The Caterpillar Visitors Center gives you a closer look at the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment than you might expect. The highlight is the ability to climb into full-size working machines — excavators, bulldozers, graders — and operate the controls in a supervised setting. It is more engaging than it sounds and genuinely fun for adults as much as children. The accompanying exhibits explain the engineering and the global reach of a company whose products helped build modern infrastructure on every continent.
The center is attached to Caterpillar's global headquarters in downtown Peoria. CAT machines have been on every major construction project from the Panama Canal expansion to the highways of China, and the exhibits put that history in context. Check the website for current hours and whether the hands-on driving experience is available on your visit date.