Caterpillar Visitors Center

You get to sit in the driving seat of big trucks… push buttons, pull levers and pretend you’re controlling it. You get to try out the simulators. Its like playing a video game with real truck controls. YES! You get to see how they measure whether a seat is comfortable (Ergonomics).
There’s even lots of wall displays with history and sensible science things. I really enjoyed sitting in a truck that had tires with a 14ft diameter. WOW.

It’s was the summer of 2013 when our son-​in-​law, a Cat employee, our daughter, and two year old grandson took my wife and I to the Cat museum or visitor center. I am a Cat retiree so looked forward to the visit. We parked free across the street.
We did enjoy the tour and the very helpful retirees answering questions and giving out information. However I too felt like it was more of a company advertisement and the gift shop prices way too high. I can’t believe paying to go in a visitor center. Still we did enjoy our visit.

Took my 6 and 2 year old daughters here on a Thursday. The staff are very professional and friendly. You start with a short intro video inside the 797 °F mining trick! Then you proceed down the main exhibit floor. You will find around 8 trucks to seat in. Also, about 8 video simulators. The staff on the floors are retired Caterpillar employees, Reg was very friendly and informative. Also, there are lots of information in the gallery halls about the history and future plans of Caterpillar. You can see the whole place in about an hour. The fee is $ 7 for adults, and it’s nice kids under 12 is fee! There is a parking meter right on the street for $ 1/​hr or a 2-​hr free parking two blocks away

We’ve been to the John Deere pavillon (Moline, IL) in the past and found this place when we were looking for something to do to kill some time. The main movie sounds more like a pitch for Caterpillar by the CEO. In fact, the whole visitors center seems like a place designed for Caterpillar employees to feel proud and a way to boost their morale. Tourists welcome.
The machines on display are fun to climb on and inspect close up. The simulators are fun to play with and are more difficult to master than it first looks. The exhibits about products produced, the history are interesting. A lot of time can be spent here if you look at every exhibit on display and read everything, but no less than an hour.

This was my third trip here. I brought my parents on this occasion and it was by far my best experience. It was a Monday afternoon and was not very busy. We met a retiree, Ken, who was extremely knowledgeable… especially about the Peoria Cats. He had a lot of stories to share which did a lot for the museum. Overall, besides the film at the beginning and the equipment, there isn’t a lot of deep material. The videos are very similar and not really worth viewing imho. Still, this is way better than the overpriced museum next door.
Biggest downside is the gift shop/​merchandise center. Don’t even bother going inside. Total waste of money. $ 40 for a baby blanket. $ 2 for a postcard… etc. 15% employee discount doesn’t really help. That almost ruins the entire experience. I recommend the visitor center, but apologize for the greed in the store. Hopefully they will go out of business so we just have an empty room.