Not too long ago, many people looked at the Rock Island Arsenal and Arsenal Island and saw a “black hole in the middle of the Mississippi River” that few people visit, according to an Arsenal military leader.
Times have changed. Today, many visit Arsenal Island for its recreation facilities, historic features, beautiful scenery and fun celebrations. But leaders on the island and in the Quad Cities tourism community want to see more people visit the island, and they are making plans to attract those tourists.
“The Rock Island Arsenal is open for business and is open for visitors,” said Dave Herrell, president and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, during a Tuesday, Sept. 23 meeting focused on attracting tourists to come to the island. It was held in Building 60 on Arsenal Island.
“Accelerate VQC: Unlocking the Arsenal’s Tourism Potential” attracted about 75 people. Many of those attending were from the local business community.
Much of the meeting featured Col. Joe Parker, Rock Island Arsenal Garrison commander; Victoria Kline, a marketing specialist with the Morale, Welfare and Recreation office on Arsenal Island; and Mr. Herrell. They shared their views on tourism in the region and on Arsenal Island. They also shared future plans to elevate the Arsenal’s role in the regional tourism landscape.
In calendar year 2024, there were 113,281 visitor days and 91,061 trips or visits to Arsenal Island from those visiting from 50-plus miles outside of the Quad Cities region. Peak visitation happened in July and August with about 11,000 visitor days each month to the Arsenal, according to Visit Quad Cities, citing information from the Datafy company.
Some of the plans to increase those tourism numbers include making sure people know about upcoming events and long-term plans for the island.
For instance, a Rocktoberfest celebration is set to start at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at Quarters One. The event, which is open to the public, will feature food, music, drinks, live wrestling, a trolley pub and more.
RV park in the works
In the long term, work started just a few days ago to create a new recreation vehicle park on Arsenal Island. The RV park will be located on the east side of the island near King Drive. It will have space for 40 vehicles, and will be complete in a few years, Ms. Kline said.
She added that she hopes more people will visit the many features on Arsenal Island.
In addition to the coming RV park, the island offers the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, a nine-hole golf course, Quarters One, the Colonel Davenport House, the Mississippi River Visitors Center, the Rock Island National Cemetery, the Clock Tower, an auto shop, thrift shop, bike trails, top fishing spots and much more.
“I want people to leave here and say ‘Wow, I’m coming back.’ … It’s a very welcoming place,” she added.
There are also plans to build a new car wash on the island in the near future. “You can’t be a true Quad Cities without having a new car wash,” joked Col. Parker.
Col. Parker added that he wants to see the island and its features become a destination place for visitors. During Tuesday’s meeting, he gave a brief history of the island. At one time, Arsenal Island was the “country club of the Quad Cities” with many people visiting, he said. However, times changed with the increased security brought on by the terrorist attacks in 2001, and with the COVID outbreak in 2020. In fact, some people said the island was a “black hole in the middle of the Mississippi River … where nobody visited,” he said.
But in the past few years, Arsenal officials have been working hard to make the island a more accessible place for visitors.
Taking a gem out of hiding
Today, many call Arsenal Island a “hidden gem,” but Col. Parker said he wants to make the island much less “hidden” and much more of a “gem” – or a known destination – with tourists.
“There is a lot to offer here … to showcase. This place is special,” he added.
But more work needs to be done, he added. The Arsenal is a military facility that has to keep security in mind, but also wants to be accessible to the public.
Col. Parker said that even though it is relatively fast and simple to get a visitor’s pass to get on the island, “any barrier is still a barrier” for many people. That is an issue because there are many celebrations and activities happening all over the Quad Cities. If people see getting on the island as even a small time-consuming inconvenience, they might choose not to visit the Arsenal and go to one of those other celebrations in the QC, he said.
Col. Parker added that at least part of the solution is to get the Arsenal story out so the public will realize that there are many great activities and things to see on the island.
Message hits home
That message hit home with many of the people in the audience. One of them was Mike Laufenberg, a longtime Quad Cities resident who has visited Arsenal Island many times in the past. He said that some of his favorite memories center on playing on the Arsenal Golf Course when it had 18 holes, and being part of a dance club that met on the island.
“It’s really fantastic. There’s just so much history here,” he said.
Several of those at Tuesday’s meeting said they hope the future of tourism on the island looks like those past glory days described by Mr. Laufenberg. For instance, Ms. Kline said the future of local tourism hinges on people in the audience and many others using facilities on the island, and telling others about the many great adventures they can have on Arsenal Island.
“I love hearing all the stories about the Arsenal. … I want the future to look like the past,” she added.
Col. Parker added that he wants to see more island tours in the future.
Another of his goals is to continue the work of improving accessibility to the island. “We have a ton of opportunities on the island,” he added.
After the event, Mr. Herrell told the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal: “The top message is that the Rock Island Arsenal is a vitally important economic development engine for the region, but also an incredible destination asset that drives tourism. Its unique story, historical significance, and portfolio of opportunities for engagement continue to make it unique and a place that Visit Quad Cities is proud to share with the world.”
