Bloomington / Normal Attractions
Bloomington / Normal
Bloomington Spray Parks
Open: 10am – 7pm Cost: Free
The Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department has three spray parks. Enjoy the newest trends in water play!
Open: 9am-10pm Cost: Depends on food and token choices
Chuck E. Cheese’s features age appropriate games, rides, prizes, food and entertainment that children of all ages from toddlers to big kids will love.
Fairview Family Aquatic Center
Open: 11am – 8pm Cost: Adults $6 (Ages 15-3) $5 (2 and under) Free
Exciting brand new waterslides, a spray ground and a birthday party pavilion. The three new slides will offer some of the best thrill rides in Central Illinois, featuring a tube slide, body slide and the incredibly fast speed slide!
Miller Park Zoo and Spray Parks
Open: 9:30am – 4:30pm Cost: Adults: $5 Kids (ages 12-4) $3.50 (3 and under) Free
Miller Park Zoo offers many exhibits and Zookeeper interaction opportunities that are enjoyed by the whole family. Some highlights include: sun bears, reindeer, Sumatran tiger, sea lions, river otters, red pandas, lemurs, Galapagos tortoise, bald eagles, Pallas cats, Amur leopard, gibbons, and red wolves. The Zoo features many large indoor and outdoor exhibits such as a Tropical America Rainforest, ZooLab, Katthoefer Animal Building, Wallaby WalkAbout, Children’s Zoo, and Animals of Asia
Ropp Cheese Farm
Open: Tues-Sat 9am -5:30pm Cost: $3 per person
Children can watch cheese being made, feed calves llamas & goats, milk a cow and learn how milk gets from the cow to the store, along with meeting Tom the turkey.
Open: 9am – 5pm Cost: $6 per person (Ages 2 and under) free
The Children’s Discovery Museum is a different kind of museum — where touching the exhibits is actually encouraged. The exhibits are designed for kids of any age to touch, climb on, climb into, and even take apart and put back together. It’s a liberty kids are seldom afforded in a museum — or anywhere else
Champaign
Prairie Farm (Next to Sholem Water Park)
Open: 1pm-7pm Petting area: 3pm-5pm Cost: Free
Prairie Farm is a replica of a turn-of-the century farm complete with barns, farmhouse, pond, pasture, & flower garden. It is open to the general public from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The Farm features traditional farm animals such as sheep, pigs, goats, horses, cows, chickens, and geese.
Sholem Water Park (Next to Prairie Farm)
Open: 12:30pm – 7pm Cost: Non-resident Adults $9 (3 and under) free
Play with guests of all ages and swimming abilities at The Beach, an 8000 square foot activity pool with play and spray features for interactive fun. Your little ones will love The Puddle with its toys and slide designed just for toddlers. This zero-depth kiddy pool is the perfect place for some water play with your little ones.
Open: 9am-6pm
From prairie, to farmland, to apple orchard … how this piece of central Illinois changed! George Curtis never knew in 1892 how his land would someday be one of the area’s favorite places for family fun.
The Orpheum Children’s Science Museum
Open: 10am – 4pm Cost: Adults $4 Kids $3
The Orpheum Children’s Science Museum, located in the 1914 Orpheum Theatre, is one of the finest buildings in downstate Illinois. Children of all ages are given the opportunity to learn science at their own pace in an informal setting. Current exhibits include gosh images, zoetropes, dino-dig, a PVC pipe organ, and many more!
Monticello
The museum is open weekends and holidays May through October.
Cost: Adults $9 Kids (2-12) $6 (2 and under) Free
You can walk through the museum cars and view many pieces of rolling stock at the museum site, as well as visit the gift shop along with a train ride. Normally our trains are pulled by one of our vintage diesel locomotives.
Monticello Family Aquatic Center & Splash Pad – Monticello
Open: Noon-7pm Cost: $5 for adults, $2 and under free
Features: Concession Stand, 2,400 sq feet (Ages 5 and under) 18 inch deep area with 16 water features
Diving boards, water slide, Lounge chairs and dry arcade room included
Peoria
Open: 10am – 7pm Cost: Adults are free Kids (ages 12-3) $7.99 Kids (2 and under) $5
Bring your kids to Monkey Joe’s fun-filled inflatable play center! Our wall-to-wall inflatable slides, jumps, and obstacle courses will keep your kids active, happy, and healthy. Our play center is suitable for kids 12 years-old and younger. Our Mini Monkey Zone is a separate toddler play area will keep your little ones safe and secure.
Wildlife Prairie Park – Peoria
Open: 10:30am-4:30pm
Cost: (Ages 13 and up) $7 (ages 4-12) $5 (4 and under) Free Carload Price $18
Wildlife Prairie Park has a 2,000 acre native species park hosts ambassadors of all five vertebrate animal groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish!
Features: Adventure Trek, Café, Ice Cream Exhibit
Rantoul
Open: Check website for seasonal times
Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch now has 16 reindeer, 5 acres of Christmas trees, a barn gift shop and a western style banquet hall hosting groups year ’round and individuals and families in the fall and Christmas time.
Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum
Open: 10am-5pm Cost: Adults $10 Kids $5
The Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum is a premier showcase of Illinois Aviation and the 77 year history of Chanute Air Force Base. The museum encompasses over 126,000 sq. ft. of display space, boasting the largest aerospace museum in Illinois. Special memorial items are dedicated in honor of pioneer aviators Illinois and Chanute AFB commanders and heroes.
Shelbyville
Shelbyville Family Aquatic Center & Splash Pad – Shelbyville
Open: Noon-8pm Cost: $5 for adults, $2 and under free
Features: Three slides, wet playground area, sand playground area, concessions/food court area, a shaded picnic area and a bath house.
Springfield
Open: 9am-10pm Cost: Depends on food and token choices
Chuck E. Cheese’s features age appropriate games, rides, prizes, food and entertainment that children of all ages from toddlers to big kids will love.
Knights Action Park & Caribbean Water Adventure– Springfield
Open: 10am – 6pm Cost: Adults $25.95 Kids $19.95 (2 and under) $4
Knight’s Action Park & Caribbean Water Adventure provide guests with a beautiful natural setting as well as plenty of fun & excitement with entertainment for all ages.
Open: 10am-5pm Cost: Adults $4.50 Kids (12-3) $2.75 Kids (2 and under) Free
The Henson Robinson Zoo is home to more than 300 animals native to Australia, Africa, Asia and North and South America. Over 90 species of native and exotic animals are housed here among naturalistic exhibits.
Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center
Open: 10am-4pm Cost: Free
A woodland and prairie garden with over five miles of trails lead you on a journey through the Illinois landscape Lincoln would have known. Depending on the season you visit, you could discover springtime dogwoods in full bloom, colorful prairie wildflowers of summer, burnished autumn leaves, or snow-covered maple trees bursting with sap.
Open: Weekends Only Noon-3
Located inside the Main Gate at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, you’ll find everything from ferries wheels to carousels and thrill rides. Open weekends from May through Labor Day.
Open: 10am-10:30pm
A Relaxing & Fun Time for the Whole Family!! Two eighteen hole miniature golf courses; high-tech batting cages, Bank shot Basketball, and lighted driving range. At the end of the day, visit the fun park’s ice cream Shoppe for a dip or two of your favorite ice cream.
General Admission: $7 per person (Ages 12-4) $4 (Ages 3 and under) Free
We invite your friends and family to step back in time and take a trip down historical Route 66. Experience one of America’s favorite past times at the Route 66 Drive-In. The newly restored Route 66 Drive-In, located in Springfield, IL. Is a twin drive-in showing double features nightly from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and on weekends through October.