Best time to visit Peoria?

[linicx]

I've never been to a 4th fireworks display in Peoria. I usually watched from Fondulac Drive in E.P., and then went to Grandview Drive in PH to watch the the other fireworks up and down the river. The shows get bigger and better as pyrotechnics improve.

Other events that bring tourists: Annual Juried Art Fair, (largest downstate), TT Finals, Santa Parade (oldest in nation), FOLEPI (one of the largest night time Christmas Parades in the U.S.), 4k Run (through hills), the Rubber Ducky Race, Medallion Hunt, and more.

[Doglover5]

Great post, Linicx. One other item I'll throw out there is a visit to Tanner's Orchard, if you visit in the fall timeframe that Linicx mentioned. They have great apple cider and donuts (and apples, of course -- best honeycrisp I've had), and you can pick your own. I'd call ahead for details, but they also have a petting zoo/activity area for kids; I'm just not sure if it's always open. Home - Tanners Orchard - Apples and Cider in Central Illinois

[linicx]

Doglover is that the orchard up around Dunlap? If it is, its a waste of time. We went up and spent a bunch of money for apples that were terrible. Never went again. It very hard to say what the drought last year did to the apples this year or how long it takes for a fruit tree to fully recover. In any case they're not opening until Sept. 22 because of the drought.last year.

If the OP brings children the Wheels O' Time Museum and the wild animal park will be more suitable fo children. There is also the annual Renaissance Faire at Jubille Park that is a lot of fun, the planetarium, a powwow in Chillicothe, and 4 day two weekend Spoon River Drive the first two weekends in October.

[Doglover5]

It's the one off of Rte. 40 (Knoxville?) but certainly past Dunlap. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience; I'm actually surprised that it was disappointing, but you're right that even nationally, recent apple crops have been off..... In any event, when there's a better crop, I swear, I would think this is a great place to go. A local favorite, really!

[linicx]

It was a long drive and not much going on except walking around the orchard. What really got me was the apples smelled sweet but they weren't good eating apples or baking apples. The applesauce I made was okay, though. The other problem was none of the apples were what I was familiar with like the Jonathan or the Granny Smith. The apples did not live up to their exotic names. I don't know a thing about fruit trees such as how soil, weather and chemicals affect the end product. I'm near an apple orchard. I was never excited about those apples either.
.