Building More Ways to Play
The Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum will be temporarily closed September through October 2026 while we build even more ways to play!
When we reopen in early November you’ll find:
- Brand-new exhibit spaces, including Parkside Market and Glen Oak Grill
- An expanded Makerspace featuring our beloved Real Tools experience
- Fresh updates to some of your favorite PlayHouse exhibits
- Even more opportunities for hands-on play, creativity, imagination, and discovery.
The fun doesn’t stop while we’re closed! This fall, we’ll be taking the PlayHouse on the road with community events, pop-up activities, and special programs throughout the area. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for construction updates, sneak peeks, and opportunities to play while we’re building what’s next!
A Sneak Peek at What’s New
GROCERY STORE & PLAY CAFE
REAL TOOLS REIMAGINED
FARM TO STORE FUN
One of the biggest additions to the PlayHouse is Parkside Market and Glen Oak Grill—a brand-new grocery store and neighborhood diner located in our newly enclosed porch space, just beyond Family Farm and across from Fossils Rock.
Designed to encourage imaginative, open-ended play, these new exhibits invite children to explore the journey from farm to store to table through hands-on role-playing.
At Parkside Market, children can:
- Fill kid-sized shopping carts with groceries
- Stock shelves and organize displays.
- Shop realistic grocery aisles.
- Scan groceries at checkout or use self-checkout stations.
- Take turns as shoppers, cashiers, or store employees.
Then, head over to Glen Oak Grill to:
- Prepare meals using ingredients from Parkside Market.
- Cook in the play kitchen.
- Take customer orders.
- Serve food and drinks.
- Play as chefs, servers, cashiers, or guests.
Together, these connected exhibits encourage creativity, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving while helping children discover how food travels from farm to store to table through meaningful, imaginative play.
Real Tools is getting a bigger home!
The beloved experience families know and love is moving downstairs into the former Sci Lab, creating an expanded Makerspace with even more room to build, create, experiment, and explore.
Alongside the traditional Real Tools workshop, families can look forward to:
- An expanded Real Tools workshop with even more building opportunities.
- A house circuit interactive where kids can safely explore how electricity powers a home
- An electricity ball that brings static electricity to life
- A shake table to test structures against a simulated earthquake
- A kid-sized claw machine that introduces simple mechanics and engineering
- Rigamajig building components for open-ended construction
- New hands-on engineering and design activities
- Larger workspaces and improved storage for making and creating
The expanded Makerspace will offer two ways to play. During scheduled Real Tools sessions, trained staff will guide children and caregivers as they safely use real tools to build projects together.
Outside of these program hours, the space will remain open for self-guided exploration with a variety of hands-on building experiences using alternative materials, making it easy for families to create every time that they visit.
The current Real Tools space isn’The current Real Tools space isn’t disappearing—it’s simply getting a new purpose.
Once Real Tools moves downstairs, this area will become a flexible program space designed to support some of the PlayHouse’s favorite hands-on learning experiences.
The new space will provide a dedicated home for programs like Parent Baby Social, seasonal activities, special events, and other guided experiences, giving families even more opportunities to learn, play, and create together throughout the year.
Yes—but don’t worry! Family Farm is staying, and many of your favorite experiences will still be there. We’re simply giving the space a refresh while creating stronger connections to our new grocery store and play café.
Updates include:
- A new produce truck interactive where children can sort, load, and deliver fresh produce
- A farm-to-store experience that connects directly to Parkside Market
- A relocated cow interactive
- Corntastic in a new location within the exhibit
- Updated murals, graphics, and play elements throughout the space
These updates help tell the story of where food comes from—inviting children to harvest produce on the farm, stock the shelves at Parkside Market, and serve a meal at Glen Oak Grill as they experience the full farm-to-store-to-table journey through imaginative play.
No! While you’ll discover exciting new spaces when we reopen, most of the PlayHouse exhibits families know and love are staying.
The biggest addition is our newly enclosed porch, which will become home to Parkside Market and Glen Oak Grill—an entirely new destination for imaginative play.
Inside the museum, the biggest transformation is happening in the current Sci Lab and Real Tools areas, which are becoming an expanded Makerspace and a new flexible programming space.
Elsewhere throughout the museum, you’ll find thoughtful updates, refreshed play experiences, and a few familiar favorites in new locations. Some improvements are behind the scenes, too. For example, our Water Table is receiving new flooring to help support many more years of splashing and discovery.
Favorites like Motion Commotion, Tot Town, Fossils Rock, and many more will still be here—along with fresh updates that help keep the PlayHouse inspiring for the next generation of curious kids.
Our goal is simple: preserve everything families love about the PlayHouse while creating even more opportunities to play, create, explore, and imagine.
FAQ
We’ve gathered answers to our most frequently asked questions below.
If you don’t see what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out!
While We’re Building
The PlayHouse will temporarily close during September and October 2026 while we complete exciting renovations that will enhance the museum experience for children and families.
We anticipate reopening in early November 2026. We’ll share updates on our website, social media channels, and through email as the project progresses.
Yes. The PlayHouse is taking the fun on the road with pop up programs and activities throughout the community.
Visit our Event Calendar to find upcoming opportunities to play, learn, and explore while the museum is closed.
Memberships Updates
Yes. If your PlayHouse membership expires on September 1 or after, it will automatically be extended by two months at no additional cost. You do not need to contact us or take any action. Your extension will be applied automatically.
No. Membership cards will not be reissued for automatic extensions unless you specifically request a new card.
Yes. New PlayHouse memberships purchased during the closure period will automatically include additional time.
- Memberships purchased through September 30, 2026 will be valid for 14 months.
- Memberships purchased beginning October 1, 2026 will be valid for 13 months.
If your Explore More Membership expires on September 1 or after, it will automatically be extended by one month.
You’ll continue to enjoy all Explore More Membership benefits, including admission to Peoria Zoo, Luthy Botanical Garden and Forest Park Nature Center, as well as reciprocal access to thousands of other places to explore and play!
Yes. New Explore More Memberships purchased through October 2026 will automatically be valid for 13 months instead of the standard 12 months.
Yes. During the renovation, your membership benefits continue where applicable. PlayHouse members will continue to receive member discounts on eligible programs and can use reciprocal membership benefits at participating museums. Explore More members will continue enjoying admission to the Peoria Zoo, Luthy Botanical Garden, Forest Park Nature Center, and other included attractions.
