A riverfront adventure park? An indoor aquatics facility? Here’s what Rockford tourism could look like in 2035
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — GoRockford’s vision for growing the region’s tourism over the next decade begins with tapping into the oldest assets that connect us.
The Rock River and its tributaries, woodlands, wetlands and other natural areas are seen as key catalysts for recreation and visitation. Taking advantage of that could involve anything from developing an outdoor adventure complex along the Rock River to expanding the connection of trails.
“Imagine the Rock River as a unifying thread that draws visitors and residents to its shores,” the intro to GoRockford’s new 10-year plan reads. “From South Beloit and Rockton, through downtown Rockford and past Chicago Rockford International Airport, the Rock flows with untapped opportunities for entertainment and recreation.”
Related: GoRockford inducts 4 into Tourism Hall of Fame
The new 10-year vision, dubbed Thrive 2035, was rolled out Friday during the tourism group’s 40th anniversary celebration with roughly 600 people at Hard Rock Live. The 52-page destination master plan was developed over 18 months with funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the state Department of Commerce.
It’s considered a blueprint to follow over the next decade, and is stocked with concepts for the visitors bureau to explore or support.
The plan’s three overarching themes involve:
- Activating the region’s four rivers — Rock, Kishwaukee, Pecatonica and Sugar — for recreation and economic development.
- Prioritizing outdoor recreation infrastructure.
- Investing in central Rockford to create cool spaces, events and other experiences.
“We need to embrace our rivers and our downtowns, and the active, outdoor recreation opportunities that are given to us,” said John Groh, president and CEO of GoRockford. “We have this tightly knit urban/suburban outdoor destination. We can be here and in 15 minutes we can be in Pecatonica walking through forest preserve, or we can be down in New Milford at Atwood.”
There’s evidence the first of those themes is already in motion, with GoRockford landing a three-year deal this summer for Ironman to host a 70.3-mile triathlon that utilizes the Rock River, downtown and natural areas north of the city.
“We’re building from a position of strength,” Groh said.
The plan also has five strategic goals, the first of which sets the stage for what might be the next investment in building a new facility or attraction.
Here’s a look at highlights from the five goals:
Invest in tourism product
(See more HERE)
The plan lays out about two dozen ways to invest in outdoor recreation, sports tourism infrastructure, hotel and conference center space and other attractions.
Here are a few of the eye-catching proposals:
- Develop an outdoor adventure complex on the Rock River south of Davis Park.
- Increase bike mobility through the central city and connect to public parks.
- Determine demand and an ideal location for a large-scale conference or convention center
- Develop a cluster of boutique hotels to support existing downtown assets in Rockford and Belvidere
- Evaluate the possibility of developing a competition-level indoor aquatics facility.
- Increase the number of turf fields at Mercyhealth Sportscore Two, and improve fields at Sportscore One
“We want to maintain our prominence in sports tourism,” Groh said. “We’re one of the Top 10 amateur sports destinations. We’ve got to protect that.”
Create compelling experiences
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The plan says that events and festivals can be powerful tools to attract visitors during slower times for travel. It calls for enhancing local experiences in shopping, dining and agriculture tourism.
Authentic visitor experiences, such as the annual Stroll on State, can draw people to visit, live or do business in the city.
Here are some of the ideas:
- Develop multiday events such as large outdoor music festivals, arts competitions or winter lights festivals.
- Continue to develop Davis Park as a year-round event space.
- Support the creation of more ethnic and cultural festivals.
- Collaborate with partners in rural Boone and Winnebago counties to develop more agritourism.
- Develop camping and glamping experiences.
- Foster the creation of more local shopping experiences in all the areas downtowns.
Create vibrant spaces and neighborhoods
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Investing in public spaces and neighborhoods pays off for both residents and visitors, Groh said.
“When our residents have neighborhoods the love living in, where they feel safe, where there’s activities and services for them — especially when they’re unique and historic older neighborhoods like our communities have — visitors will be drawn to them and help lift them up even higher and further,” Groh said.
Here are some of the ideas in the plan:
- Enhance trail links from downtown city centers – especially Rockford and Belvidere – to connect the towns and neighborhoods in Boone and Winnebago counties.
- Develop themed public art instillations and exhibitions.
- Work with the Illinois Film Office to identify ways to support and grow film and television production.
- Establish downtown business improvement districts to support and expand downtown assets.
- Encourage additional food, maker and artisan markets.
- Encourage all river towns — Rockford, Rockton, Roscoe, South Beloit, Belvidere, Cherry Valley and Pecatonica — to develop plans for leveraging their waterfront.
Enhance connectivity and mobility
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Plans to bring Metra rail service between Rockford and Chicago by 2027 made a lot of residents think about their ability to travel into the city, Groh said. But GoRockford will also be thinking about how to utilize that asset to bring visitors here.
“It’s not just about where we can go … trains go both ways and that’s a huge part of the benefit, visitors coming out,” Groh said. “We want those passenger loads to be more balanced. … We want more people from those destinations coming here.”
Here are some of the ideas in the plan:
- Support the expansion of passenger service at Chicago Rockford International Airport.
- Develop Rockford and Belvidere as a hub for visitors by developing trail and path connections north to Wisconsin and west to Galena.
- Pursue the development of a regionwide e-bike rental system.
- Encourage development around future Rockford and Belvidere train stations.
- Ensure experiential transportation options from train stations to visitor points of interest such as Anderson Japanese Gardens, Hard Rock Casino Rockford, and riverfront sites.
Develop workforce and attract new talent
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This work got underway earlier this year with the relaunch of Made for Rockford, a talent and workforce attraction initiative that GoRockford tapped former TV news anchor Whitney Martin to lead.
Here are some of the ideas in the plan:
- Advocate for workforce housing as part of commercial real estate developments.
- Invest in amenities that attract people to live in the region such as nightlife options, entertainment, restaurants and retail.
- Collaborate with industry partners to support timely and reliable transportation to employment hubs.
- Collaborate with industry partners to support reliable transportation to employment hubs.
- Advocate for workforce childcare centers at or near employment hubs.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
