Visiting Aikman Wildlife Adventure in Arcola with Kids

Take a short drive from Champaign-Urbana and you can find a one-of-a-kind Central Illinois experience for the adventurous animal fans in your family

There’s truly nothing else around quite like Aikman Wildlife Adventure, and thanks to various visit options, you can choose your own experience to fit your needs (and budget)

Not quite a zoo, but sprinkle in a little Jurassic Park-type thrill, and you get a little closer to what it is like to visit Aikman Wildlife Adventure in Arcola. Just 45 minutes south of Champaign-Urbana, Aikman is nestled in the heart of Illinois Amish Country, so you can add in some other adventures while you are in the area. Of course, Aikman is an adventure all on its own.

Aikman Wildlife provides different options to see their many exotic animals. You can drive your own vehicle, hop on an Aikman wagon or buggy, walk through the petting area, plan a private animal encounter for a small group (birthday party, anyone?) and even stay overnight at Elk Ridge cabin, waking up to zebras, bison, camels and more in the morning.

Each viewing package comes at a different price with a different perspective of the animals.

Different options for enjoying Aikman Wildlife Adventure

Please visit the Aikman website for the most up-to-date info on package options and pricing.

Drive your vehicle through the mile-long path that wanders through the Aikman wildlife sanctuary. Windows must stay up, vehicles must be fully enclosed.
Our team’s pick – Ride the open-air Aikman wagon through the sanctuary, with a guide sharing animal info with you and the opportunity to feed the animals.
Off-road with an Aikman guide and go “behind the scenes”
Wander the walk-through
Visit the Museum of Prehistoric Life
Stay overnight at the cabin

Tips for choosing your package

If you are looking for the most budget-friendly option available to give you a taste of Aikman, you’ll probably choose the option where you drive your vehicle through Aikman. This will not come with the option to get out and wander the property though. (Unless you choose the package that comes with those options; however, for the price of the “triple crown” package, we highly recommend paying $10 more per person for the next package on our list so you can really see the animals.)
The “classic” Aikman experience, in our own opinion, is the Wagon Adventure, which will give you the chance to see the animals up close and feed them, as well as wander the property (including the museum and the walk through). If you are looking to spend a couple hours at Aikman, this is the way to do it.
If you’re looking for a great gift or party idea, you can look at the off-road adventure. Pricing compares to about what you’d pay for a birthday party at a trampoline park or something, and you can bring a small group.
Finally, if you are a huge fan of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge experience, you can get just a small taste of that here in Central Illinois by staying at the cabin. This is a newer option, but one we’re hearing Chambana families endorse (the handful that have done it, that is).

Don’t skip heading into the museum! It isn’t large by any means, but the exterior doesn’t really let you know just how cool it can be inside. Again, another option to get the most out of your drive to Aikman.

You won’t find an actual petting zoo area on site, but the walk through lends itself to being able to reach in to pet the animals. As far as we know, this is totally ok (except where marked otherwise).

For the behind the-scenes tour, prescheduling is preferred. Typically, the owner takes patrons on an ATV-type vehicle (make sure your kids are big enough to handle the unsecured ride). For this price you get a detailed history during the tour of both the drive-thru and the walk-thru habitats.

About the drive through in your own vehicle: it’s a very safe, neat way to immerse yourself in their surroundings — a perfect place to see animals up close. There are loads of animals coexisting among trees, grasses and a large watering hole. Think Jurassic Park, but without the guts and gore. The park is well maintained, and the animals look healthy and comfortable.

At the very slow speed we go through Aikman, we allow our kids to unbuckle so they can move from side to side in the vehicle and see everything well. Of course we stop in the parking lot as soon as the drive through ends so everyone can get buckled back up before leaving the property.

Aikman is a unique destination in Central Illinois. You can make a whole day of it by visiting more of the Arthur Amish area near Aikman.

Take a short drive from Champaign-Urbana and you can find a one-of-a-kind Central Illinois experience for the adventurous animal fans in your family

There’s truly nothing else around quite like Aikman Wildlife Adventure, and thanks to various visit options, you can choose your own experience to fit your needs (and budget)

Different options for enjoying Aikman Wildlife Adventure

Tips for choosing your package

Some ideas on trips you can take with your family: