There's always something happening at Fermilab, and the laboratory has plenty of events for children and families. Fermilab is open to visitors daily and offers free guided tours and many educational and recreational opportunities, including bike paths and walking trails through the prairie.

Visitors to the Batavia site are welcome to experience its science and enjoy its natural areas, which are designated as a National Environmental Research Park, as well as its Lederman Science Center. The center provides on-line and hands-on experience for students and teachers to explore how Fermilab physicists discover nature's secrets.

Fermilab regularly hosts events for the public and has a number of programs available to its community. The programs provide avenues for technical staff to engage community with Fermilab's science and technology.

The best way to stay informed about these events is to subscribe to Fermilab Frontiers, Fermilab's community newsletter. You can also interact, ask questions and get the latest news from around the laboratory on your favorite social media platform.

For questions, please call us at 630-840-3351 or email fermilab@fnal.gov.

 

Visit Fermilab

Outdoor activities

The public is invited to Fermilab to visit its bison herd and interpretive trails, and to enjoy walking, hiking, bicycling, running, rollerblading, skateboarding, roller-skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, bird watching, photography, and painting. Leashed dogs are permitted in designated outdoor public areas. The public must remain in designated public areas at all times and comply with all site rules and allowed uses in a safe manner, including complying with all traffic laws and driving rules as well as site signage. The public must not pass through Fermilab, but rather leave by the same entrance through which they arrived.

Prohibited public use of the Fermilab site includes operation of drones. Fishing, ice skating and geocaching are not allowed.

Fermilab's Batavia site

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Fermilab's Batavia site is located about 40 miles west of Chicago. See hours and public access information.

Things to do

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Read about our tours, programs and events. Sign up to get our public newsletter with information on all public events at the laboratory, delivered to your inbox once a month.

Tours, programs and events

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Tours

Public tours are available by registration. Self-guided tours of certain facilities and areas on site are also available.

The Lederman Science Center is offering hands-on exhibits for in-person visitors and online virtual exhibits. Visit the Lederman Science Center webpage to explore these activities.

 

Learn more about all tours offered at Fermilab

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Educational programs and field trips

Thousands of students from local schools visit Fermilab every year to learn about science and nature. Fermilab scientists visit schools and meets with students in classrooms throughout the Chicago area.

For information about virtual visits to Fermilab and classroom presentations for schools, please email edreg@fnal.gov.

 

Learn more about Fermilab educational programs for teachers and students

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Public events

Every month, Fermilab offers numerous events for the public. Check our calendar of public events for upcoming events.

 

View more public events

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Fermilab Colloquium

The Fermilab Colloquium, open to the public, introduces a wide range of scientific and science-related topics presented by notable speakers from across the country and around the world.

 

Visit the Fermilab Colloquium website

For the local community

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Community advisory board

Fermilab values open and direct communication with its local community. Strong relationships are key to Fermilab's future as a world leader in science research.

 

Visit the Fermilab Community Advisory Board website

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Speakers bureau

Fermilab has a number of programs and initiatives aimed at staying connected and engaging with its neighboring communities, and building trust.

Fermilab can arrange for members of the laboratory to speak to local groups, talk with students or participate in career days.

 

Request a Fermilab speaker for your event

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For our neighbors in Illinois and South Dakota

The DUNE at LBNF website, which provides information about the facility and experiment for the public, includes a list of answers to frequently asked questions and dedicated webpages for our neighbors in Illinois and South Dakota. These webpages provide information most relevant to our neighbors as it becomes available.

The LBNF social media channels on Facebook and Twitter, maintained by the Fermilab Office of Communication, provide updates on the project as well.

 

Visit the DUNE at LBNF to learn more about Fermilab's flagship experiment.

Environment

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Ecology and sustainability

At Fermilab, every day is Earth Day! The 6,800-acre Fermilab's Batavia site contains wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and more than 1,100 acres of reconstructed tall-grass prairie. Fermilab has a legacy of land management and wildlife conservation, guided by ecological science and stewardship principles that contribute positively to the environment.

Those interested can volunteer with Fermilab Natural Areas, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore, manage and conserve Fermilab's natural areas in support of its science mission. View FNA's calendar of events.

 

Visit the ecology website to learn more about Fermilab's efforts.