Peoria Riverfront Museum

Peoria Riverfront Museum is located at 222 SW Washington St. in Peoria, IL.

Ty and Za at the old museum.

Once, Peoria had a museum, and the children's area was teeny-tiny. The above picture shows the "block" area. My kids liked it, but they love the new museum.

My favorite part is the tot area, for ages baby through kindergarten.

The tot area has soft padding, small balls, and tubes for kids to climb in/ on.

C.J.'s favorite part is the window, however. She crawls to it, looks out, and is thrilled that she can see out a window. (Tall windows probably frustrate babies). She also enjoys the mirror.

Ty and Za especially enjoy the water areas. (I believe the museum has two specific ones, always open. The picture below is in a science lab. The lab is sometimes closed). They are fitted with pipes and other manipulatives for the kids to explore how water flows the best, and in what ways. Another section has a barge area with explanations as to how different river contraptions work. My kids play at the water areas most of their time, and really enjoy it.

The water play places have dryers and plastic shirt covers, but my kids end up with wet sleeves in the cold months. I suggest bringing an extra shirt if your kids have long sleeves.

Ty and Za exert lots of energy (yah! especially during the cold, indoor months) at the block area. This area has an assortment of blocks, different sizes and shapes, for kids to build. My kids normally trap each other in a building.

Another favorite part is the sand and bulldozer area. It is away from the areas pictured above. Instead, it has "sand" (recycled plastic container pieces) and bulldozers, cranes, dump trucks. This area also has a Automoblox section. Kids can assemble and race them.

Finally, the museum has many special days, such as coloring with homemade paint or engineering day.

We are members and that pass is good for a year. The special activities keep the museum fresh with my kids. They want to go frequently, which is wonderful. It is a learning experience and a nice trip. The workers have been very helpful, and always polite to my kids. They take time to explain activities and are patient with them.

The museum has a theater, and movie-type food. The food is not healthy (and has movie-theater prices), so we normally eat before we arrive.

The Peoria Riverfront Museum is great for kids. I am not particularly intrigued by it as an adult, but my kids will play for hours, and they learn from their experiences there.

I was not compensated for this post. This review is my honest, unpaid opinion.