Alton Eagle Ice Festival

If you’re in town on Jan. 4, head to the Alton Eagle Ice Festival, which celebrates the return of wintering bald eagles to southwest Illinois in grand fashion.

At FLOCK Food Truck Park, enjoy eagle-watching shuttle tours, food, drinks, DJ tunes, live ice-carving demonstrations and fire pits with s’more kits. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can also meet a majestic bald eagle from the World Bird Sanctuary.

The National Great Rivers Museum, another site of the celebration, will offer talks by eagle experts, spotting scopes that give you a chance to view eagle nests, eagle-themed crafts and other family-friendly activities.

If you want to see even more birds of prey, stop by the Audubon Center at Riverlands, where you can embark on a guided bird hike, or take a tour of the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower, where you can spot bald eagles from 50, 100 and 150 feet in the air!