Exploring Science and Local History at the Putnam Museum

The Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa is all about exploration. The museum features a considerable cache of hands-on science exhibits, natural history displays, Egyptian artifacts and a very thorough exhibit on Quad Cities history.


The Putnam Museum grabs you pretty quickly with hands-on elements including explorations using pulleys, levers, gears and more.

Many hands-on experiences teach children multiple applications of science. Each section was abuzz with children, so you can really tell they love engaging!

Hands-on engineering learning at Putnam Museum

I particularly enjoyed some of the natural science displays including the fossils. Great specimens!

We also learned about a variety of mammals and their adaptations.

Wildlife and their adaptations

The exhibit of the Quad Cities and their development was pretty interesting. The exhibit houses an incredible number of artifacts illustrating the history of the region from the native people that originally settled there to early immigrants and beyond. One artifact that I found interesting was the leather covered box owned by Chief Black Hawk.

I also was pretty impressed with the collection of items originally owned by Antoine Le Claire, founder of Davenport.

We discovered a display on making pearl buttons from Mississippi River mussel shells. We first learned about this early in the year further north on the Mississippi River in Minnesota. So, it was neat to have the tie in!

Another interesting find -- an antique dental drill! My husband is a dentist, so I wonder if he should use one of these!

The Unearthing Ancient Egypt exhibit was pretty interesting. I loved the way the mummies were displayed; very easy for everyone to take a look. The room also contains Egyptian art and tomb artifacts.

The Putnam Museum is easily a half adventure during your trip to the Quad Cities. There is also a snack shop inside and a sizable gift shop. A fun adventure with a little something for everyone!

**Disclosure: Thank you to Visit Quad Cities for hosting our visit. We received complimentary experiences in ordered to facilitate to bring these reviews to you. No other compensation was a received. All opinions are 100% my own.