ILLINOIS
Field Trips

The Rader Family Farm started as a dairy farm before growing into a grain farm with over 30 acres of pumpkins, gourds, and sweet corn. Visiting the farm will help bridge the gap between city and country for visiting youth groups.

Farm and zoo tours are for all ages. Take a personalized tour through the Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo to visit each group of animals. There will be a talk about history of the land, how farms work and stories of animals on the farm.

Situated at the top of a hill, Randall Oaks Zoo offers a variety of kid-friendly farm animals for viewing, petting, and feeding. A stroll through the barn gives visitors an opportunity to meet alpacas, goats, and a few other animal friends.

Nestled on the east bank of the Fox River, the Red Oak Nature Center is surrounded by 40 acres of lush forest and wildlife habitat – an ideal setting for visitors to learn about the great outdoors through direct interaction with nature.

The Rockford Art Museum offers a diverse collection, spanning portraits and landscapes by American masters to photography, outsider art, and contemporary paintings, lithography and glass.

The Rockford Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading cultural institutions in Northern Illinois, performing over sixteen classical and pops concerts annually.

At SciTech Museum visitors can explore interactive STEAM exhibits that inspire education and imagination. Every exhibit is a mini-experiment with information about what to do at the station and the scientific explanation.

The Scovill Zoo features more than 500 animals spanning six continents, including monkeys, meerkats, cheetahs, llamas, zebras, red pandas, bats, flamingos, hedgehogs and more.

Every year Shedd Aquarium welcomes 2 million guests for unforgettable encounters with 32,000 animals from the world’s aquatic environments.

At Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park, groups can tour of over 60 sculptures across two miles of grounds. On field trips, groups can take a tour of over 60 sculptures across two miles of grounds.

The Smart Museum of Art is home to more than 15,000 objects, including modern masterpieces, European painting, millennia-old Chinese artworks and contemporary art.

Come aboard and enjoy travel from the era of Mark Twain on a daily sightseeing trip with St. Charles Paddlewheel Riverboat. The captain provides commentary during your trip, pointing out sights along the way with interesting local history.