Adjacent to the Mississippi River in downtown Rock Island, Illinois, the Quad City Botanical Center is comprised of an indoor tropical atrium, outdoor gardens including a Children’s Garden with water feature, a G-Scale garden train exhibit (seasonal), educational greenhouse, a three-season event canopy, indoor banquet facility and gift shop.
As a public garden we maintain hundreds of plants ranging from tropical varieties to regional Zone 5 perennials. A garden for all seasons, our tropical atrium is splendid throughout the winter months and has been turned into a sandy beach on occasion, and our rare conifer collection is unique to the Quad Cities. In spring, flowering bulbs enliven the garden, including a stunning iris collection. Other special collections include day lilies, mums and ornamental grasses. Our outdoor butterfly garden attracts pollinators by the hundreds, and is lively from early spring to late fall when the monarchs start their migration.
As an educational resource we offer staff-guided tours of our gardens, grounds and greenhouse, serving 15,000 students annually. In addition, we participate in outreach programs at school campuses and set up educational booths at various community events. Our expert staff is on hand to answer questions and help interpret the garden and exhibits.
As a banquet facility we serve thousands of guests throughout the year and host events for affinity groups, service clubs, businesses, brides and grooms, birthday and anniversary party honorees, and classmates seeking a unique backdrop for a memorable event.
We support local artists by providing gallery space to exhibit works of art from various mediums and our gift shop offers many one-of-a-kind handcrafted items.
The Quad City Botanical Center is a 501 c 3, non-profit organization. We celebrated 25 years of bringing people and plants together in fun and meaningful ways in 2023 and welcome you to the gardens!
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