Reviews of Caterpillar Visitors Center (Tourist Attraction)

Enan Del Rio

Staff were very friendly and helpful. They also have former employees that can answer a lot of questions

Elmer Foster

Amazing wealth of history, past, present, and future, on display that represents a hometown company gone worldwide! From the initial video from the bed of a 797 (Huge!) to the simulators and NASCAR racecar, there is a lot to see and learn about. Well worth the time spent! Highly recommended!

Roni Keller

This place was very AWESOME! My husband worked for a dealership of Caterpillar for 43 years and I've always loved Rocks and Earth! I really extremely loved this place and all that it has to offer! All of the different types of machinery and Caterpillar goes all the way back to 1905! There's loads of history here and the kids can actually climb on a lot of the machines! I had a really good time here! I would give them a 1,000 stars, if I could!

Randal Armstrong

Really neat with more museums on the riverfront than one can do in a weekend. I tried getting Caterpillar to give us the stock holder admission being the shares are down but that's a negative on discounts. Hopefully with all these visitors the market will start back up on Monday. Well worth the time and beautiful scenery throughout.

ray lumley

It was ok could of been a little bigger and maybe had more stuff to look at. It took about 25 min total to get through the whole thing.

Vicki Marshall

Quick weekend trip with family. Pretty awesome displays. Lots for kids to look at. Had to watch a video about the company prior to entering the museum. We were greater by a lady that yelled at the kids. It would’ve been a little better if she asked parents to reprimand them instead. It’s a pretty exciting place for kids and not such a good way to be greeted. Anyway the place is clean and nice. Right on the riverfront. Beautiful area. Great displays with a souvenir store attached. They even give a military discount. We all enjoyed it.

Alexis Quintana

This was a fun place to visit while in Peoria. Learn the history of the company, get insight into historical farming and mining, and get hands on trying out one of their excavator simulators. You start the experience with a short introductory video inside the bed of the huge 797F mining truck. This is a fun and cheap experience for anyone!

brandi kinney

So fun and interesting. If your kiddo likes big machines, it is totally worth it. All the staff were incredible and informative. Some of them even helped build/maintain the equipment before working here. This place let me be a nerd and kept my rambunctious kid's interest.

Kathy Risse

Very interesting content included in the visitor center that teaches and entertains people at any age of their life.

Skip Spencer

Not real big, but the exhibits they have a very nice. You can't appreciate how big the mine dump truck is until you're standing next to it. I like the NASCAR display. The gift shop prices are very reasonable. Depending on the time of day you get there, there is free parking on the side along the river.

Samantha Hilterbrand

Lots of interesting exhibits and fun for all. From videos on production of the machinery to simulators. Probably not a good place for little ones unless they really like the machinery already.

Jessica Wear

Nice place for a quick visit!

Jason Smith

This is a great place to visit. The simulators are lots of fun.

Cameron Hallock

Very cool set up. The back half of the 797 is fake which is kind of lame. The video intro in the bed of the 797 was really cheesy. The excavator and bulldozer simulators were my favorite thing here. Definitely worth visiting if you’re into big construction equipment.

Chad A

Amazing facility and company!

Gary Barker

Love what they show and teach to the people.

varma N

Liked the simulators of different earth movers

John Loete

Great place with lots of history and current equipment. The simulators are a blast. The theater shaped like a mineing truck is impressive for size and scale. Go!!!!!!

K T

Loved the place. The crown jewel is the 797F mining truck. Would be a great place for the kids to spend a few hours. All the machines are super fun to try hands on and take pictures. There are quite a few simulators to play with. All in all the tyres of the 797F will never get old. Would definitely recommend this place. A must visit if you pass through Peoria.

Nandakumar Pachikide

All about Caterpillar, well displayed. You can experience with simulators. However, gets boring after the initial excitement.

Dave E

Interesting collection of old equipment and some new equipment. Lots to See but almost nothing about the folks that ARE Caterpillar

D P

Awesome supplier conference....thank you Carepillar

Melisa Dziekan

Fun place for kids young and old!

Allison Ramsey

Fun for the family. A must stop when in the area

Raul Montes

Personally it is one of the places that I like the most, without a doubt I recommend this place to the maximum!

Javier Ayala

Wonderful experience and incredibly well done museum. You get to see the gigantic mining machine that it’s wheels are 12ft tall. 100% recommended. Just $7 to enter.

Kaleb Sperry

Was good for the children to learn a little about heavy equipment

James Daniels

Great history and many pieces of equipment Displayed dosents very knowledgeable

Crystal Potthoff

Great visit! Grandkids had a wonderful time!

Jon Stendebach

Cool museum on the history of Cat. $7 to get in seemed odd that since it's in Peoria, the home of Cat. Spend about an hour here.

Mario Sifuentes

Very friendly staff, very interesting place to visit in Peoria

joe teliha

Amazing display of CAT throughout the years. Need to go back again just to read through every event.

Mark Haroldson

Lots of history and exhibits that can interest anyone. Highly recommend!

eric hartog

Fantastic facility, very clean and well presented. Lots of information available. Highly recommend to anyone interested.

J Lynch

Met an Extremely nice man Nikita, from Russia, who has been working here at Caterpillar in Peoria since May. Nikita, was such a delight and so impressed by Caterpillar, that it really got us excited to learn more about the company. Very cool to have such a loyal and proud workforce!! Great visit to Illinois

Dave S

Great museum of the amazing big Caterpillar earthmoving equipment. There’s a lot to see here for the entire family. The kids loved it as did the adults. Peoria is well known for the Caterpillar headquarters and this museum is a beautiful display of the company’s success and might.

David Durham

Wow! It was a great experience to see the origins of the company, its development over the past century and its impact on the world today. Everyone in my family enjoyed it, and they all got something different from it.

Andy Grabenstetter

Really neat center to take the whole family to learn about and interact with caterpillar heavy equipment. All of the staff are extremely helpful and friendly. My kids love “operating” the equipment they have on display and I see people of all ages getting on the heavy equipment simulators to try their hand at operating a machine!

Monica Damman

Great tour and dedication to the CAT industry

Phil Warlow

Great experience. Very helpful staff. Most interesting

David Gottschalk

Great place! Fun, educational, & interesting for kids AND adults!

dominik kirchler

Very interesting

Joe Smith

Really neat place to learn about the history of Caterpillar. Great for kids of all ages...5 to 85. Many of those machines helped build this Great Nation throughout the 20th Century.

Jim Huntley

Our dear friends took us to see where my father work. It was awesome.

Minhajuddin Khaja

Very helpful and caring people around, to guide you and tour you around the visitors center.

Erick Scarpone

The Caterpillar Museum is very neat, it has great facilities and its a place to spend an afternoon with the kids. I wish there was a season pass that included the zoo, children playhouse, the museums, wildlife prairie, botanical garden etc. I bet even as it was more expensive that getting just one, we would get it and we would go to these places even more. Its a shame there is no option to get a family package to all the kid friendly places in town.

Mark Hudson

Great place to visit with kids while in Peoria. You can sit in bulldozers and excavators and even play with simulators to see how equipment works.

Ashley Davis

So much fun to learn about how these machines are made and what they do! Very informative with Plenty of hands-on activities for children and adults! Even simulators and an engineering challenge for older teens! If you an enthusiast about machines and how mining happens this is the destination. Walk around the machines, touch and feel them. If you are bored, take a walk by the river. And if you are hungry treat yourself with great food options all at walk-able distance.

Will Koehrsen

A unique museum showcasing the history of Caterpillar. This is a great place for families to spend a few hours as there are plenty of cool machines to explore, facts to read, and a few videos to watch. Depending on your level of interest, you can spend between 1-4 hours here. There also is an extensive gift shop which carries an impressive amount of slightly overpriced Caterpillar apparel and goods. This isn't the most outstanding museum, but it serves its purpose and is worth a visit if you are in Peoria.

Ed Stutt

Brilliant, lots for all ages.

Chakenda Carter

I love this place!

Dustin Snell

Neat place with a lot of history. Some machinery that can be looked at and sit in the cockpit. Self guided tours, can take an hour or all day to see everything.

gmwillys

Great place. Too bad CAT moved their world headquarters to Chicago.

Josh Smith

Ever rotating equipment keeps it interesting. Simulators are fun. Not overpriced for what it is. History and current technology also interesting

Leon Mumaw

Lots to see even for a 30 retired employee, informative

Matt McLaughlin

If you are interested in CAT equipment then it is worth a visit.

Pilot

Very interesting place to spend a few hours. Its always intriguing to see just how products that we buy and use everyday are made and just how much work goes into it. The exhibition does rotate some of its exhibits.

G William

Was really awesome experience, but I was accidentally charged for an item I didn't purchase at the shop and didn't realize it until we were home in Philly. Great museum and nice folks.

David Boland

Definitely recommend stopping by the visitor center and museum. $7 per person or $6 if you are over 55. Took 2 to 3 hours to see everything. Very educational.

Ty Gucci Mallory

Very helpful & professional friendly. You leave the store feeling great about yourself because of the smiles from the staff.

Allison Woodall

A fun place for kids and adults

Ryan Propst

Must see for those young at heart playing in a sandbox or the earthmoving/construction proffesionals!

Ranjith Radhakrishnan

Great interactive tour set up by Caterpillar Inc. Gives visitors an amazing overview of the entire history of caterpillar and its current innovations and development. The full scale replica of the mining truck is simply amazing. There are also cool simulators for visitors to try their hand at.

Mike Ahern

Fantastic history of an iconic American company. Ron had some great stories to share. Definitely worth a stop if you are passing through Peoria.

Debra Biegler

Very informative and great family experience.

Kashmala Durrani

Kids loved the little museum

Bekka

Great place to learn and enjoy. Wonderful staff! Thanks, Susie and Norman!!

Samantha M

The woman who worked there was somewhat rude. But it was very interesting and had a lot of history.

Alejandro Portugal

History of the Company well displayed! The main truck is impressive! Well organized tour

Nicole Donovan

Great museum! Full of Caterpillar history and interesting exhibits. Will definitely return!

Ted Sterling

Very interesting! As well done an exhibit as anything the Disney crew could put together. Great examples of Cat machinery, Cat history, Cat people, Cat quality. Hands on demonstration are instructive and fun to try. And, the Cat merchandise store is awesome! The only thing I didn't find was Cat underwear - & maybe I just didn't look hard enough! Well worth the time. (The Cat retiree staff men and women are very knowledgeable & fun to talk to. Seek them out)

Ginger Butz

Great place to see large equipment. Fun for kids and adults.

Dave Frank

Awesome visitors center and historical knowledge about Caterpillar. Love seeing all the antique tractors with the history behind it.

Eng-Hoe Loh

An interesting morning learning about the past, present n future of an iconic American brand created by one Mr Holt when his company merged with CL Best in the year 1925. The company employs senior citizens to explain the history n developments of this huge company. The super gigantic 797 mining truck is really impressive at 5 storey high.

THE A. T. F. All Things Fun

There is not enough room for more stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot really put into words how much fun my two sons and I had here this past summer. My oldest child is the heavy equipment buff, my youngest, not as much as his brother (he's more of a train guy, specifically steam trains and old farm equipment). Enjoy the pictures, especially the on of my oldest child sprinting down the steps to the exhibits!! From there had the time of his life on the simulators and displays!! My youngster and I walked the old equipment and he enjoyed ever second of our visit!! The staff was wonderful, a stellar group of folks who take pleasure and pride in this place and the visitors who come!!! This WILL be a yearly trip for my sons and I to make!! we also get to stop at another of our favorites, Rochelle Il, the Railroad Park!! What a GREAT and WONDERFUL place, and a three hour drive for me from WI, not bad at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dawn M

It was a awesome place to see, very interesting history.

Lynn

A very nice, clean, informative and friendly place. It was amazing to see how we compared to a large truck. The interactive area was a challenge for all of us. Definitely a place to see when in Peoria.

John Christian

Very nice setup. A short film in mining truck bed, then a great combination of heavy equipment simulations(hands on) and exhibits of all things Caterpillar. Extremely nice and knowledgeable staff.

Cole Fleming

Very impressive facilities, a lot of informative displays and very nice gift shop

Dorothy OToole

Great Caterpillar merchandise from clothing, toys, gift items to much more. The vustomer service is extremely helpful also.

Lynn Engels

Very good place for older children i would say 8 to 12

John R Schleigh IV

This is a terrific museum appropriate for all ages.

John K

Nice place to learn the history of Caterpillar. They have simulators which allow you to drive and operate heavy equipment. Great for 12 year olds and up. Lots of things to see like, old rebuilt machines, and video presentations.

George Smith

Outstanding center with history of great company. Lots of interactive demonstrations. Fun for all ages and educational.

Mary Ogrodowski

Fun time, great being able to get into the cabs!

Linda Ebersohl

Kids had a great time!

Jain Devassy

Great place to visit. Once we should see this. There are machine simulators too

Michael Dewes

Very cool to visit! Everyone was very friendly and all the equipment was very interesting to look at and learn about.

Nicholas Nielson

Loved this stop! Children 12 and under are free! We had a group with 7 kids ages 2-12 and they loved it! They had some typical plaques to read etc. But also had many hands on displays and videos! The simulators were fun but it was amazing to get to see the machines and even sit inside them. We all enjoyed our time! Wheelchair accessible! Seniors, military, and Cat employees get a discount.

Isaiah Kellogg

Neat museum type place. Big machines, interactive displays, and lots of stuff to do. Dig a hole with a backhoe in the digital simulator, or sit in the cab of a real bulldozer. If you or your kids like big machines, this would be a fun place to spend a couple hours.

Leibe Arroyave

As I was walking by enjoying the view of the docked steamboat by the clock, I noticed a large race car banner om the side of a building. I decided to stop by and check it out. Here I found out Peoria was hometown to Caterpillar, the single best brand of industrial machinery. I got some information from three lovely staff members about this place. They were knowledgeable and very friendly. Truly enjoyed stopping by. I wish I got to try their special exhibit for 25 years as a proud NASCAR sponsor. Next time.

Janice Wells

Was a very interesting place. Lots of history and big equipment to sit in.

Will Miller

Great promo for Cat and its achievments. Not sure why they want you to pay to get in. Cool machines.

Rhenee Florian

Well done, Cat! Big hit with all ages in our family for hands-on equipment, simulator stations, and glimpses back in history. Staff were quint essential proud retirees that were approachable, friendly, and professional. Kudos!

Varun Haria

Excellent collection of construction vehicles

Allen Reeves

Very interesting place

Steve Sutherland

Went into the gift shop. Great selection of clothing for Fall & Winter. While the selections are pricey, this place has a better selection than similar places on the Internet.

Mark Lingenfelter

This was much better than expected. Had a great time with the demos, short movie, shop.

Shastri Ram

Awesome experience. Anyone gets to sit on actual machines and take pictures. There are also dozer and excavator simulators. Of course there are museum type exhibits which detail the history and operation of Caterpillar. To top it off, there is Caterpillar merchandise shop where Caterpillar employees get 15% off

Ken Frisby

Nice demonstration. The hands-on video monitor bull dozers are fun. Harder than I thought it would be to fill the hole. The 400 ton capacity hauling trust with 14 ft tall tires was interesting.

Richard Mielke III

Very reasonable admission price, you go in and watch a short video, then go downstairs to an equipment floor. You can climb up to the cab/control area of the machines. There are simulators for kids for all ages. There should be plenty of fun for kids. Then there are exhibits about manufacturing and the history of the company. It took about 1.5 hours to see it all.

Traci May

I visited here by accident. HOWEVER, wow!, so amazing how much we really don’t know! The staff is amazing! Most (if not all) are retirees from Caterpillar who loved their company so much, they choose to continue to serve their company by answering questions and showing guests through the museum. A truly unique experience. I was glad I got a chance visit!

Chevrolet Camaro

Great company and great people

Jacob Nussbaum

Nice visitors center! If you have young children that are fascinated by tractors then this is the place for you! They have full size endloaders, utvs and bulldozers that you can sit it and play with the controls. If you want to drive they have simulators for each of the full sized vehicles.

Janelle Warnecke

Absolutely excellent!!! A must see if you are in the area!!

Tara Passini

We visited this spot for our construction-loving toddlers and the reviews are definitely correct. The Caterpillar Visitors Center was a surprisingly great spot to visit. We appreciated the welcoming staff, informative tour, and veteran's discount on tickets. There are all sorts of equipment for kids to handle and the simulations were downright fun.

Dave Harvey

A really nice (if small) museum with some hands on stuff for the kids. Kids are free, adults are only $7, and parking is nearly free. Plan to spend about 1.5 hours here. The best part is the simulators that let you run a bulldozer or backhoe to move some dirt around. While I would like to see a real factory tour, this is still a fun place to visit.

David Dennis

Awesome place for kids

David Cummins

Great place. 797 is awesome.

Paul Jongedyk

Top quality facility. If your in to heavy equipment at all this is a place you should consider stopping at. You can spend 3 hours here if you really spend time reading the very informative displays. Be sure not to miss the simulators at the end of the exhibit as they are lots of fun.

Gabrielle Pollard

Inexpensive and interesting. It is definitely geared more towards adults with lots of reading on the exhibits. The kids enjoyed playing with the simulators and climbing on a few tractors.

Cataculoth

If you were ever curious about these fine folks, stop on by and learn all about them.

James Graham

Very interesting Cat history, could easily spend a day taking everything in if it's something you're interested in, even if it's not lots of cool stuff to look at and interactive displays.

Davidson 7890 Cartwright

If you get back to Peoria go see the caterpillar Museum it is awesome the kids loved it they have a huge earth mover in there that has a Theater built into the bed of the truck and every time on the movie that the earth mover moves the seats in the theater move just like you was in the earth mover it is really awesome kids loved it and they have an interaction video there that the kids can act like they're driving different caterpillar equipment Best Time Ever I highly recommend it excellent

Michael Dietz

Very interesting place to go.

Charles Saucedo

Nice stop if you find yourself in Peoria, IL. Filled with historical CAT equuipment and rotating exhibits. Kids will enjoy climbing in the driver seats and playing on the simulators. You will likely be done within an hour. Gift shop has a decent selection of CAT branded items.

Jessie Winchel

Absolutely worth the admission to go in. Very informative!

Philipp-Alexander Eilhard

Very friendly employees and an interesting exhibition. We had a very nice day there. Thank you!

Phanindra Padakandla

A nice place to pass time. It lays the history of Caterpillar Inc., clearly. The gigantic 797 truck and the fact that you’d be sitting in its back for a history movie is kinda crazy!

Daniel Richards

While there more for fun than education, I was introduced to the history of the CAT company. The initial movie is more of a sales pitch than a history lesson however, the fact that an entire theater fits in the bed of the largest vehicle made by them is fantastic. As you move about the music, you find touchstones of the past and the company vision for their future. I would definitely recommend visiting this place.

Tina Huff

Love this! Kids could have spent all day there.

Michael Robinson

Self important employee and family/guests occupying ALL simulators would not yield one simulator to give visiting out of state 5yr old a turn. Waited over 30 minutes before giving up. :(

Eryn Stone

Fun, clean museum. Great for kids and adults.

Matthew Lindberg

Good family outing

John Parks

Fantastic experience! Awesome exhibits and friendly, knowledgeable staff. My grandson really enjoyed the simulators, and I loved the history. Great visit!

Star Lacey

Great place to drop in. Detailed history of CAT, the machinery, the business overall. Informative and fun for all ages. Be sure to try the simulated driving tools! Great experience and very nice and knowledgeable staff. There is also a very nice CAT gift shop onsite with something for everyone on your list!

Aaron Woiwode

My son loves it here. He plays on the equipment until he can barely walk.

Gary

Interesting and interactive