Illinois Metro East

Visit Eckert Farms and enjoy a farmer's market run entirely by kids! The Children's Entrepreneur Market allows kids to make and sell goods and learn about business while having fun. 

Wagon rides, live entertainment, great festival foods, a petting zoo and much more make this an apple pickin' good time for the whole family. There will be pony rides, a children's carnival, opportunities to feed goats and other farm animals, caramel apples, funnel cakes and more. 

Immerse yourself in a vibrant sea of sunflowers at Eckerts Sunflower Festival. There will be a variety of activities for all ages, like mini photo sessions, face painting, local vendors, a coffee truck, and of course, wandering through the beautiful 2-acre sunflower fields.

Blast off your Independence Day at the Godfrey Family Fun Fest with face painting, inflatables, food trucks, a watermelon eating contest, and fireworks for the whole family in Glazebrook Park.

Get ready for high-gear excitement at Tractor Days at Eckert Farms! The plaza will be packed with farm machinery for kids and grown-ups to explore up close. Kids can see, touch and even sit in the driver's seats! Little farmers can enjoy tractor-themed sipper cups filled with farm-fresh sweet cider and take home tractor tattoos, stickers and coloring sheets. 

Families are invited to join ECM for its FREE Ka-Chow! Cars Event and experience the fun of Radiator Springs and Route 66 right in Edwardsville. Sponsored by the City of Edwardsville, Ka-Chow! includes free admission to the Edwardsville Children's Museum and a meet-and-greet with Lightning McQueen himself.

Tiny Trekkers is a weekly nature-based program for preschoolers (ages 3-5) at the Nature Institute. Preschoolers explore the nearly 500 acres of preserves through hands-on experiences out in nature. Kids stomp through creeks, use nets to catch and observe insects, taste edible plants, and learn about the natural world.