Eagle Ice Festival — Alton

Free at Lincoln-Douglas Square; separate ticketed eagle sessions at the Audubon Center at Riverlands.

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About this adventure

The 18th Eagle Ice Festival celebrates the bald eagles that winter where the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers meet. At Lincoln-Douglas Square in downtown Alton, families can meet a live eagle (10 a.m.–2 p.m.), watch ice carvers at work from 10 a.m., get faces painted, see a balloon artist and hear live music, with hot chocolate and food trucks on hand. The festival spreads to nearby stops: the Audubon Center at Riverlands offers eagle meet-and-greet sessions ($10 per person, tickets required), guided bird hikes and s'mores by donation, and Melvin Price Locks and Dam with the National Great Rivers Museum runs lock tours every 30 minutes, an eagle craft, an eagle movie and a bird touch table. The square events are free.