Where 2 Go | Fresh to Table Dining | Top Kids Attractions GoGuide Aurora · Batavia · Big Rock · Hinckley · Montgomery · North Aurora Plano · Sandwich · Sugar Grove · Yorkville FORGET THE DAILY GRIND, PLAY TO UNWIND! We’ve got the hottest new slots, great table games, live poker action and fabulous dining like nowhere else. Plus, enjoy the best in live entertainment at Center Stage. Join Marquee Rewards® today! It’s free to sign up and you’ll enjoy more benefits than ever before. With more rewards and more destinations including Las Vegas! 1 W New York Street Bridge, Aurora, IL 60506 630-801-1234 « hollywoodcasinoaurora.com Must be 21. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). 0786 HCA 0786 AACVB AD 2016.indd 1 3/17/16 9:57 AM our towns GoGuide About the Area 4 Aurora 5 Batavia 6 Big Rock 6 Hinckley 7 Montgomery 7 North Aurora 8 Plano 9 On the Cover: Raging Waves Waterpark. Family fun awaits in the Aurora Area. Three outdoor waterparks, Sugar Grove 9 extensive biking trails and outdoor recreation coupled with world-class attractions and insane shopping opportunities just west of Chicago in the Fox River Valley. Sandwich 10 Municipal Partners: Yorkville 11 City of Aurora; City of Batavia; Village of Big Rock; Village of Hinckley; Village of Montgomery; Village of North Aurora; City of Plano; City of Sandwich; Village of Sugar Grove and the United City of Yorkville. Photo Credits: Air Classics Museum of Aviation, Aliano’s Ristorante, All Spoked Up, Andie Groff, Aurora our amenities Downtown, Baymont Inn & Suites, Big Rock Plowman’s Park Board, Blackstone Bar & Grill, Bliss Creek Golf Club, Bull Moose Bar & Grill, Cedardell Golf Club, Colonial Where 2 Go 12 Café Aurora, Dale Hazlewood, Ed Peterson, Edward Weiland Photography, Eric Schaaf, Esther’s Place, Fermilab, Fireside Grille, Fox Valley Mall, Fox Valley Park District, Full Waterparks 17 Armour Studios, Funway Entertainment Center, Gaetano’s Batavia, Hampton Inn Yorkville, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Aurora/Naperville, Hollywood Casino Aurora, Hopvine Where 2 Play 18 Brewing Co., Jalisco Tacos Autentico, Jeff Goldberg, Jesse Derber, K. Hollis Jewelers, Katrina Cruchett, Kiss the Sky, La France Bakery, Liz Lauren, Mike McGreevy, More Polish Golf 21 Pottery, Natasha Lehrer Lewis, North Aurora Days, North Aurora Hotel Inn & Suites, Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days, Orchard Valley Golf Course, Paramount Theatre, Farmers Markets 23 Paul Burd, Phillips Park Zoo, Pie Boss, Plano Synergy, Prindi’s Antique Mall, Quality Inn, Raging Waves Waterpark, Reidar Hahn, Roxanne Cann, Sandwich Fairgrounds, Sarah Where 2 Shop 24 Garner-Brown, SciTech Hands On Museum, Sky Zone Aurora, Staybridge Suites Aurora, Sugar Grove Family Fun Center, Sunday at Sandwich Antiques Show, Super 8 Aurora, Antique Treasures 28 Super 8 Yorkville, Susan Moody, Thai Village, The Chocolate Shoppe, The Homestead 1854, Thomas J. King Photography, Timber Creek Inn & Suites, Turf Room, Two Brothers Hidden Gems 30 Roundhouse, Waubonsee Community College, Yak Shack. Dining 32 © 2016 by the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without the written permission of the AACVB is prohibited. 6/1/40M. Every Festivals & Events 40 attempt has been made to verify the information contained in this publication. The AACVB assumes no liability for incorrect, omitted or outdated information contained herein. Top Kids Attractions 44 To assure a safe and happy trip, please call ahead to confirm information. Meetings 50 Stay the Night 52 Area Map 58 Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau 43 W. Galena Blvd., Aurora, IL 60506 Phone: 630.256.3190 enjoyaurora.com Cort Carlson, Executive Director Ellen Mueller, Administrative Assistant Pete Garlock, Director of Sales Amanda Johnson, Marketing Intern Malcolm Wolf Inc., Guide Design D&B Graphics, Guide Printing EnjoyAurora.com 3 Ten Communities, One Destination The Aurora Area Aurora Batavia Big Rock Hinckley Montgomery North Aurora Plano WELCOME Sandwich to the Aurora Area of Illinois, 10 communities distinct in character and charm yet unified by their ideal placement in the Fox River Sugar Grove Valley. You’ll discover a blend of wide-open spaces filled with year-round outdoor adventure, coupled with designer outlet shopping, waterpark excitement, renowned architecture, Yorkville Broadway series theater, casino gaming and live entertainment. It’s all here in the Aurora Area! 4 Aurora Area Go Guide Second largest city in Illinois Aurora Above: Buddy Guy at Blues on the Fox at RiverEdge Park; Gaming action at Hollywood Casino-Aurora. Below: Fun in Downtown Aurora. CITY OF AURORA The second largest city in Illinois is not only home to Chicago Premium Outlets, the ultimate shopping destination, but is the area’s epicenter of live entertainment! The historic Paramount Theatre provides world-class entertainment, including live dance, music and Broadway-caliber shows. The picturesque 30-acre RiverEdge Park is open year-round and is host to an array of seasonal top-name concerts, festivals and cultural events. Hollywood Casino Aurora is home to the largest poker venue in Illinois, along with headlining entertainment. Mingled with its hub of arts, fabulous attractions, annual events and outdoor adventure, Aurora has it all. EnjoyAurora.com 5 The oldest city in Kane County Quaint agricultural small town Batavia Big Rock Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Big Rock Plowing Match festival. CITY OF BATAVIA VILLAGE OF BIG ROCK The oldest city in Kane County, recently named Locals know this charming village with its rich one of the top 100 Best Small Cities in America by agricultural history and tradition as the best- CNNMoney.com, remains as picturesque as when kept secret around. Picturesque pastures, it made the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in peaceful neighborhoods and a big-hearted 1958. Once the leading windmill manufacturing community combine with century-old churches, community in the world, it pays homage with Victorian homes, breathtaking parks, forest historical windmills that dot the landscape. preserves and a 122-year-old annual Big Rock Batavia is a town filled with annual events Plowing Match to provide plenty of authentic including the 4th of July Fireworks, Windmill City Americana. You can invite serenity as you cast Festival and seasonal farmers market. Home a line at the fishing quarry, or experience a to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the refreshing and revitalizing weekend retreat at world-renowned center for high energy physics Esther’s Place, a fiber arts studio in an 1895 research. Batavia is filled with art, culture and Victorian style home. Big Rock still retains a hometown adventures. “get-away-from-it-all” atmosphere. 6 Aurora Area Go Guide Rural village with railroad roots Along the Fox River Hinckley Montgomery Experience quintessential rural America in charming Hinckley. Scenic bike trails, canoeing and water activities along the Fox River. VILLAGE OF HINCKLEY VILLAGE OF MONTGOMERY Francis Hinckley founded the community in the Recognized with a Governor’s Home Town Award 1870s, when a railway line was put down on the for the restoration and preservation of Settler’s prairie connecting it to the rest of the country. Cottage, the 1840s home of its enterprising Hinckley also has the distinction of being the founder, Daniel S. Gray, Montgomery is the location of the first Harlem Globetrotters away perfect location for fishing, biking and hiking game in 1927. Visitors come from far and near to along the Fox River. Each summer, Montgomery savor the barbeque at South Moon Barbeque or Fest brings together neighbors and friends to grab a bite at Dairy Joy, a little piece of heaven from throughout the area to enjoy a weekend where the treats are as sweet as the welcoming of old-fashioned family fun. Held the second smiles. Feel the exhilaration of soaring through weekend in August, highlights of the festival the skies in a high performance sailplane with include musical performances, carnival rides, the Windy City Soaring Association, located at a wide range of food vendors, free pony rides the Hinckley Airport. Hinckley offers plenty of and petting zoo, a fishing derby, a car show down-home food and adventure. and a parade. Experience the beauty of scenic Montgomery. EnjoyAurora.com 7 Crossroads on the Fox North Aurora Above: Family-friendly bike trails and parks along the Fox River. Below: Peaceful riverfront parks; Red Oak Nature Center. VILLAGE OF NORTH AURORA Bike paths, picturesque views, and parks line the scenic Fox River with its rookeries of herons, ducks and songbirds. Explore Devil’s Cave, learn maple syruping, spot bald eagles and more at Red Oak Nature Center, with its 40 acres of lush forest and wildlife habitat. North Aurora is also home to North Aurora Days, a fun-filled weekend of activities, plus unique shopping and dining opportunities. North Aurora offers a growing culinary experience from classic home-style cooking to sustainable gastropub and is the home of Oberweis Dairy where you can see their famous ice cream being made while enjoying a frozen treat. North Aurora is located at the crossroads on the Fox. 8 Aurora Area Go Guide Tranquil respite to urban life Lush and green Plano Sugar Grove Farnsworth House. Bliss Creek Golf Club. CITY OF PLANO VILLAGE OF SUGAR GROVE The Farnsworth House is architect Ludwig Sugar Grove is as sweet as the name suggests, Mies van der Rohe’s ultimate minimalist with its lush greenery, meandering roads and masterpiece. This stellar floor-to-ceiling small-town feel. Sugar Grove is named for the glass structure is one of the most significant many groves of sugar maples found in the area. examples of modernist residential architecture Enjoy a round of golf on emerald greens or visit in the world.