If you like wine, beer and spirits, you can try all three within a three block area. The Mississippi River Distilling Co. has been in business for 7 years and you can find their products in more than 20 states. As the Iowa liquor laws will change starting July 1, they'll finally be able to offer more than just tastings and products sales and will be adding a cocktail menu and you'll be able to enjoy your drink on a patio overlooking the river. Next door is the Green Tree Brewing, where you'll find more than a dozen beer varieties on tap and can watch the game on the big screen or take your drink outside for more nice river views. The Wide River Winery Tasting Room is just a couple blocks south in an 1840s building with a patio and live music on Friday nights. Above the tasting room is a guest house that can be rented by the night or by the week. They also have tasting rooms in Clinton and East Davenport. You can also sample wine at the Captain's Spirit Cellar in Grasshopper's.

The Buffalo Bill Museum covers the life of LeClaire native William "Buffalo Bill" Cody and the only surviving example of a wooden-hulled boat in the US built in the traditional Western Rivers fashion.

LeClaire is also the departing location for the Riverboat Twiglight, which does overnight trips to Dubuque and also 1 1/2 hour sightseeing excursions on some weekends.

For lodging, there are three chain hotels, a bed and breakfast and eight guest houses, including some larger homes that sleep up to 8 and some smaller spaces atop the businesses. The small town is bursting with charm and so appealing to history geeks like me. Keep an eye on the blog for more posts on the attractions in LeClaire and also follow the food blog, chicagofoodiesisters.com for posts on what we ate and drank while we were there. For more information, go to visitleclaire.com.

Lagomarcino's in Moline, IL

Dating back to 1908, Lagomarcino's is a classic, nostalgic ice cream parlor and soda fountain where you can enjoy a big delicious overdose of sugar. With homemade ice cream, handcrafted chocolates and the best hot fudge you can imagine, "Lago's" as it is also known has been featured in Midwest Living and National Geographic Traveler and earned a James Beard "America's Classic" Award.

Have a seat at one of the mahogany booths or a barstool at the counter in this charming old-school place that is also a deli, serving up sandwiches on their own freshly made soft rye bread. The hot fudge that is served on the ice cream is from a special recipe that Angelo Lagomarcino, an immigrant from Northern Italy, purchased from a peddler in 1918 for $25. The man promised him and exclusive recipe for the perfect hot fudge. He seems to have been a man of his word. The recipe proved to be popular and is still used nearly a century later.

The ice cream selections span three pages of the menu with sundaes, shakes, malts and other treats. The beverages, fresh from the soda fountain, come in a variety of flavors - orange, pineapple, root beer, homemade chocolate, lime, cherry, vanilla, strawberry and black raspberry. You can also get a green river or a "Lago," which is a fruit flavored soda pop created by Charlie Lagomarcino in the 1930s that is similar to Dr. Pepper.

We visited the location in Moline (there's another across the river in Davenport, Iowa) and the place is one of those destinations that is just frozen in time and somewhere to definitely add to the itinerary of a visit to the Quad Cities or for a lunch stop when traveling I-80.



I tried out both an egg salad and a white albacore tuna salad on the homemade bread - a recipe that the Lagomarcino family bought from a Moline woman about 70 years ago. It's got such a soft texture and a good aroma. I paired it with a Vanilla Coke and there's just no comparison to one from a soda fountain versus one out of a can or two-liter bottle. I also tried a sip of my husband's "Lago" soda, which was unique and refreshing.

For dessert, I got a massive Bachelor's Kiss, with sliced bananas under generous scoops of vanilla and Dutch chocolate ice cream with hot fudge topping and marshmallow topping with whipped cream and pecans. Perfect for a chocoholic like me - and even better than a banana split.

Don't leave without trying some truffles, caramels, creams, English Toffee or other mouthwatering handmade candy. For more information, visit lagomarcinos.com.