Davenport, Iowa: Big Mother Goose

Mother Goose sits elegantly inside the Fejervary Learning Center Park. The park is free to enter. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy the park a little longer!

Mother Goose Land, now called Fejervary (Fedge-er-vary) Learning Center, covers 75 acres. It is nestled into the heart of Davenport, with views overlooking the Mississippi River. The zoo-turned-nature-learning-center has a variety of natural play areas centered around the 20-foot-tall Mother Goose statue, which is on the national historic registry, and is the focal point of the park. The park uses storybook imagery from Mother Goose nursery rhymes for nature-based education, including play areas dedicated to: Itsy Bitsy Spider, Jack be Nimble, Hickory Dickory Dock, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Mother Goose is still here at Fejervary Learning Center, which is open seasonally (Earth Day - Halloween). The zoo has been closed for quite some time, but this area now has a natural playground and interactive features for children to learn about nature and play, including a sensory, pollinator garden, fossil dig, and music. Mother Goose is a joy to see and the learning center is a fun place to visit.

The big Mother Goose statue looked lovely from the other side of the fence. She is now part of a park that is open only a few days of the year. We were so disappointed!

Mother Goose Land (or at least what is left of it) from the 1950s to the early 1970s was a kiddie park with a field like a bowl. Circling the bowl were little town stores and ghost towns. You could take a donkey ride around the bowl and peek into the buildings. Sadly, the little town stores and the burros are long gone, but Mother Goose has been restored to her glory.