It is a new year, and time for John Deere collectors to check out the perfect Deere destination. Where? Simple – plan a holiday visit to Moline, Ill., the John Deere capital of the Midwest.

If visitors have never traveled to Moline, there are an array of sites. The John Deere Pavilion is always a good stop; with rotating displays, there is always something new to see even if the collector has stopped here before.
According to the Pavilion website at www.deere.com/en_US/attractions/pavilion “the John Deere Pavilion was created as a celebration of the past, present and future of agribusiness. It has attracted guests from all corners of the globe and is recognized as the world’s most comprehensive agricultural exhibit.”

The Pavilion is located at 1400 River Dr., Moline, IL 61265. Check out the website or call for special holiday hours, at 309-765-1000.
Connected by a walkway to the Pavilion is the Deere store, a great place to buy a hat or shirt and be decked out in John Deere fashion. The above-mentioned website will also offer information about the store.

While the Pavilion and store are common stops, a not-so-common idea may be to travel with a collector on a Deere factory tour. To request a tour, call 800-765-9588. They are provided during the weekday and are offered only to children over the age of 12, and 13 for the John Deere tractor engine factories.
The “new kid on the block” for sites is the John Deere Harvester Works, which has a new visitors’ center. This offers a look at one of the company’s oldest factories. Call the factory tour number, too, for details about this venue.

A visit to Moline is not complete without a stop at “The Rusty Palace” – John Deere headquarters. The HQ website states, “The Deere & Co. World Headquarters is a tribute to the genius of two craftsmen who lived and worked a century apart. John Deere and Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American architect who designed the building, both created masterpieces in steel.

“Deere used steel to forge the plow that tamed the prairie; Saarinen used it to build a structure that reflected the character of the company that bears Deere’s name.”

The HQ is located at One John Deere Place,  Moline, IL 61265. Check out the website at www.deere.com/en_US/attractions/worldhq or call 309-765-8000 for more information about this wonderful attraction that is located on 1,400 acres.

The display floor of the HQ is open to visitors 365 days a year from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Here, the Deere collector or anyone with interest in the history can look at displays of antique machines, and see a variety of the company’s newer equipment offerings.

There is also the Deere-Wiman House and the Butterworth Home. These beautiful homes were built in the late 1800s by Charles Deere, son of John Deere, and are also open to tour.

The Deere-Wiman House is located at 817 11th Ave., Moline, IL 61265. Call  309-743-2701 for hours. The  Butterworth Center is located at 1105 8th St., Moline, IL 61265, at phone number 309-743-2701.

Just across the river in Davenport, Iowa, is a store where Deere collectors can find the parts they need for tractor restoration, as well as a few cool JD collectibles.

Davenport Tractor, formerly Deerely Departed, is located at 318 E. 2nd St., Davenport, Iowa 52801, down by the river. Its phone number is 563-323-2295.
Start planning, and have a Very Deere New Year!

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.