Aurora Area: Sporting Facilities and Entertainment Meet

Aurora, the crown of the Aurora Area is jeweled by nine complimentary communities: Batavia, Big Rock, Hinckley, Montgomery, North Aurora, Plano, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Yorkville. With the variety of sports venues, lodging and amusement the Aurora Area is an ideal sports event destination.

From Bike Trails to Multi-Purpose Centers

Vaughan Athletic Center

The 225,000-square-foot athletic, fitness and aquatic center features nine indoor tennis courts, four basketball courts suitable for multi-use, two indoor tracks (1/6-mile on the upper level and 1/8-mile on the lower level) and the VAC Cafe. The VAC recently hosted the 2014 Butterfly Aurora Cup, a USA-sanctioned table tennis tournament with 38 segmented courts. Participants from all over the world made an appearance, and will be back again in January 2015.

Butterfly Aurora Cup view from upper level

Stuart Sports Complex

The 135-acre complex features 37 soccer fields of various sizes, eight lit baseball/softball diamonds, a dog park and trails. Parking is available for 600 vehicles. Kick It 3 v 3 hosted a successful soccer tournament at the complex in July, and Stuart Sports Complex will host a Premier Baseball Events showcase in July 2015.

Stuart Sports Complex aerial view

Great Lakes Center

The center covers 60,000 square feet, with 12 spacious, soft-surface volleyball courts, weight training, a retail store, concessions, a 10,000-square-foot viewing area and a parking lot with spaces for more than 300. The center is proudly one of the only places in the country with 12 permanent indoor volleyball courts. The center will host the GLVC-GLIAC NCAA Division II Volleyball Crossover Tournament in October 2014.

Great Lakes Center volleyball courts

Bike Trails and Running Routes

Where hundreds of miles of trails intersect, the Aurora Area is the best place to begin and end an event. The trails host the Batavia Peapod Half Madness 13.1 Half Marathon in August. Downtown Aurora hosts the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure every year. In 2013, the tour raised $600,000 and was attended by over 2,100 bicyclists and spectators.

BEECHER Community Center

In the heart of Yorkville, this park has several baseball fields, a playground and space for picnics. It’s the site of the Annual Hometown Days Festival every Labor Day weekend.

Fiery Fun and Historic Sights to See

The Aurora area encompasses 10 different communities, so there are plenty of options to keep groups entertained, whether you’re searching for architecture, shopping, theater, outdoor activities, culture, festivals or activities for teens. For a unique museum experience, visit Aurora Regional Fire Museum. Housed in the 1894 Old Central Fire Station, the educational museum exhibits the firefighting history of the surrounding area. Attracting visitors from more than 50 countries every year, Farnsworth House is a world-famous architectural wonder. Master architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created the ultimate minimalist masterpiece in pastoral Plano. The stellar structure of floor-to-ceiling glass seemingly “floats” above the rambling Fox River.

Yorkville Kayaking

Chicago Premium Outlets is the largest outlet center in the Chicago market and the largest outdoor outlet mall in the midwest. Located 38 miles west of downtown Chicago off Interstate 88 at Farnsworth Ave. North in Aurora, Ill., the center is a top destination. Shop more than 160 designer and name brand outlet stores including: Adidas, Armani Outlet, Coach, Columbia Sportswear, Gap Factory Store, J. Crew, kate spade new york, Levi’s Outlet Store, Michael Kors, Movado Company Store, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Tag Heuer, Tommy Hilfiger, Restoration Hardware Outlet, UGG Australia, Versace and Vera Bradley. Enjoy exceptional brands at extraordinary savings of 25 – 65% for shopping that’s always worth the trip. Paramount Theatre, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, is “not just Broadway on the Fox River, but Broadway at its most golden, with formidable actors, grand-scale design and a large, topnotch orchestra.” If you’re looking for a group specific itinerary, Aurora’s website offers options for architecture, shopping, kids and teens.

Fourth of July in Aurora

Aurora, Second Largest City in Illinois is Second to None

Easily accessible from I-88, Aurora is only 37 miles west of Chicago and equidistant from Midway and O’Hare international airports. Hotel parking is always free, and with over 1,100 rooms and several family-friendly packages to offer– all within a 10 to 15-mile radius– the second largest city is the first choice.