SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
Issue link: https://sportsevents.epubxp.com/i/261418
February 2014 28 www.sportseventsmagazine.com THE TRUCK STOPS HERE The Quad Cities area is home to the world's largest truck stop, the Iowa 80. Celebrating its 50 th anniversary this year, the facil- ity originally began serving truckers out of a small white enamel building. Today, the building has a 300-seat restaurant, gift store, Super Truck Showroom, 60-seat movie theater, trucker's TV lounge, Verizon store kiosk, private showers and food court. www.sportseventsmagazine.com What's Going On… Aurora In northeast Illinois is Aurora, the second largest city in the state. Aurora is 37 miles west of Chicago in the scenic Fox River Valley and offers opportunities for cycling, hiking, ski- ing, snowshoeing and fishing—just to name a few. Hotel rooms: 1,332 Major facilities: Stuart Sports Complex features four ball fields and 25 soccer fields. Great Lakes Center houses 12 volleyball courts. Contact: Aurora Area CVB, www.enjoyaurora.com. Bloomington In the heart of Illinois is Bloomington, a city situated within two hours of Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis. The city's con- venient location and variety of facilities make it a popular spot for sports year around, including events such as the COUNTRY Youth Classic International golf tournament, Midwest Nationals wrestling tournament, State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament, ASA National Tournament and Illinois High School Association State Finals. Hotel rooms: 3,000+ Major facilities: U.S. Cellular Coliseum is an 8,000-seat, multi-purpose venue with more than 180,000 square feet of space. Champion Fields at Maxwell Park has 10 lighted softball fields and seat- ing for 2,300. The Corn Crib is a multi- purpose stadium featuring SprinTurf artifi- cial playing surface and a seating capacity of 7,000. Contact: Bloomington-Normal Area CVB, www.bloomingtonnormalcvb.org. Champaign County Eastern Illinois' Champaign County is at the crossroads of three major interstates, making for easy accessibility. As home to Basketball in Peoria S I T E S E L E C T I O N G U I D E | I L L I N O I S ▼ MUST SEE! BY PAIGE TOWNLEY very region in Illinois has its own unique personality, whether it's suited for outdoor adventure, brimming with American history, or overflowing with big-city amenities. But one aspect each region in the state has in common is its abundance of facilities for essen- tially every sport. "What makes our state great is that not only do we have a multitude of sports venues but we also have numerous world-class attractions that can enhance your time spent before, during or after your event," said Greg Mihalich, manager of the Sports Illinois Niche Market with the Illinois Office of Tourism. ■ ILLINOIS E Iowa 80 Truck Stop *28-44 SE FEB 2014_SportsEvents TEMPLATE 2/11/14 12:28 PM Page 28