There are many tourist attractions in Peoria. Some of the major ones are:
1. Peoria zoo
This is the home town to over 100 species of animals which are from different parts of the globe. It is the wildest family place in the town, which maintains from giraffes and rhinoceros to spider monkeys and sea lions. It offers educational programs, a gift shop stocked with unusual and exiting merchandise.
2. Spirit of Peoria- Mississippi riverboat cruise
It was built in 1988, by Walker boat yard in Paducah, Kentucky. It is solely propelled by its stern driven paddle wheel. Composed by only fiberglass and wood. It has 68 bucket boards and 22 feet in diameter. Which is powered by two caterpillar and 3412 diesel engines that turns 350kw generator sets and the two traction motors powered electrically by these generators that turns to two 12 inch belt, each has 40 feet in length.
Enjoy the Mississippi riverboat cruise on the spirit of Peoria, by traveling up and down the Illinois River, which includes entertainment, music, storytelling, wonderful buffet-style meals, and more.
3. Wheels O’ Time Museum
It is one of the most popular museums in center of Peoria’s Illinois, located at North Knoxville Avenue in Dunlap. It was founded by Bragg. The mission of the museum is to entertain and also to educate the people. It provides a place to all ages, here they can see and tough items, which reflects entertainment, transportation, industry, farm and home life from years.
The museum’s building house is an electric collection, which includes jukeboxes and some other coin operated displays, and an Orchestrion, a machine contains numerous musical instruments, and the oldest item in the museum is a Dutch shelf clock from 1650.
4. Peoria Civic Center
It is the cornerstone of entertainment, also the conventional activities in the Peoria area. It includes an arena, exhibition hall and meeting hall, theater, and banquet space. The center is located in the heart of the downtown Peoria, which is next to the historic city hall and also within the walkable distance of night clubs, major hotels, fine restaurants and entertainment, includes riverfront. It offers the first class facilities at reasonable rates. Since 1982, it has been hosting conventions, meetings, events as well as consumer shows.
5. Lakeview Museum of Arts and Science
It is the largest private museum in downstate Illinois, which serves a variety of audience of both rural as well as urban. It is a wonderful platform from which the museum can able to fulfill its mission. The fine arts collection includes a variety of things which were created by artists, from Illinois and Midwest, like paintings, prints, sketches and sculptures. It also developed a reputation for Midwestern and Illinois folk art, which includes an extensive collection of waterfowl decoys and also has the African art collection, Native American, and Pre-Columbian artifacts. It has extensive natural science collection of minerals, insects, fossils, and shells.
6. Luthy Botanical Garden
This garden is surrounded by five acres of land scape, displays theme gardens which gives you ideas about own gardening endeavors. Here you should visit the rose gardens and also the venture of the sidewalk to see the hidden treasures at the far corners of the gardens. Here you can able to enjoy the vibrant collection of orchids, tropical plants, and succulents inside the conservatory.
7. Giant Oak Park
It is one of the smallest parks in the district, which includes single tree and a giant name and also contains a small parking as well as picnic area, but it is home to large Burr Oak Tree, its branches spread upto 100 feet and the trunk is about 13 feet in circumference. It is believed that it is at least 300 years old.
Area Adventure in Giant Oak Park
The Eco adventure of all ages can fly between, 210 obstacles and aerial platforms. For children under 10, there is a small scale version. You can soar through the forest on an array of thrilling tree top challenges, 2,300m of zip lines and the 2-12m in height take you through the forest over the lake and across the canyon.
8. O’Brien Field
It is a stadium which includes a Trans-Lux video screen in the right side of the field, a state of the art sound system, internet stations (300) and the latest telecom equipment. In the first year the Peoria chief won a franchise record of 85 games, which are going 47-24 at home and 32-16 at O’Brien.