It’s your first time bringing your family to Peoria. Only problem: You don’t know where to go. Lucky for you, Peoria is home to a handful of exciting restaurants, venues, museums, etc. to keep you and your family happily entertained. Start off your day with a trip to downtown Peoria. The downtown scene overs numerous restaurants, museums, playgrounds, etc. for you and your family to enjoy. First stop, the museums.

First Stop – Museums – Peoria offers the Riverfront Museum in addition to the Caterpillar Visitor Center. The Riverfront Museum is great for children and adults alike. The newest exhibits are the GENOME: Unlocking Life’s Codes, Microsculpture: The Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss, and the George and Norma Kottemann Collection: A 40-Year Passion of Art.  They also have two exhibits that are permanent at the museum, The IHSA Peak Performance, where visitors can test their skills over 40 sports activities. The other exhibit is the Illinois River Encounter, where there is a fish tank with native species from the river, also have different sections set up for fishing, natives, ducks, hunting, boating, and much more. There is also a planetarium that the museum has to offer. The prices are reasonable too, as adults are $11, seniors 60+ are $10, and children between 3-17 are $9. The museum offers a theater experience as they carry one of the biggest screens in the Peoria area. Tickets to the movies range from $7.50 to $14.50 for adults, $6.50-$13.50 for seniors, and $5.50-$12.50 for kids. Lise Minzes, Visitor Services Associate, gave us some insights on how the museum is doing.  “More attendance in family than individual people,” said Minzes. https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/

Riverfront Museum

Head across the pavilion to the Caterpillar Visitor Center. They offer the history of CAT, as they show from their very first tractor, to what they have made over the years till now. They have a full scale dump truck, where the bed of the truck is a theater, where they show videos about the company. At the center, they have vehicles, where you can sit in the cab of the equipment. Also, the center has simulations of the equipment they build, as visitors can take a spin on the excavator, bulldozer, and crane. The prices are cheap for the visitor’s center as general admission is $7, seniors are $6, military is $5, and children under 12 are free. http://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/visitors-center.html

Tractor from CAT Museum

Second Stop – Park – Peoria riverfront offers a bunch of activity for kids as well. Head on down to the Peoria Riverplex, where they have a free park for the area.You can either take the sidewalks from the museums as it’s a straight walk there. Parents can also get a break from the kids and watch boats go up and down the river and enjoy the nice breeze off the river. The playground is well built with swings, a wooden made jungle gym, and other fun activities. Free parking is included in front of the Peoria Riverplex, if you don’t want to take the walk from the museums. 

Riverplex Park

Third Stop – Spirit of Peoria – The last place to check out on the Peoria riverfront is the old fashioned steamboat, Spirit of Peoria. You can take the options of either picking a day cruise, overnight cruise, multiple day cruise, and many others. Take a trip up the river to the Peoria Dam, or up to Starved Rock, they offer many other destinations. Tickets range in various prices. For a single day ride adults are $18, Seniors 55+ are $16, Child 4-15 are $11, and infants are free. You might catch a entertainer or two on the boat telling stories or singing songs. https://spiritofpeoria.com/

Spirit of Peoria

Fourth Stop – Emo’s – Head on up to the Peoria Heights district. Stop on by Emo’s before heading to the strip, as Emo’s offers delicious food and ice cream. The prices are really cheap, and the food is fantastic. Local Peoria Heights native, Alex Wilts, is a huge fan of Emo’s. “Emo’s is tradition, I’ve been coming here for years,” said Wilts.  Which many rant and rave in the area about Emo’s ice cream. “10/10, best ice cream around,” said Wilts. 

Emo’s Ice Cream

Fifth Stop – Peoria Heights – After the quick stop at Emo’s head up the road on Prospect St., where it will take you to the Peoria Heights. You’ll know when you’ve reached in when the stores are small and unique and the bigred water tower. Up in the Heights the stores vary from what the typical shopper desires. There are several boutique stores to shop in, I Know You Like A Book, a local bookstore to stop in and check out the new and used books. There are several furnishing stores to shop through to find decor for your house or apartment. “It’s different than Peoria’s layout, which makes it unique and fun to visit,” said local Peoria native, Austin Crawford. http://www.peoriaheights.org/

Peoria Heights Tower

Sixth Stop – Dinner – The Peoria Heights districts offers several dining locations for you and your family. If you’re looking for some homemade pizza, look no further than Brienzo’s Wood Fired Pizza. The restaurant offers personalized 10” pizzas where customers can pick and choose from several meats, cheeses, and various toppings.  Prices are very reasonable from kids meals at $5.95 to pizzas starting at $10.95. http://www.brienzospizza.com/

Brienzo’s Wood Fired Pizza – Retrieved from their website

Seventh Stop – Peoria Chiefs Game –  PLAY BALL! It’s spring time in Peoria, so there’s no better option for evening entertainment than the Peoria Chiefs. The Chiefs play at Dozer Park and are the Single A Affiliate of the Cardinals. Catching a game at a cheap rate as dugout tickets are $11 on non-firework days, $12 on firework days, and field box seats are $10 on non-firework days, and $11 on firework days.They do various promotions all season long to accommodate to new fans, lifelong fans, or people just wanting to watch baseball. You can visit the Peoria Chiefs website for their 2017 schedule. http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t443

Dozer Park – Retrieved from Peoria Chiefs Website

By: Chase Kirlin and Kevin Lindgren