Conservation World

Open from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Visit Conservation World at the Illinois State Fair to find out why everyone belongs in nature and what you can do at home to live more sustainably. Be sure to pick up a special Conservation World passport at the Everyone Belongs in Nature Tent on the main fairgrounds before heading to Conservation World. With 30 acres of hands-on outdoor activities, shows, demonstrations, learning opportunities, sensory hours, games, music, food, and shade, fairgoers will find themselves returning to Conservation World again and again.

100 Years of Conservation Welcome Tent
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Just inside the main entrance to Conservation World, visitors will enjoy browsing at our 100 Years of Conservation welcome tent for commemorative trinkets, special state park posters, and a selection of giveaways.

100 Years of Conservation Passport?
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Pick up a 100 Years of Conservation Passport at the main entrance to Conservation World and participate in activities at our must-visit spots. Children will earn passport stamps for each activity. Complete all activities to win a special prize.

Eagle Nest Photo Opportunity
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Youth can get their photo taken in a replica eagle nest at the Habitat 100 tent.

Be a Climate Action Hero!
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Visit with IDNR’s climate action team members to learn about the department’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and model initiatives to make agency operations more sustainable, save money, and improve visitor experiences at state parks. Learn what you can do to live more sustainably at home and enjoy fun activities.

Sensory Hours
Aug. 9 and Aug. 12: 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Visitors can enjoy Conservation World during special sensory-friendly hours. Programming and exhibit adjustments will offer a quieter, more calming environment for children and adults with sensory processing sensitivities.

Fishing Clinics at the Pond
Daily: 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.
Children can learn about different species of fish and try to catch some at the Conservation World pond.

Archery Range
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Youth can explore the fun of using a bow and arrow at IDNR’s popular archery tent. Three archery lanes with a mix of Olympic and three-dimensional targets.

Youth BB Gun Range
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Youth can test their shooting skills at the supervised BB gun range inside the conservation police tent.

Voyageur Canoe
Aug. 8-10 and Aug. 15-17, noon, 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m.
Take a ride in a traditional wood canoe on the Conservation World pond.

Dunk a CPO and Touch a Truck
Try your hand at dunking an Illinois Conservation Police officer in a water tank daily and make washable handprints on a police truck once a day on weekends.

Fly Fishing Clinics
Aug. 8-10 and Aug. 15-17, check for times
Participants will gain hands-on experience fly casting, learn the essentials of fly casting for a variety of species, and find out about appropriate tackle to use. Meet at the pond behind the IDNR building.

Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show
Monday through Thursday, noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m.
Friday through Sunday, noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m.
Bring the family to watch lumberjacks race to see who can chop, saw, and cut the fastest. Laughter, thrills and chills guaranteed. Multiple shows daily. Northwest corner of Conservation World behind the IDNR building.

Chris Camp, “The Whip Guy”
Aug. 8-10 and Aug. 15-17, 12:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4:45 p.m.
Check out Chris Camp, “The Whip Guy,” and his show featuring daring, high-energy stunts, history, physics, light-hearted humor, and fun. Perfect for all ages.

Rock Climbing Wall
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Kids can challenge themselves to climb the great rock wall.

100 Years of Wildlife Conservation
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
IDNR wildlife staff present a look back at 100 years of conservation in Illinois and invite visitors to consider what wildlife conservation will look like in the next century. Explore wildlife taxidermy, including full-body mountain lion and gray wolf mounds. Learn about habitat management, hunting, wildlife research, hunting and trapping harvests, large carnivore sightings in Illinois, and more. Games and activities for children.

American Chemical Society, Illinois Chapter
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Demonstrations at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m.
Discover science through hands-on activities and demonstrations for all ages. Teachers can earn professional development hours and pick up classroom materials. Educational handouts for adults and activity booklets for kids. Earn a prize by taking a science quiz or playing games.

CPO Check Station
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Celebrate with the Illinois Conservation Police as they mark 140 years of service in 2025. Stop by their tent to visit with conservation officers, buy hunting and fishing licenses, and more. Check out a snowmobile and an ATV and view a display of deer mounts. Youth can test their shooting skills as the supervised BB gun range inside the tent.

Dogs That Help
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Visit with professional trainers, veterans, volunteers, and other dog lovers who know the immense improvements in quality of life a trained canine can provide.

Forestry 100
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Learn about planting desired tree species in Illinois and keeping invasive exotic plants at bay. Ask a state forester how to manage a forest, plant and trim trees, control forest pests, and be a good land steward. Learn about ecological succession and the natural progression of plant communities through time. Pick up tree and seed samples from the Mason State Tree Nursery. Visit with staff from the Morton Arboretum. Smokey Bear will greet fairgoers at 11:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. daily. Lots of kids’ activities.

Habitat 100
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Learn about various animal species and their “100-year story.” Explore IDNR’s mussel table and the butterfly house. Enjoy the eagle’s nest and monarch butterfly photo opportunities. Learn to identify different birds’ nests and find out what a turkey nest looks like. The various stages of the monarch life cycle will be on display, and IDNR will host pop-up talks about monarchs. Explore a display of native plants that serve as important habitat and food sources to pollinators.

Hydrozone
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Families can take a break from the heat and explore our popular water tables, including the original water table, a sediment table, a wave table, and the “Make it Rain” table. Learn about the depth of Lake Michigan and explore displays from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Pick up information about flood protection and the State Water Plan.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Hands-on educational activities and recycling games.

Illinois Fisheries at 100
Daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
View Illinois sportfish, such as catfish, muskie and alligator gar, in IDNR’s 2,800-gallon see-through fish aquarium. Learn the history of Illinois commercial fishing and talk with staff from the Illinois Department of Public Health about the benefits and risks of eating locally caught fish. Sign up in the tent for various fishing clinics and activities.

Illinois State Archaeological Society and Illinois Association for the Advancement of Archaeology
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Illinois State Parks: A Century of Fun
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Reminisce about Illinois state parks at our special 100 Years of State Parks exhibit. Visitors can walk through time while enjoying photos, mementos, clothing, and equipment from camping and outdoor recreation over the past century. Include a Civilian Conservation Corps display, highlighting the significance of these projects to Illinois state parks. Sign our guest book with your first memory of camping or spending time in a state park. Contribute to our vision board with your idea of what outdoor recreation will be like 100 years from now.

Sportsmen Tent and Outdoor News
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Visit with representatives of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Friends of NRA, Quail Unlimited, and the Illinois State Rifle Association. Pick up free samples of Outdoor News.

The Rock Box
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Children can have fun in the rock dig, play the mineral matching game, and visit the Rock Box trailer with displays. Explore the blasting and explosives display, Illinois underground mine maps, a model coal car, and various minerals and fossils. New this year: a display of aggregates used in road construction. Kid-friendly exhibits provide examples of conventional oil and gas practices. Learn how horizontal wells are drilled and where high-volume hydraulic fracturing is likely in Illinois.

Winter in Illinois: Where Do They Go?
Daily: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Learn how different native animal species survive the winter in Illinois. Fairgoers will also learn about annual frost, snowfall amounts, and weather trends in Illinois and explore what an Illinois winter may look like 100 years from now. Children can engage with interactive activities, a winter track table, build a brush pile, explore the winter book nook, and check out the winter tree ID and winter bird feeding station.