Peoria Rivermen

Peoria's regional museum, with emphasis on art and science, with rotating galleries that change every few months. The regional folk art collection is particularly nice. Riverfront Museum is a Smithsonian Member Institution with reciprocal admission discounts or waivers for members of other Member Institutions. Exhibits are well-curated. The museum is also a teaching institution, with its own classes and with sponsored activities in local schools. (For example, an Ansel Adams exhibit had an ancillary exhibit of high school photography in the style of Ansel Adams.) Daily Planetarium shows (not included in general admission). Gift shop.

Although its headquarters have left Peoria, "CAT" still has a huge workforce here spanning dozens of buildings all over town, and Peoria is a popular destination for fans of CAT machinery. They have a visitor's center with eight exhibit galleries and four theaters, and the tour starts by climbing into the bed of a two-and-a-half story mining truck for a virtual ride.

Peoria's Class A minor league baseball team is affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chiefs play 70 home games between the beginning of April and the end of August. Tickets can easily be bought online or at the box office on game days. Game times vary, but most weekday and Saturday games start at 6:30PM or 7PM with Sunday games at 2PM.

Riverboat gambling just across the river in East Peoria.

Inside Glen Oak Park (see the listing above), the amphitheatre is used for outdoor concerts, movies, and private events. Free Municipal Band concerts are held each Sunday at 7PM during the summer, movie nights begin at 8PM (50 cent admission), and the venue may also be rented for private events. The amphitheatre seats 500 people, plus many more on the lawn. Check the website for the schedule of events.