Give your students a field trip to remember at the Peoria Park District! Our staff are ready to help you customize an immersive, standards-based experience, regardless of your goals. There’s so much for school groups to do and discover! A unique, quality experience for your students is just a phone call away!
Or if travel is a challenge, we’ll come to you! Click on our field trip brochure below for curated options and come learn with us!
Regardless of age, we have some great opportunities for groups to have fun and learn a lot at affordable prices! Field trips can be free exploration or staff guided and can be augmented by staff-led classes activities or provided educational resources.
Visit the Zoo! Bring your class to Peoria Zoo for a self-guided adventure or wild program!
Public Skate! Have an ICE day with skating fun at Owens Ice Center!
Visit the Garden! Walk around the sprawling Luthy Botanical Garden or book a tour!
RiverPlex Recreation! Get your wiggles out at the arena, rock wall, and AquaPlex.
The Great Outdoors! Outdoor adventures await at Camp Wokanda!
Open Swim! Cool off with a swim at Gwynn Family Aquatic Center.
Facility Rental! Our three recreation centers are open for free play, skating and more!
Time to Play! Visit the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum to dream, explore and create!
EARLY CHILDHOOD
The Peoria Park District offers a variety of activities ideal for early childhood. Most programs are designed to enhance the curriculum for Pre-K/K through 2nd grade. Some programs may be better suited for a particular age group. For information on cost, group requirements, etc. please contact the facility.
Outdoor Fun! Learn the rules of the road with over 4,000 feet of road way at Bicycle Safety Town. Enjoy a low-impact hike and use your senses to discover the natural world at Forest Park Nature Center. Experience the pioneer homestead at Sommer Farm! Fun awaits at your next outdoor adventure!
Indoor Fun! Enjoy the ultimate open play adventure at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum through their 6 exhibits. Teachers can also shine a spotlight on one of the Museum’s exhibits through one of four thematic options.
GRADES 2 & UP
School-aged children can enjoy a wide variety of interactive experiences at many of our PPD facilities. Some programs may be better suited for a particular age group. For information on cost, group requirements, etc. please contact the facility.
Seeking an Adventure! For the ultimate outdoor adventure, take the kids out for a canoeing adventure, hike or hayrack ride at Sommer Farm! Students will have a roaring good time exploring the world and all the animals at Peoria Zoo; add a tour or educational program in addition to your visit. Your group can tower to new heights on the C.O.Y.O.T.E. Team Course working with a Sommer Farm facilitator in the open field and using wooden structures.
Conservation and Nature! Students will learn the basic components of a habitat and come face-to-face with animals that make their homes in the forests of Peoria at Forest Park Nature Center. At Luthy Botanical Garden, students will encounter the incredible diversity of plants as well as some of the amazing pollinating animals on which they depend. At Forest Park Nature Center, journey through the bottomland forest, oak-hickory savanna, and tallgrass prairie with a naturalist, discovering the naturally-occurring ecosystems.
One of a Kind! Visit Camp Wokanda to learn about maple syrup- its history, the amazing biology of trees, the science involved in its production, and, of course, its taste. If that is too sweet for you, have your students engage in our Wilderness Survival at Camp Wokanda where they can learn practical skills such as wilderness first aid, finding food and water, navigation, and shelter-building, but will also gain confidence in keeping their cool, using teamwork, and taking care of themselves.
TRAVELING NATURALIST
Embark on an educational adventure with our traveling program, a unique initiative that brings the excitement of the zoo and the expertise of traveling naturalists directly to your classroom.These programs revolutionize traditional field trips, providing an enriching and accessible educational experience for students of all ages.
Zoo Mobile! Bring the zoo to you during this 30-45 minute program! Using biofacts, activities and up-close animal encounters, we bring the outside world inside to you. Choose from a variety of programs, designed for all age groups to help fulfill State Standards.
Traveling Naturalist! Enjoy a 45-60 minute interpretive program for your classroom, garden club, scout group or other civic organization. Varied program themes lets you pick the right one for your group! Program Themes: Animal Adaptations, Amazing Bugs!, Reptile Discovery, Water Cycle Adventures, Prairie Pathways, Wilderness Survival, Migratory Birds of the Peoria Area, and Ecology of the Illinois River Bluffs.
