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From Riverboats to Tractors in the Quad Cities

Figge Art Museum

In downtown Davenport, the Figge Art Museum represents a, culture-focused side of the Quad Cities. The museum has existed in various forms and under various names since the 1920s. It made a mark on the region a decade ago, though, when it opened a sleek glass building on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The museum’s permanent collection features diverse artwork, including American art from the Colonial period through the 1940s. More exotic items are holdings from the Mexican colonial period of the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as a collection of traditional art from Haiti. The museum also plays host to a variety of traveling exhibits annually.

www.figgeartmuseum.org

Isabel Bloom

Although she was born in Texas, artist Isabel Bloom grew up in Davenport, where she developed a sculptural style and technique that became widely popular in the decorative-art world. Bloom died in 2001, but her legacy continues at the Isabel Bloom studio and store, where artists replicate many of her signature works to sell to the public.

Groups that visit the studio can take behind-the-scenes tours where guides show visitors some of Bloom’s original works and introduce them to the process of making the handcrafted sculptures of angels, snowmen, animals, children and other whimsical figures. The store on-site makes a great retail stop for the shoppers in your group.

www.ibloom.com

Cinnamon Ridge Farms

Near the rural town of Donahue, Cinnamon Ridge Farms is a family-run company with a sprawling 4,000 acres of agricultural land. The staff there has combined centuries-old farming traditions with modern techniques and technologies, raising corn, soybeans, pigs and dairy cattle.

Tours of the farm take groups to a specially designed viewing room to see how pork is raised. From there, visitors see the dairy facility and learn about how the farm uses special robotic machines to milk its herd of Jersey cattle. After the tour, groups can stay for a catered meal on the farm or visit the farm’s store, The Country Cupboard.

www.tourmyfarm.com

Brian Jewell

Brian Jewell is the executive editor of The Group Travel Leader. In more than a decade of travel journalism he has visited 48 states and 25 foreign countries.