Le Claire

Le Claire is part of the greater Quad Cities area, in Eastern Iowa.

Understand

Le Claire is a Mississippi River town of 3,765 (2010). It is named for Antoine LeClaire, who developed a large part of the Iowa Quad Cities on property that was given him by the tribes who originally laid claim to it. The town was the head of the Rock Island Rapids, a notorious section of the river that extended as far south as what is now downtown Davenport. River pilots were required to guide river traffic through the rapids, which impacted the early economic life of the town. The rapids were tamed by the development of the lock and dams on the upper river. The town is also the boyhood home of frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody.

Get in

By car

Le Claire is a small town with interstate access. There is no mass transit or any other easy way to access the town. Most of the town lies north of the interchange of Interstate 80 and US Route 67. The exit is right after the Mississippi River Bridge. From the Iowa Quad Cities it is, for the most part, easier to access the town via US 67, which has great views of the Mississippi River. From the north side of the Quad Cities it is easier to use Interstate 80.

By plane

Quad City International Airport in Moline has non-stop flights from major markets primarily in the Midwest, the South and Southwest United States.

Get around

By car

Because Le Claire is a small town it is easy to navigate. Cody Road (US Route 67) is the town's main street and all establishments that a visitor would patronize is either on the street or just off of it. Caution should be excised when driving through the downtown area on summer weekends when many people visit. Traffic will be heavier, although manageable, and there will be many pedestrians. There is also railroad tracks that separate the downtown businesses from a large surface parking lot along the Mississippi River. Even though there are not a large number of daily freight trains on the tracks, caution should be exercised.

See
  • Buffalo Bill Museum, 200 N Cody Rd, ☏ +1 563 289-5580, . M-Sa 9AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM. The museum commemorates frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody and contains memorabilia from his Wild West Show as well as antiques and other items of historic interest. It also houses the tugboat Lone Star, which is a National Historic Landmark. 
  • Mississippi River Distilling Company, 303 N. Cody Rd., ☏ +1 563 484-4342, . Tours: daily noon-4PM; retail shop: M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. The tour includes viewing the entire distilling process, from the cleaning, milling and cooking of the grain, to the fermentation, distillation, blending, aging and bottling of spirits. The tour ends in the tasting room for free samples for patrons over 21 years of age. Tours: Free. 

Do

Buy

Downtown Le Claire is home to a variety of small, locally owned shops.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Go next
  • Bettendorf and Davenport to the south offer more in the way of night life and bigger city amenities.
Routes through Le Claire
Davenport ← Bettendorf ←  W  E  → Jct E → Peru-LaSalle → Joliet
Sabula ← Clinton ←  N  S  → Bettendorf → Davenport


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