Explore Peoria’s Art, Science, Nature & History by Bicycle!
Pedal Peoria's 19th Year. Rides sponsored by Peoria Riverfront Museum & the Illinois Valley Wheelm'n.
All Peoria rides are designed for the casual rider, 10 to 15 miles (1 or 2 steep hills, about 2 hours each). All riders welcome! No fee or registration. For Pedal Peoria information contact Ride Leader Sheldon Schafer at 309.682.1876 or sschafer7@gmail.com or Ride Leader Brian Cunningham for Jun 20, 27, & July 18 at 309.633.1224 or brian.cunningham58@sbcglobal.net.
Grandview Ride
Wed, May 23 | 6 pm
Start: Stadium Park on Lake Street
Highlights | Views from Grandview Drive, Prospect Road, High Point Drive, Lindbergh's airmail flight plaque
History Ride
Wed, May 30 | 6 pm
Start: Peoria Riverfront Museum (Water Street entrance)
Highlights | Riverfront, Springdale Cemetery, Randolph-Roanoke-High Street homes, Giant Oak Park, Moss Ave Homes, Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Lloyd "Wrong" Homes
Sculpture Ride
Wed, Jun 6 | 6 pm
Start: Peoria Riverfront Museum (Water Street entrance)
Highlights | Public Sculptures around Peoria, Including Sonar Tide, Peace & Harvest, Mother Theresa, Ingersoll, various Riverfront Park sculptures & various Bradley University public sculptures
Gargoyles & Dragons Ride
Wed, Jun 20 | 6 pm
Start: Tower Park in Peoria Heights
Highlights | Discover the most famous gargoyles and dragons in town
West Peoria Ride
Wed, Jun 27 | 6 pm
Start: Peoria Riverfront Museum (Water Street entrance)
Highlights | West Peoria brick streets, St. Mary’s Cemetery & hillside prairie, and selected historic sights
East Peoria Ride
Wed, Jul 18 | 6 pm
Start: Granite City parking lot
Highlights | East Peoria Trail & views from Fon du Lac Drive
50's Soft Serve Ride
Wed, Jul 25 | 6 pm
Start: Corner of Lake & Knoxville
Highlights | 3 classic soft serve ice cream stands, ending at Lou’s Drive-In
Springdale Cemetery Ride
Thu, Aug 1 | 6 pm
Start: Peoria Riverfront Museum (Water Street entrance)
Highlights | Discover how large the cemetery really is and how much of Peoria’s history is hidden within as we ride ALL of the loops of the cemetery
Garden & Prairie Ride
Wed, Aug 9 | 6 pm
Start: Luthy Botanical Garden parking lot
Highlights | Springdale Prairie Remnant, selected city & community gardens, plus selected historic sights
Solar System Ride
Wed, Aug 15 | 6 pm
Start: Donovan Park (former golf course) parking lot
Highlights | Starting at Jupiter, follow the Rock Island Greenway past the terrestrial planets to the Sun at the Peoria Riverfront Museum and back. We will be returning just after sunset to observe the Full Moon, Jupiter and Saturn through Northmoor Observatory’s historic 104-year-old telescope
For more information contact:
Ride Leader Sheldon Schafer at 309.682.1876 or sschafer7@gmail.com; or Ride Leader Brian Cunningham for Jun 20, 27, & July 18 at 309.633.1224 or brian.cunningham58@sbcglobal.net.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 | 5:15 p.m.
The state of the museum is strong! Join us at the Peoria Riverfront Museum as we look back on a fantastic year, and look forward to another one, even better.
"State of the Museum" presentation led by Board Chair Todd Baker and President and CEO of the Peoria Riverfront Museum, John Morris.
RSVP by Friday, June 20, 2025
Visionary Society Concierge | 309-863-3066
Development@peoriariverfrontmuseum.org
If you cannot attend in person, stream the State of the Museum live HERE or check in with the QR code below.
Peoria Riverfront Museum
The only multidisciplinary museum of its kind in the nation, the Peoria Riverfront Museum uses art, science, history and achievement to inspire confidence, lifelong learning, and talent. Since opening in 2012, the privately funded museum has provided more than one million experiences through major exhibitions, a permanent collection, interactive galleries, a dome planetarium, giant screen theater and educational programming including curricula-related student visits. The AAM-accredited, Smithsonian-affiliated private nonprofit museum is supported by more than 5,000 members and donors, and is housed in a county-owned LEED Gold-certified building on a campus overlooking the Illinois River.
A MUSEUM+ Program
Thursday, June 25, 2026 in the Giant Screen Theater | Doors open at 5:30 p.m., Conversation begins at 6 p.m., Reception at 7:30 p.m.
In conjunction with current exhibition The Promise of Liberty , the Peoria Riverfront Museum is thrilled to welcome Dr. Christopher Brown, a professor at Columbia University, NY, and a historian that has been featured in Ken Burns' newest documentary The American Revolution.
In this special Museum Conversation at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, hear from Brown live and in person on the problem of slavery in the Age of Revolutions. The paradox is familiar – a new nation born declaring that “all men are created equal” that was at the same time dependent upon and committed to the perpetuation of human bondage. In this talk, Christopher Brown places the American paradox in international context, suggesting along the way what made the American experience distinct and how the institution of slavery became, for the first time during the era of the American Revolution, the subject of political conflict.
Tickets: CLICK HERE
Adult: $25
Child: $15
Member Adult: $20
Member Child: $10
The Promise of Liberty is sponsored by the Gilmore Foundation, Ashley and Josh Bellamy, McKinnon Family Foundation, America 250 Donors, Visionary Society, Friends of History
PLANET PASSPORT SERIES
Join our planet passport series! Each month, come to the planetarium for a show focused on one planet or place in space. Shows will be included in museum admission, and free for museum members. Non-Members can purchase admission to the museum or a planetarium show ticket to attend. These shows are great for all ages.
New for 2026: Participants should sign up for a Peoria Riverfront Museum Achievement Passport.
For each planet show you attend, you will earn a stamp in your passport and 25 points. Every three stamps you earn, you will gain a little extra prize! At the end of the year, we will host a telescope observing night to celebrate all we have learned. Everyone who participated in the planet passport program will be invited.
Shows will be on the second Thursday (5:30 PM) and second Saturday (10:30 AM) of each month. Each show will be about 45 minutes in length.
Planet Passport Series - Cycle Three!
March 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Mercury
April 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Venus
May 9 (10:30 AM) and 14 (5:30 PM) – Earth and Moon
June 11 (5:30 PM) and 13 (10:30 AM) – Mars
July 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Ceres and the Asteroid Belt
August 8 (10:30 AM) and 13 (5:30 PM) – Jupiter
September 10 (5:30 PM) and 12 (10:30 AM) – Saturn
October 8 (5:30 PM) and 10 (10:30 AM) – Uranus
November 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Neptune
December 10 (5:30 PM) 12 (10:30 AM) – Pluto and Kuiper Belt
Laser Light Nights are back at the DOME featuring an all new experience!
Sit back, relax and rock out with our new laser light system from "the worldwide leader in planetarium laser light shows," Laser Fantasy! Experience the full 3D excitement! The system features a graphics laser projector with special effects, a haze machine & a new beam projector, plus a fresh playlist of 20+ performances, from Beyoncé to The Beatles! Pick up show-enhancing spectrum glasses and refreshments at concessions!
SHOW SCHEDULE
July 18
6:00 – Laser K Pop Demon Hunters (all music from the hit movie!)
7:15 – Laser N’Sync with Britney (new show!)
8:30 – Laser ABBA
August 15
6:00 – Laser Elton John
7:15 – Laser Journey
8:30 – Laser Michael Jackson
September 26
6:00 – That 80’s Laser Show
7:15 – Laser Aerosmith
8:30 – Laser Led Zeppelin Whole Lotta Led
$5 Visionary Society Members | $7 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online now
click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone at 309.686.7000.
(Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
PLANET PASSPORT SERIES
Join our planet passport series! Each month, come to the planetarium for a show focused on one planet or place in space. Shows will be included in museum admission, and free for museum members. Non-Members can purchase admission to the museum or a planetarium show ticket to attend. These shows are great for all ages.
New for 2026: Participants should sign up for a Peoria Riverfront Museum Achievement Passport.
For each planet show you attend, you will earn a stamp in your passport and 25 points. Every three stamps you earn, you will gain a little extra prize! At the end of the year, we will host a telescope observing night to celebrate all we have learned. Everyone who participated in the planet passport program will be invited.
Shows will be on the second Thursday (5:30 PM) and second Saturday (10:30 AM) of each month. Each show will be about 45 minutes in length.
Planet Passport Series - Cycle Three!
March 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Mercury
April 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Venus
May 9 (10:30 AM) and 14 (5:30 PM) – Earth and Moon
June 11 (5:30 PM) and 13 (10:30 AM) – Mars
July 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Ceres and the Asteroid Belt
August 8 (10:30 AM) and 13 (5:30 PM) – Jupiter
September 10 (5:30 PM) and 12 (10:30 AM) – Saturn
October 8 (5:30 PM) and 10 (10:30 AM) – Uranus
November 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Neptune
December 10 (5:30 PM) 12 (10:30 AM) – Pluto and Kuiper Belt
Laser Light Nights are back at the DOME featuring an all new experience!
Sit back, relax and rock out with our new laser light system from "the worldwide leader in planetarium laser light shows," Laser Fantasy! Experience the full 3D excitement! The system features a graphics laser projector with special effects, a haze machine & a new beam projector, plus a fresh playlist of 20+ performances, from Beyoncé to The Beatles! Pick up show-enhancing spectrum glasses and refreshments at concessions!
SHOW SCHEDULE
$5 Visionary Society Members | $7 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online now
click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone at 309.686.7000.
(Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
PLANET PASSPORT SERIES
Join our planet passport series! Each month, come to the planetarium for a show focused on one planet or place in space. Shows will be included in museum admission, and free for museum members. Non-Members can purchase admission to the museum or a planetarium show ticket to attend. These shows are great for all ages.
New for 2026: Participants should sign up for a Peoria Riverfront Museum Achievement Passport.
For each planet show you attend, you will earn a stamp in your passport and 25 points. Every three stamps you earn, you will gain a little extra prize! At the end of the year, we will host a telescope observing night to celebrate all we have learned. Everyone who participated in the planet passport program will be invited.
Shows will be on the second Thursday (5:30 PM) and second Saturday (10:30 AM) of each month. Each show will be about 45 minutes in length.
Planet Passport Series - Cycle Three!
March 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Mercury
April 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Venus
May 9 (10:30 AM) and 14 (5:30 PM) – Earth and Moon
June 11 (5:30 PM) and 13 (10:30 AM) – Mars
July 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Ceres and the Asteroid Belt
August 8 (10:30 AM) and 13 (5:30 PM) – Jupiter
September 10 (5:30 PM) and 12 (10:30 AM) – Saturn
October 8 (5:30 PM) and 10 (10:30 AM) – Uranus
November 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Neptune
December 10 (5:30 PM) 12 (10:30 AM) – Pluto and Kuiper Belt
Sit back, relax and rock out with our new laser light system from "the worldwide leader in planetarium laser light shows," Laser Fantasy! Experience the full 3D excitement! The system features a graphics laser projector with special effects, a haze machine & a new beam projector, plus a fresh playlist of 20+ performances, from Beyoncé to The Beatles! Pick up show-enhancing spectrum glasses and refreshments at concessions!
SHOW SCHEDULE
September 26
6:00 – That 80’s Laser Show
7:15 – Laser Aerosmith
8:30 – Laser Led Zeppelin Whole Lotta Led
$5 Visionary Society Members | $7 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online now - Click on the date to purchase tickets.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone at 309.686.7000.
(Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
