Overview
Peoria is a city in Illinois and the county seat of Peoria County. It serves as a regional hub for the primarily rural and agricultural center of the state. Peoria is a small but diverse city of approximately 115,000 people that anchors a three-county metropolitan area of nearly 400,000.
9 sights · 6 things to do · 6 places to eat · 4 bars & cafés · 5 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Peoria
Peoria Zoo
Formerly known as the Glen Oak Zoo after the park in which it's located, the Peoria Zoo has habitats for large animals such as zebras and rhinoceroses, an enclosure for wallabies and emus that visitors can walk through, …
Par-a-dice Casino
Riverboat gambling just across the river in East Peoria.
Peoria Chiefs
Peoria's Class A minor league baseball team is affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chiefs play 70 home games between the beginning of April and the end of August. Tickets can easily be bought online or at th…
Peoria Rivermen
Peoria's professional hockey team plays 28 home games between October and the beginning of April. Tickets can easily be bought online or at the box office on game days. Game times are 7:15PM for Friday and Saturday games…
Wildlife Prairie Park
Just west of Peoria, offers a spectacular natural prairie park with massive wildlife enclosures. The park houses buffalo, elk, wolves, a bear, and many smaller prairie animals. It has an interpretive center for the wildl…
Caterpillar Visitor's Center
Although its headquarters have left Peoria, "CAT" still has a huge workforce here spanning dozens of buildings all over town, and Peoria is a popular destination for fans of CAT machinery. They have a visitor's center wi…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 86°F; winter lows dip to about 18°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: May and Apr.
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- PIA General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport, Peoria — 6 mi away. Directions
- BMI Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal, Bloomington/Normal — 40 mi away. Directions
- MDW Chicago Midway International Airport, Chicago — 121 mi away (major hub). Directions
Many visitors fly into Chicago or St. Louis and drive to Peoria. Each city is approximately 150 miles (250 km) from Peoria and the drive takes 2½-3 hours, depending on traffic. Indianapolis is 200 miles (320 km) away and takes 3½-4 hours to reach by car.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Typical meal: about $12 per person at listed restaurants.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Caterpillar Visitor's Center, Peoria Rivermen, Peoria Riverfront Museum
- Lunch Rhythm Kitchen Music Cafe
- Afternoon Peoria Chiefs, Par-a-dice Casino
- Dinner Thyme Kitchen and Craft Beer
- Evening Martini's On Water Street
Day 2
- Morning Wheels O' Time
- Lunch Rizzi's Italian Restaurant
- Afternoon Forest Park Nature Center
- Dinner Hearth
- Evening Obed & Isaac's Microbrewery and Eatery
Day 3
- Morning Wildlife Prairie Park
- Lunch Connected
- Dinner Alexander's Famous Steakhouse
- Evening Kelleher's Irish Pub & Eatery
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Situated on a river bluff with excellent natural resources and easy river access, the area has been settled since prehistory, with artifacts and burial mounds showing settlement as far back as 10,000 BC. Peoria was first settled by French explorers in 1680 and is one of the oldest continuously-occupied European settlements in what is now Illinois. Thanks to its position on the Illinois River, Peoria enjoyed comfortable growth from shipping business in the 1800s and early 1900s. Like Muncie in Indiana, it became known as an Average American Town, leading to the famous phrase used by Jack Benny as a radio punchline (and the Nixon administration for political spin) "Will it play in Peoria?"
Residents may rankle at the implied lack of sophistication in the phrase; right or wrong, they take fierce pride in what their city has to offer, and they see the only differences between their city and Chicago as being size and cost-of-living. Today, most of Peoria's economy revolves around Caterpillar, manufacturer of the iconic yellow construction equipment used worldwide, as well as business conventions and the large medical center. While Caterpillar's corporate headquarters has moved to Texas, the company maintains a visitors' center in Peoria, and much of its engineering and manufacturing facilities remain as well. Illinois high school sports tournaments are also a major draw for visitors. Famous natives include Richard Pryor, for whom a street leading from town to the airport is named, and Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique.
The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau can help groups and individuals plan an itinerary in Peoria.
Climate
Peoria weather varies considerably throughout the seasons. Like much of the Midwest it has a humid continental climate, and consequently four distinct seasons. The cool and pleasant springs are followed by humid summer days, beautiful autumn vistas full of color along the bluffs, and cold winter days. Even on the nicest days it is usually wise to have a jacket available in case a storm or front suddenly comes through, and the weather suddenly changes. Though rare, tornadoes are a possibility outside of the winter months in Peoria. The occasional snow storm may cause traffic to bottleneck for several hours until the streets have been plowed.
Tourist information
Get in
By plane
Many visitors fly into Chicago or St. Louis and drive to Peoria. Each city is approximately 150 miles (250 km) from Peoria and the drive takes 2½-3 hours, depending on traffic. Indianapolis is 200 miles (320 km) away and takes 3½-4 hours to reach by car.
Go General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA)
Has daily flights from several cities, including the hubs at Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Atlanta, and Minneapolis, and more limited flights to leisure destinations including Las Vegas, Phoenix/Mesa, Orlando, and Tampa.
Go Mt. Hawley Airport
On the north side of Peoria is a general aviation airport available for charter flights.
By car
I-74 is the main interstate that runs through the city. Peoria can also be approached from Interstate 55 (which connects Chicago and St. Louis) by taking a state highway such as IL 116 from Interstate 55 into Peoria, about 50 miles (80 km). This provides a somewhat more scenic trip through farming country and small towns.
By bus
Go Peoria Charter Coach
Specializes in bus service in the central Illinois area, and they also have regular service to and from Chicago, O'Hare Airport, Bloomington, Champaign, as well as other Midwest locations. In addition to serving downtown Peoria, the buses pickup/drop-off on the Bradley University campus.
Get around
By bus
[http://www.ridecitylink.org/ CityLink] is the city's mass-transit system, serving 23 routes in and around the city. Single ride fares are only $1, and an unlimited ride all-day pass, which can be purchased on a bus, is just $3. The main downtown bus station is at 407 SW Adams Street near the Civic Center and Dozer Park.
By car
Taxi service is available throughout the city; however, it is recommended you call for a taxi, as it is rare to find a taxi to hail outside the downtown or during odd hours. You can locate taxi companies online, in the phone book, or through your hotel's front desk.
While Peoria's downtown is very walkable and parts of the city are amid a New Urbanist revival, to get around outside the downtown most visitors will want a car. All major car rental companies have outlets in Peoria; most have outlets at the airport, in the downtown, and in various outlying commercial areas.
See
See Caterpillar Visitor's Center
Although its headquarters have left Peoria, "CAT" still has a huge workforce here spanning dozens of buildings all over town, and Peoria is a popular destination for fans of CAT machinery. They have a visitor's center with eight exhibit galleries and four theaters, and the tour starts by climbing into the bed of a two-and-a-half story mining truck for a virtual ride.
See Glen Oak Park
One of Peoria's oldest city parks, makes a nice all-day or half-day destination. In addition to traditional park activities (grassy and tree-shaded areas, picnic tables, playing fields, tennis courts), Glen Oak Park has an amphitheater used for outdoor concerts and is home to the Luthy Botanical Gardens, the Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum, and the Peoria Zoo.
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See Peoria Zoo (in Glen Oak Park)
Formerly known as the Glen Oak Zoo after the park in which it's located, the Peoria Zoo has habitats for large animals such as zebras and rhinoceroses, an enclosure for wallabies and emus that visitors can walk through, and some more exotic critters such as takins. There is also an excellent collection of smaller animals, including meerkats, a variety of smaller monkeys, and capybaras.
See Grandview Drive and Park
For more spectacular river views take a drive along Grandview Drive and visit Grandview Park. This road, which can be accessed from the top or bottom, features some of Peoria's grandest homes and a variety of truly spectacular views of the river. The best river views have pull-offs and small parking lots so you can take pictures and take your time viewing the scenery. The Park District maintains the overlooks as well as a park at the bottom of the drive.
See Peoria Riverfront Museum
Peoria's regional museum, with emphasis on art and science, with rotating galleries that change every few months. The regional folk art collection is particularly nice. Riverfront Museum is a Smithsonian Member Institution with reciprocal admission discounts or waivers for members of other Member Institutions. Exhibits are well-curated. The museum is also a teaching institution, with its own classes and with sponsored activities in local schools. (For example, an Ansel Adams exhibit had an ancillary exhibit of high school photography in the style of Ansel Adams.) Daily Planetarium shows (not included in general admission). Gift shop.
See Wheels O' Time
A quirky local museum, is definitely worth a visit. It's in the far north of the city and features a variety of things have to do with wheels and gears -- antique cars, clocks, carnival machines, old washing machines, farm equipment, a train, and more. Most are old-fashioned or antique. It's seriously wacky and seriously enjoyable -- the mechanical "barbershop quartet" in which all of the figures bear faces of former United States Presidents is worth the price of admission all by itself.
Do
Do Forest Park Nature Center
Natural beauty can be found along the trails of the Forest Park Nature Center, a native river bluff forest with hiking and an interpretive center (and shop). Admission is free. Be forewarned: the trails are not flat. This is the hilliest hiking you'll find in the Peoria area! The shorter trails are very popular with families. The center is also an excellent place to spot butterflies and native birds, including bald eagles, which winter along the Illinois River.
Do Glen Oak Park Amphitheatre
Inside Glen Oak Park (see the listing above), the amphitheatre is used for outdoor concerts, movies, and private events. Free Municipal Band concerts are held each Sunday at 7PM during the summer, movie nights begin at 8PM (50 cent admission), and the venue may also be rented for private events. The amphitheatre seats 500 people, plus many more on the lawn. Check the website for the schedule of events.
Do Peoria Chiefs
Peoria's Class A minor league baseball team is affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chiefs play 70 home games between the beginning of April and the end of August. Tickets can easily be bought online or at the box office on game days. Game times vary, but most weekday and Saturday games start at 6:30PM or 7PM with Sunday games at 2PM.
Do Wildlife Prairie Park
Just west of Peoria, offers a spectacular natural prairie park with massive wildlife enclosures. The park houses buffalo, elk, wolves, a bear, and many smaller prairie animals. It has an interpretive center for the wildlife park, a small zoo-like building featuring snakes and amphibians, an old-fashioned general store-type gift shop, hiking, fishing, overnight lodging in cabins or decommissioned cabooses, an extremely popular train that tours the park, and a frontier farmstead with animals, gardens, a cabin, and a one-room schoolhouse. Interpreters are available throughout the park. Admission is $9 per adult, $6 for children 4-12 (free for 3 and under) (an additional $1 off per person from November to March), which is steep for Peoria but the park is definitely worth it. Visiting on $2 Tuesday cuts the cost quite a bit.
Learn
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Buy
Peoria's Riverfront has undergone massive revitalization and features a variety of local and independent retailers in a pleasant, walkable riverfront setting. Free parking is available along the riverfront. The outdoor Riverfront Market, every Saturday from June to September, is a combination farmers' market and local art market.
Peoria has an unusual number of working local artists (including sculptor Preston Jackson, many of whom are showcased at the Peoria Art Guild's gallery and store. Peoria hosts a large art fair every year, the Fine Art Fair, a national juried fair held in late September.
- For local shopping flavor, Peoria Heights, a small village enclosed by Peoria but politically distinct, has a quaint main street with a large variety of locally-owned shops, including art galleries, gift stores, bakeries, restaurants, coffee shops, and various services.
- Sheridan Village, in the center of town, houses a Bergner's department store and several other minor retailers. Sheridan Village was the nation's first "mall-style" shopping center featuring a variety of stores situated around a parking lot to provide a less formal, less time-intensive shopping experience than venturing downtown to the major department stores. The test was successful and the model spread across the United States.
There are two main malls in the Peoria regional area. These are frequently referred to as the "old mall" and "new mall" by locals.
Shop The Shoppes at Grand Prairie
Anchor stores include Dick's Sporting Goods, Bergner's, H&M, Marshalls, and DSW along with approximately 30 other store. Dining includes the Flat Top Grille and Osaka Hibachi and Sushi Bar, but TGI Fridays, Longhorn Steakhouse, Starbucks, Buffalo Wild Wings, Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que, and Steak'n Shake are all in the immediate area. The AMC Grand Prairie 18 movie theater is also in the same mall area.
Eat
Eat Alexander's Famous Steakhouse (Alexander Street Steakhouse)
An amazing steakhouse where you pick out your own steak from the fridge, and then you can either grill it yourself or let one of their chefs cook it how you like.
Eat Connected
Upscale Italian/American menu with an extensive wine list and great cocktails. If you don't have a reservation, arrive early and grab a seat at the bar.
Eat Hearth
Upscale American menu with some excellent Creole and Cajun dishes, and a large selection of whiskey and other drinks.
Eat Rhythm Kitchen Music Cafe
A cafe with a distinctly bohemian feel and menu and often featuring live music. In the Contemporary Art Center building.
Eat Rizzi's Italian Restaurant (Rizzi's)
Very well-known family owned, operated, and liked Italian restaurant. They also serve wine, and have a catering service. Note that this is now their only location.
Eat Thyme Kitchen and Craft Beer
Gastropub with excellent menu including some unique items like deconstructed duck tamales, and plenty of beer.
Drink
The highest concentration of drinking establishments is in downtown Peoria, in the few blocks surrounding Main and Jefferson. If you're looking for more of a young club scene, the scene is constantly changing. Taking a stroll down Main Street (downtown) will get you to most popular Peoria bars.
Drink Kelleher's Irish Pub & Eatery
For a great beer selection and lively conversation.
Drink Martini's On Water Street
On the waterfront in the historic Peoria train station, Martini's features great drinks and live music on the weekends.
Drink Obed & Isaac's Microbrewery and Eatery
Charming brewpub built inside an old church. The bar is right in the middle of the floor, so you can feel like you're in the middle of the action, or grab a table where you can more easily take in the lofty ceiling and stained glass windows.
Drink Rhodell Brewery
Brewpub that always has some tasty seasonal offerings on tap.
Outside of the downtown area, there are a few other worthy establishments.
Sleep
Stay Mark Twain Hotel
Independent hotel on the periphery of the downtown (near the expressway). It is a smaller, "hipper" hotel than the Pere Marquette. Although the building is older, this adds to its charm more than it detracts; the lobby, full of wood and leather, feels more like a cozy den than a hotel lobby, while rooms have brick walls inside for a nice change from the normal drab hotel decor. Pets are welcome.
Go next
- Ackerman Family Farms is open in the late summer and fall. Make your way through the corn maze, take a hay ride, see the farm animals and all of the pumpkins and fall foliage. It's about 10 miles from downtown Peoria at 27158 US Highway 150 Morton. Phone: +1 309-266-7459
- Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway is located on both sides of the Illinois River between Ottawa, Illinois and Havana, Illinois. There are 80 different points of interest along the route which runs through Peoria, and there are many activities to be enjoyed including geocaching, bird watching, hiking, fishing, and more. The headquarters is at 613 W. Marquette Street, Ottawa, and it is a National Scenic Byway. +1 815-433-5830
- Jubilee College State Park has walking, hiking, and equestrian trails, camping, picnicking, and more for outdoor enthusiasts. It's about 20 miles northwest of downtown Peoria at 13921 W. Route 150 Brimfield. +1 309-446-3758
- Snowman's Reindeer Farm Pet, feed, learn about, and photograph Santa's reindeer. It's about 30 miles southwest of Peoria at 25599 E. Middle Lake Road, Canton. +1 309-647-0569
- The Cookery is the place to hone your cooking skills in one of their culinary classes or just to enjoy a catered dinner. It's about 10 miles east of Peoria at 2029 S Main St, Morton. +1 309-263-6020
- Woodford State Fish and Wildlife Area is hunting, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and camping are available at this 2900-acre park. It's about 25 miles northeast of downtown along the Illinois River on State Route 26, Low Point. +1 309-246-8351
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