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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Le Claire
Give Le Claire half a day to one night: a walkable river main street, the Buffalo Bill Museum and Antique Archaeology, then move on to Davenport.
Le Claire is a Mississippi River town of about 3,800 people in the Iowa Quad Cities, 15-20 minutes by car from Davenport and Bettendorf. Almost everything a visitor wants sits on or just off Cody Road (US 67): a museum, a distillery tour, a winery tasting room, antique shops and river-view restaurants. There is no train or bus in, so you need a car. One afternoon covers the town; one night lets you eat dinner on the river and drive back in daylight.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- May-Oct
- Avoid
- Jan-Feb (cold, some shops on short hours)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60-90 excl. bed · Mid $110-170 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3-6 |
| Deli sandwich or soup lunch | $8-15 |
| Main course, river-view restaurant | $15-35 |
| Winery tasting (souvenir glass included) | about $6 (check) |
| Distillery tour | free (check) |
| Museum entry | check |
| Beer or cocktail | $6-12 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MLI · Quad City International Airport, Moline
- Non-stop flights mostly from Midwest, South and Southwest markets; about 20-25 min by car to Le Claire (check)
Typical fares
- Taxi or rideshare, Le Claire to downtown Davenport
- about $25-40, 20-25 min (check)
- Rideshare, Le Claire to Quad City airport (MLI)
- about $30-45, 20-25 min (check)
- Rental car, one day
- $45-95 plus fuel (check)
Get around
A car is the practical way in and around: there is no mass transit to Le Claire. Most of the town lies north of the I-80 / US 67 interchange, and Cody Road is the main street. Once parked downtown you can walk the whole strip in 15-20 minutes. Downtown parking sits in a surface lot along the river, separated from the shops by railroad tracks: look both ways before crossing.
See and do
Known for
- Buffalo Bill Museum and the tugboat Lone Star
- Antique Archaeology (American Pickers)
- Mississippi River Distilling Company
- Cody Road shops and river-view dining
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Davenport | I-80 west or US 67 south, about 15-20 min by car | About 25 min |
| Bettendorf | US 67 south, about 15 min by car | About 20 min |
| Amana Colonies | I-80 west then US 151, about 1 h 15 min by car | 1.5 h |
| Dubuque | US 61 north along the river, about 1 h 30 min by car | 1.75 h |
Sleep
- Cody Road / downtown riverfront
- Walk to shops, museum and restaurants; the reason to stay in town rather than in Davenport.
- I-80 and US 67 interchange
- Chain hotels with free parking and breakfast; 5-10 min drive from the main street.
Language
English everywhere, with strong regional accents; Spanish is the second language in the Southwest, Texas, Florida, California and New York. Some words differ from British English: restroom (toilet), check (bill), gas (petrol), trunk (boot), first floor (ground floor).
- Measurements are imperial: miles, Fahrenheit, gallons, pounds. 100 km ≈ 62 miles; 30 °C ≈ 86 °F.
- Small talk with strangers is normal and friendly; it is not a sales tactic.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer weekends bring heavy traffic and pedestrians on Cody Road: drive slowly through downtown.
- Freight trains use the tracks between downtown and the river parking lot; cross only at marked points.
- Small shops keep short and irregular hours, and some close on Sundays or Mondays: check before you build a day around one.
- Distillery tours are free but the tasting room is 21+ only.
- Winter ice and snow on riverfront paths and steps.
Le Claire is a small, low-crime river town and feels safe by day and evening. The real risks are driving: summer-weekend pedestrians on Cody Road, the railroad tracks between downtown and the river lot, and winter ice.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Le Claire yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Buffalo Bill Museum and the tugboat Lone Star
- Antique Archaeology (American Pickers)
- Mississippi River Distilling Company
- Cody Road shops and river-view dining
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Le Claire, revision 5238886 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5238886
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Le Claire
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Poison Control1-800-222-1222
No embassies in Le Claire; nearest consulates are in Chicago. US visitors: your state department of motor vehicles and 911 cover the basics.
Tipping: 18-22% at sit-down restaurants, $1-2 a drink at bars, 15-20% for taxis and rideshares.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/le-claire). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.