Familiarization Tour Itinerary for Katya Cengel

Thursday August 2nd - Sunday August 5th

Rockford Region

All additional information regarding local sites, attractions, eateries, events and more can be found at
gorockford.com.

Please follow gorockford on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Our hashtag is #gorockford.

Thank you and we hope you enjoy your stay in the Rockford region!

For any inquires or emergencies call Andrea Cook, Associate Director of Marketing & Communications,
(815)-289-9269

Hotel: Radisson
Confirmation: __43721272__
Address: 200 S Bell School Rd, Rockford, IL 61108
Phone: 815-226-2100
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/radisson-hotel-%26-conference-center-rockford/19/
Description: Boutique-style, all-suite hotel offers luxury at a reasonable price with oversized guest
rooms offering space and comfort for business or family needs. The business center offers free fax and
copy services. Banquet space covers 10,000 sq. ft. for all functions. The O’Hare International Airport bus
shuttle depot is located conveniently next door.
Friday, August 3rd
Breakfast at Stockholm Inn
Times: 8:30-9:45a
Address: 2420 Charles St, Rockford, IL 61104
Phone: 815-397-3534
Special Instructions: There is a reservation for you, under your name, at 8:30am. You can check in at the
front desk.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/stockholm-inn/92/
Description: Popular with both locals and visitors, this restaurant’s menu and décor echoes Rockford’s
Swedish heritage. In addition to American food, they cook up Swedish pancakes with imported
lingonberries, Swedish meatballs and other Swedish favorites. And great coffee, of course!
Social Media: @stockholminn (Facebook) @TheStockholmInn (Twitter) #GoRockford #stockholminn
#swedishpancakes #rockfordoriginal #rockfordeats

Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens

Times: 10:00-11:00a
Address: 1354 N 2nd St, Rockford, IL 61107
Phone: 815-987-8858
Special Instructions: Visit the reception desk to pick up your complimentary ticket to the conservatory
and gardens.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/nicholas-conservatory-%26-gardens/737/
Description: Situated along the banks of the beautiful Rock River in Sinnissippi Gardens, the Nicholas
Conservatory & Gardens brings the tropics to the Midwest. The entire facility is the third largest
conservatory in Illinois with a total of 22,000 square feet, and at the highest point stands 52 feet. A
tropical setting includes an 11,000 square foot plant exhibition area.
Features: Water features, seating areas, and sculptures--all in a tropical plant setting; changing seasonal
floral displays and special events; educational programs where children can learn the importance of
plants; special workshops and lecture series for adults; the perfect place to host your event--small
weddings, receptions, business meetings; a gift store for that special gift.
Social Media: @nicholasconservatory (Instagram, Facebook) #GoRockford #nicholasconservatory
#rockfordgardens

Beyer Stadium / Baseball for All

Times: 11:15a-12:15p
Address: 245 15th Ave, Rockford, IL 61104
Phone: Greg Schwanke – 815-979-2899
Special Instructions: Call Greg Schwanke when you arrive for an interview and a tour of the stadium
grounds.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/beyer-stadium/1156/
Description: Beyer Stadium was the home of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League’s
Rockford Peaches from 1943 to 1954. The Stadium has been restored and is now home to the Rockford
Starfires Women’s Hardball/Baseball League. The Rockford Peaches, a top-flight women’s baseball team
formed in 1943 by Chicago Cubs owner Phil Wrigley, started a run which lasted for 12 years, calling
Beyer Stadium on 15th Avenue in Rockford, Illinois, home. The team was featured in the movie A League
of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks, Madonna, Geena Davis and Rosie O’Donnell.
Social Media: @Friends of Beyer Stadium (Facebook) #GoRockford #BeyerStadium #RockfordPeaches
#RockfordStarfires #BaseballForAll #StepUpToTheSport
Lunch: 15th & Chris
Times: 12:30-1:00p
Address: 201 15th Ave, Rockford, IL 61104
Phone: 779-774-4116
Special Instructions: Use the VISA gift card in your bag for a lunch you won’t forget.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/15th-%26-chris/998/
Description: Tucked away on the corner of 15th Avenue and Christina Street, a little ice cream shack with
a long history awaits its fresh start. For more than two decades, the building has sat vacant, in recent
years covered by sheets of plywood from roof to foundation. But, all that has changed thanks to James
Purifoy, who set out to revive the ice cream parlor that had been a staple of his childhood. The revival of
the eatery features more than cold treats. Purifoy makes freshly ground burgers, pasta and potato
salads, frozen yogurt, smoothies and 30 flavors of soft serve.
Social Media: @15th & Chris (Facebook), @15th_and_chris (Instagram), @15thchris (Twitter)
#GoRockford #15&Chris #downtownrockford #15thAndChris #rockfordeats

Sportscore Two / Baseball for All

Times: 1:30-2:30p
Address: 8800 E Riverside Blvd, Loves Park, IL 61111
Phone: 815-987-8890
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/mercyhealth-sportscore-two-and-indoor-sports-
center/384/
Description: Mercyhealth Sportscore Two, a 124-acre site, has 19 regulation soccer fields, 14 practice
fields outdoors and four sand volleyball courts. Mercyhealth Sportscore Two is home to Wedgbury
Stadium, which seats 2,000 spectators, and has hosted IHSA State High School Soccer Finals, pro football
games, National Rugby Finals, college rugby championships, professional soccer games with
international teams and USSL W. League Soccer Finals. Recreational activities include soccer, sand
volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, football, walking and running. The complex also includes the Mercyhealth
Indoor Sports Center, which contains three multi-sport indoor fields for indoor soccer, five
volleyball/basketball courts, locker rooms, sports equipment store and SkyBox, a family friendly casual
restaurant and sports bar.

Hold for Interviews with Dr. Kat Williams, Baseball for All Tournament Director, Police Chief OR John
Groh 1:30-2:30p

Wired Café
Times: 3:00-3:30p
Address: 414 E State St, Rockford, IL 61104
Phone: 815-316-2524
Special Instructions: A meeting with you and John Groh, RACVB President, CEO, is scheduled for 3:00pm
at Wired Café.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/wired-cafe/663/
Description: Wired Café is a downtown coffee shop with a full espresso bar. Their delicious bakery items
are made in-house. Serving breakfast and lunch, featuring homemade soup made to order.
Rockford City Hall
Times: 3:45-4:45p
Address: 425 E State St, Rockford, IL 61104
Phone: Haley Galarza, City of Rockford Mayor’s Office Executive Coordinator - 779-348-7333
Special Instructions: A meeting with you and Mayor McNamara is scheduled for 3:45pm at his office in
City Hall. When you arrive, call Haley Galarza for more location details.
Website: https://rockfordil.gov/mayors-office/

Rockford City Market

Times: 5:00-6:45p
Address: Water Street at E State Street, Rockford, IL 61104
Phone: 815-977-5124
Special Instructions: Walk through the vendor booths and take a stroll up East State Street! There is a
VISA gift card in your bag to grab a snack at one of the food trucks or vendor booths.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/event/rockford-city-market/15162/
Description: Rockford City Market features local growers and vendors who sell handmade products,
including vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat, cheeses, flowers, herbs, baked goods, wine and prepared food,
as well as artisans and vendors with unique offerings. Most vendors originate within 150 miles of
Rockford. Relax and enjoy the evening. Sample local food and brews and listen to live music under the
covered pavilion. Families also enjoy free weekly kid’s activities.
 Great time to stop by Art Deli – 402 E State St, Rockford, IL 61104
Social Media: @rockfordcitymarket (Instagram) @RockfordCityMarket (Facebook) @RockTheMarket
(Twitter) #GoRockford #ShopLocal #EatLocal #DrinkLocal #RockfordCityMarket #RockTheMarket

Dinner: Prairie Street Brewhouse

Times: 7:00-8:30p
Address: 200 Prairie St, Rockford, IL 61107
Phone: Reed Sjostrom - 815-621-7468
Special Instructions: Call or text Reed when you leave City Market and are on your way over to Prairie
Street Brewhouse for dinner and a tour.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/prairie-street-brewing-co/932/
Description: Prairie Street Brewinghouse offers world-class beer handcrafted locally in a range of styles.
Every glass poured is consistently delicious. The food menu reflects the change of the seasons and the
availability of the freshest ingredients. Check the website for the live music performance schedule.
Social Media: @psbrewhouse (Instagram,Facebook) @PSBrewhouse (Twitter) #GoRockford
#psbrewhouse #downtownrockford #psbrewco #DrinkLocal
Saturday, August 4th

Breakfast at Mary’s Market

Time: 9:30-10:30a
Address: 4431 E State St, Rockford, IL 61108
Phone: 815-397-7291
Special Instructions: When your server greets you, tell them to bring you to the manager, Tina’s,
attention and that you are a guest of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/marys-market-cafe-and-bakery-perryville/56/
Description: Mary's Market is a fast and casual café that serves fresh, real food made from top quality
ingredients by people who care. Since 1982, we've built a reputation for serving wholesome, authentic
and healthy cuisine in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere at a value. All our foods are made from
scratch. Our breads, desserts, soups, pasta sauces, sandwiches and salads -- are handmade, and
prepared from the freshest, highest quality ingredients.
Social Media: @marysmarket815 (Twitter, Instagram) #GoRockford #marysmarket #rockfordoriginal
#eatfresh #eatlocal

Midway Village
Time: 10:45-11:45a
Address: 6799 Guilford Rd, Rockford, IL 61107
Phone: 815-397-9112
Special Instructions: When you arrive, locate the front desk and give them your name and that you are a
guest of the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/midway-village-museum/392/
Description: The museum campus consists of a Victorian village with 26 historical buildings filled with
artifacts of the era as well as several beautiful 19th century gardens that depict life in northern Illinois
from 1890 to 1910. Interpreters in authentic period dress are available seasonally for guided tours. The
main museum building holds large group meeting rooms and exhibit space with a number of permanent
exhibits reflecting Rockford’s history and culture that include “The Girls of Summer: Rockford Peaches of
the AAGPBL,” “Queen City of the Prairies: Rockford’s First 20 Years” and “The Missing Links: Socks,
Monkeys and Rockford’s Industrial Past.”
Social Media: @RockfordHistory (Facebook) @midwayvillagemuseum (Instagram) @Midway_Village
(Twitter) #GoRockford #historymuseum #midwayvillagemuseum

Sportscore Two / Baseball for All

Times: 12-2:45p
Address: 8800 E Riverside Blvd, Loves Park, IL 61111
Phone: 815-987-8890
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/mercyhealth-sportscore-two-and-indoor-sports-
center/384/
Description: Mercyhealth Sportscore Two, a 124-acre site, has 19 regulation soccer fields, 14 practice
fields outdoors and four sand volleyball courts. Mercyhealth Sportscore Two is home to Wedgbury
Stadium, which seats 2,000 spectators, and has hosted IHSA State High School Soccer Finals, pro football
games, National Rugby Finals, college rugby championships, professional soccer games with
international teams and USSL W. League Soccer Finals. Recreational activities include soccer, sand
volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, football, walking and running. The complex also includes the Mercyhealth
Indoor Sports Center, which contains three multi-sport indoor fields for indoor soccer, five
volleyball/basketball courts, locker rooms, sports equipment store and SkyBox, a family friendly casual
restaurant and sports bar.
Social Media: @Sportscore Complexes – Rockford Park District (Facebook) @mercyhealthsportscore
(Instagram) #GoRockford #mercyhealthsportscoretwo #BaseballForAll #StepUpToTheSport

Hold for Interviews with Dr. Kat Williams, Baseball for All Tournament Director, Police Chef or John
Groh 12-2:45p

Lunch: Beef-A-Roo
Times: 3:00-3:30p
Address: 6380 E Riverside Blvd, Loves Park, IL 61111
Phone: 815-877-5610
Special Instructions: Use the Beef-A-Roo gift card in your bag for a delicious lunch.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/beefaroo-loves-park-cafe-style/60/
Description: Local chain with themed restaurants with sandwiches, fries, soups, salads, shakes, baked
potatoes. Several Chains!
Social Media: @beefaroo4u (Facebook) @beefaroo (Instagram) @beefaroo_IL (Twitter) #GoRockford
#RockfordOriginal #Beefaroo #rockfordproud

Rock Cut State Park

Times: 4-6p
Address: 7223 W Lane Rd, Loves Park, IL 61111
Phone: 815-885-3311
Special Instructions: When you arrive at Rock Cut State Park, follow the signs to the Main Concession
Stand and let the employee know Jim Talkington, the concessionaire, has agreed to allow you to use a
stand-up paddle board and necessary gear for no charge.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/rock-cut-state-park/350/
Description: Beautiful Illinois state park with two lakes that set off the park's 3,092 acres. Pierce Lake,
with 162 acres, is a retreat for people wanting to fish, ice fish or ice skate. A second 50-acre Olson Lake
is especially for swimmers. Fishing, boat launches, restored prairie and birdwatching, hiking, extensive
campgrounds, paddleboat and canoe rental, horse and bike trails, cross-country ski trails and
concessions.
Social Media: #GoRockford #ForestCity #RockCutStatePark #RockCut

Break to Hotel or free time to explore 6:30p – 7:30p (approx. 1 hour)

Dinner: Lino’s
Times: 7:45-9:15p
Address: 5611 E State St, Rockford, IL 61108
Phone: 815-397-2077
Special Instructions: Let the reservation desk know your name and that you are a guest of the Rockford
Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Your reservation is at 7:45pm.
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/linos/208/
Description: Come Home to Lino’s for great food and great music. Lino’s is a long-standing Rockford
Italian eatery with lots of atmosphere. Full menu of pasta, pizza, veal, chicken and fish with nightly
specials.
Social Media: @LinosRockford (Facebook, Instagram) #GoRockford #LinosRockford #rockfordoriginal
#rockfordeats
Option on your own: 40th Annual Festa Italiana
Times: 9:30-11p
Address: 4000 St. Francis Dr, Rockford, IL 61103 (Boylan Catholic High School)
Phone: 815-978-3079
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/event/40th-annual-festa-italiana/14982/
Description: Everyone who passes through the gates at Festa Italiana is an “Honorary Italian.” Bring your
family for great Italian food and pastries, continuous entertainment, Italian cultural exhibits, souvenirs,
bocce tournaments, carnival rides, children’s crafts and much more.

Option on your own: Smells Like Dave Grohl at District Bar and Grill
Times: 9-11p (open until 1a)
Address: 205 W State St, Rockford, IL 61101
Phone: 815-977-4524
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/district-bar-%26-grill/792/
Description: District Bar and Grill is your Downtown Rockford destination for great food, drinks and live
entertainment. Enjoy a family friendly environment with great service and plenty of seats and TVs to
watch the game. Love Nirvana? How about Foo Fighters? Well, this is the band for you! Playing the hits,
the greats, the old, the new. Playing everything Dave Grohl.
Social Media: @districtbarandgrillrockford (Facebook) @districtrfd (Twitter) #GoRockford #districtrkfd
#districtbarandgrill #livemusic

Option on your own: Good Ole Days of Bowling at Cherry Bowl

Times: 9:30-11 (open until 12a)
Address: 7171 Cherryvale N Blvd, Rockford, IL 6112
Phone: 815-332-9595
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/event/good-old-days-of-bowling-99-cents/15710/
Description: We’re rolling our prices back to the “Good Ole Days.” Come join us for our 99 Cent
weekend. 99 cents for: games of bowling, shoe rental, hot dogs, Pepsi products and Miller High Life
Social Media: @CherryBowl300 (Facebook) @cherrybowl300 (Instagram) @Cherrybowl300 (Twitter)
#GoRockford #Bowling #BYG2RKFD #cherrybowl #goodoledays

Option on your own: Ethnic Heritage Museum

Times: By appointment
Address: 1129 S Main St, Rockford, IL 61101
Phone: 815-962-7402
Website: https://www.gorockford.com/listings/ethnic-heritage-museum/346/
Description: Join us as local history lives on in a quaint home built in the 1850s. Known today as The
Ethnic Heritage Museum, it is here that you will find six fascinating galleries devoted to the primary
immigrant groups that settled in southwest Rockford, IL. African-American, Hispanic, Irish, Italian,
Lithuanian and Polish.
Through displays of early Rockford area maps, everyday artifacts, vintage clothing and more, visitors of
all ages can learn about old World customs and tradition. Historical photographs tell the stories of the
earliest settlers who established factories near the old waterpower district and built their homes
nearby. By comparing early with current lifestyles, the museum strives to bridge the gap between
yesterday and today… encouraging visitors to relive the past with a clear focus on Rockford’s bright
future.
Social Media: @ethnicheritagemuseum (Facebook) #GoRockford #EthnicHeritageMuseum #museum
#RockfordHeritage

Sunday, August 5th

Breakfast On Your Own at 4a

Leave for airport by 5a!

All additional information regarding local sites, attractions, eateries, events and more can be found at
gorockford.com.

Please follow gorockford on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Our hashtag is #gorockford.

Thank you and we hope you enjoy your stay in the Rockford region!

For any inquires or emergencies call Andrea Cook, Associate Director of Marketing & Communications,
(815)-289-9269