Information
Landmark: Peoria PlayHouse Children's MuseumCity: Peoria
Country: USA Illinois
Continent: North America
Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum, Peoria, USA Illinois, North America
Overview
The Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum bursts with color and energy, offering kids and families a lively space filled with hands-on exhibits and imaginative play.In Peoria’s Glen Oak Park, the museum invites kids to dive into science, art, engineering, and nature, with hands-on exhibits like a buzzing beehive display that spark curiosity and spark the imagination.Since opening in June 2015, the museum quickly won over Peoria families, drawing tens of thousands each year-kids still race to the bright dinosaur exhibit as soon as they walk in.You’ll find the museum at 2218 North Prospect Road in Peoria, IL 61603, tucked inside Glen Oak Park, with shady trees, a playground just steps away, and plenty of parking close at hand.You’ll find accessible parking, with designated handicapped spaces, just steps from the museum’s front doors.You can also get to the site by hopping on the CityLink bus, route #12.The museum stretches over three floors, each one packed with hands-on exhibits and playful corners where kids can press buttons, explore, and learn by diving right in.One highlight is Real Tools-a lively workshop where kids hammer, saw, and tinker with safe, child-sized equipment, sparking STEM skills and a love for making things with their own hands.Light Wall: An interactive display where kids can play with prisms, tilt mirrors, mix bright colors, and cast crisp shadows as they explore how light and optics work.Motion Commotion is a hands-on exhibit of twisting tubes and gleaming rails, where kids launch balls into the air to discover how pressure, gravity, and motion work.Water Table: A kid-friendly play zone with miniature rivers that ripple, rain clouds that sprinkle, and wheels that spin, inviting hands-on sensory fun and sparking scientific curiosity.Tot Town is a tiny, hands-on village where little ones pretend to shop for oranges, visit the doctor, or sort mail at the post office.Family Farm: Step into a life-sized farm where kids can try milking a warm, gentle cow, gather fresh eggs from a straw-lined coop, or set up their own bustling farmer’s market to learn how food makes its way from field to table.Fossil Dig: A hands-on paleontology site where kids scrape away sandy layers to uncover replica fossils, sparking their curiosity about natural history and archaeology.PlayHouse Theater offers a cozy little stage where kids can act, spin tales, or dive into make-believe, building both creativity and confidence.Kinetic Sand: a hands-on play area where soft, moldable grains invite kids to sculpt castles, shapes, and whatever their imagination dreams up.Train Station: A playful space built around trains, where kids can let their curiosity run wild and spin stories as the whistle echoes in their minds.The museum offers a lively mix of educational programs and special events year-round to bring its exhibits to life, from drop‑in art workshops with paints and clay to themed activity days for all ages.Birthday parties come with private packages that let you explore the museum’s exhibits, then head to a bright party room for kid-friendly, themed activities.Field trips offer tailored educational outings for school groups, with guided tours and hands-on activities-like examining fossils or testing water samples-designed to fit curriculum standards.Scout Programs offer badge-earning challenges and hands-on activities created just for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, from knot-tying practice to nature hikes.Special events include seasonal celebrations, career expos like the lively “Be Anything!” exploration, and wildlife presentations where you might hear an owl’s soft hoot while experts share their stories at the museum.Access Programs offer discounted admission to families using WIC or LINK, plus sensory-friendly kits and quiet visiting hours for children with special needs, so everyone can feel welcome.Admission fees are $10.50 for adults and kids ages 1–64, $9.50 for seniors 65+, active military, and first responders, and free for children under one.Families using WIC or LINK cards pay $4.Members enjoy free, unlimited entry all year.Family memberships start at $110 annually for two adults and all household children, with perks like exclusive member hours, program and event discounts, and special activities-think early morning playtime before doors open to the public.We offer grandparent and discounted memberships to fit a range of family needs, whether it’s for weekend park visits or weekday story hours.At the museum, kids are urged to dive right in-touch a fossil, build a tower, poke around, and try out new ideas.Warm, welcoming staff and volunteers help children learn and play, stepping in to guide families through activities-a puzzle here, a story there-whenever it’s needed.It’s a place where people naturally connect, tackle challenges, and spark new ideas, whether you’re gathering the family for a sunny afternoon, exploring with a school group, or blowing out candles at a birthday party.Tucked inside Glen Oak Park, the spot lets visitors pair a museum trip with fresh-air fun, whether it’s chasing kids across the playground or unfolding a picnic blanket under the trees.Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum shines as one of Peoria’s top spots for early learning and family fun, where kids can tinker with gears or paint under bright, cheerful lights.With hands-on exhibits, lively educational programs, and welcoming community events, it’s a place where kids grow through play, curiosity, and the thrill of uncovering something new.
