Children's Activities in Rockford, Illinois

Discovery Center Museum

• This innovative museum has 250 hands-on exhibits and activities that help children learn about robotics, weather, light, air currents, the human body and much more. Children love putting on their own newscasts in the museum̵7;s TV station or learning about roller coasters and Ferris wheels in the amusement park science area. The museum has won awards for its outdoor Rock River Discovery Park, where kids can hide in a cave, look for dinosaur bones, climb a web or find their way through a maze. It also received recognition from the National Geographic Society as one of the ̶0;Top Ten Children̵7;s Museums̶1; in the book ̶0;The Ten Best of Everything: Families.̶1;

  Discovery Center Museum
  711 North Main Street
  Rockford, IL 61103
  815-963-6769
  discoverycentermuseum.org

Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden

• This 150-acre garden teems with plants and trees from around the world, including many not normally found in the Midwest. Children love to learn about Jurassic-age plants in the Prehistoric Garden and watch butterflies flutter among the flowers in the Butterfly Garden. The Nancy Olson Children̵7;s Garden allows them to experience nature in a playful way with its bridge, waterfalls, fish-filled pond and hedge labyrinth.

  Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden
  2715 South Main Street
  Rockford, IL 61102
  815-965-8146
  klehm.org

Playground Fun

• Give your children a break from structured activities by spending time at one of Rockford̵7;s playgrounds. The playground at the Harlem Community Sports Complex, a local favorite, includes 24,000 square feet of interactive playground equipment, including bridges, towers, swings, slides and a sandbox. Alpine Park has a playground accessible to children using wheelchairs. On rainy or cold days, check out the indoor playground at CherryVale Mall or the Sapora Playworld at the Carlson Ice Arena. The Rockford Park District has information about area playgrounds on its website (see References section for a link).

Spraygrounds and Water Parks

• If you plan to visit Rockford during the summer, take advantage of the many water parks, spraygrounds and swimming pools in the area. Spraygrounds (also known as splash pads or spray parks) are water playgrounds for young children. They include fountains that children can run through, colorful structures that spray water on them and interactive features such as water cannons that allow children to manipulate and shoot water. Rockford has spray pools at 13 different parks around the city, including a one at the newly renovated Harkins Aquatic Center.

  Magic Waters Waterpark provides another great place to spend a hot summer day. Located just outside of Rockford, this large water park includes a wave pool, lazy river, body slides, tube slides and Splash Blaster̵2;a roller-coaster-style water ride that takes you 80 feet above the park before plunging you down into a rush of water. Its Little Lagoon has slides and water toys for children under age six.

  Magic Waters Waterpark
  7820 CherryVale North Boulevard
  Cherry Valley, IL 61016
  815-966-2442
  Magicwaterswaterpark.com