Storefront Cinema

Weekend showcase for the finest in foreign, independent and classic films; children's international film festival in spring.

CITY: Rockford

J.R. Kortman Center for Design

Upscale shop and gallery, in downtown Rockford.

CITY: Rockford

Summer Wood Amphitheatre

Outdoor performances by nationally known, Christian-oriented artists at the largest outdoor Christian amphitheater in the Midwest. Family-oriented environment with children's programs, free admission to most events, and sign language interpretation.

CITY: Rockford

Jane Addams International Peace Garden

This peace garden honors Rockford College alumna and Nobel laureate Jane Addams. The garden is located at Fisher Chapel on the grounds of Rockford College.

CITY: Rockford

Norris Cultural Arts Center, Theatre & Art Gallery

A 1,000 seat live theatre providing family entertainment for more than 20 years. Season tickets are available. Call for gallery hours and reservations.

CITY: St. Charles

Rockford Symphony Orchestra

The Rockford Symphony Orchestra has been serving Northern Illinois for more than 75 years and has a strong tradition of presenting classical and contemporary orchestral music of the highest caliber in Rockford's beautiful and awe-inspiring Coronado Theatre. Nationally known guest artists frequently serve as soloists for RSO concerts, adding tremendous variety and diversity to each season. In addition to a wonderful array of Classics and Pops Concerts, each season the Rockford Symphony also presents The Nutcracker in collaboration with the Rockford Dance Company. The Rockford Symphony Orchestra also brings the joy of music to thousands of students each year through its comprehensive educational programming, including Youth Concerts and the Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra. In 2007, the RSO was named the Illinois Orchestra of the Year.

CITY: Rockford

Rockford Art Museum

Part of the Riverfront Museum Park, the Rockford Art Museum features an eclectic collection of 20th century American artworks. Discover pieces by self-taught African American artists, American Impressionist paintings and modern art glass. Changing exhibits feature regional and national artists.

CITY: Rockford

Zanies Comedy Club - St. Charles

Popular comedians perform at Zanies, providing an evening of laughter and fun. The "sister" of the legendary downtown Zanies has been making the western suburbs laugh with the same great talent for over 20 years.

CITY: St. Charles

Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center

Since 1884, the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center (MPAC) has been offering exciting, personal, interactive music experiences to the northern Illinois area. MPAC presents several exciting concert series with local, national and internationally-renowned performers, from genres including classical, jazz, folk and Broadway.

CITY: Rockford

Egyptian Theatre

The Egyptian Theatre hosts film festivals, special movie screenings, and live entertainment events. This theatre is a 1929, fully restored Egyptian Art Deco movie palace and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The Egyptian is also available for rentals, tours, weddings, graduations, parties and receptions. Capacity: 1,419 Raised stage with dressing room below; balcony and lobby space.

CITY: DeKalb

Fabyan Japanese Garden

A tranquil oasis where history melds with nature and design. This historic garden affords the opportunity to experience the uniqueness of Japanese gardening and enjoy a moment of harmony with nature.

CITY: Geneva

Riverfront Museum Park

Arts and humanities complex housing Discovery Center Museum, Rockford Art Museum, Rockford Dance Company office and studies, Northern Illinois Public Radio offices and Rockford Symphony Orchestra offices.

CITY: Rockford

Pierce Harley-Davidson Museum

Over 65 antique and modern motorcycles are on display, along with memorabilia and vintage clothing.

CITY: DeKalb

Kryptonite

A downtown bar made for socializing featuring jazz, folk, light rock and a variety of music. The upper mezzanine offers comfortable lounge seating and the club features wine and gourmet pizza.

CITY: Rockford

Donley's Wild West Town

See a Wild West show and museum of Western memorabilia, then dine at Donley's Old West Steakhouse.

CITY: Union

Gurler House

Bea Gurler was nine years old when her father George moved his family into the house in 1893. Her cousins, the children of her father’s brother Henry, had been living since 1888 in the Ellwood Mansion. Everyone said it was magnificent. Bea’s parents George and Zillah, evidently shared a taste in homes that favored the elegance of simplicity. It was the unimposing yet dignified structure on Pine Street–where the back door was always open. George and Henry Gurler were both prominent businessmen, and joint owners of a number of dairies. They quickly became world-famous and respected by many dairy farmers. Bea eventually made it a goal of hers to renovate The Gurler House to be the home that she once new and loved. The Gurler House hosts an annual Folk Music Festival every summer, where people are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music. While you are at The Gurler House, make sure to take a walk through their beautiful garden.

CITY: DeKalb

Starlight Theatre at Rock Valley College

The area's oldest outdoor summer theatre with four musical productions in June and July. Starlight's home, the Bengt Sjostrom Theatre, features more than a thousand seats, a stunningly artistic and creative retractable roof, new seating and an improved stage. Starlight Theatre has been named one of Illinois' 150 Great Places by the American Institute of Architects, Illinois Council. This prestigious award is given to places that have been identified by leading architects as contributing to their communities' quality of life.

CITY: Rockford

Illinois Railway Museum

The award winning Illinois Railway Museum (IRM), open from April through October, celebrates railway preservation with electric cars, steam trains, diesel trains, trolley buses and motor buses operating throughout the grounds. This museum was the film location for all of the scenes on the train and at the railroad depot in A League of Their Own.

CITY: Union

Discovery Center Museum

Named one of the top 12 children's museums in the nation by Forbes in 2012, here kids can explore more than 250 hands-on art and science exhibits, a planetarium, TV studio, robotics lab and the Tot Spot for toddlers. Discovery Center also boasts the nation's first community-built outdoor science park, the Rock River Discovery Park, featuring a two-story maze, water play area and dinosaur fossil dig.

CITY: Rockford

Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum and Gardens

Tinker Swiss Cottage is a historic house museum located in the heart of Rockford, Illinois. The museum complex contains the historic house museum, barn, and carriage house from the Tinker family. In addition, the property is the home of the founding site of Rockford and contains a Pre-Columbian Native American conical mound. Robert Tinker's inspiration for the Cottage came during his tour of Europe in 1862, where he fell in love with the architecture of Switzerland. In 1865, Robert began building his Swiss Cottage on the limestone bluff overlooking Kent Creek.Robert surrounded his Swiss Cottage with over 27 acres of trees, vines, winding pathways, flowerbeds, and gardens. A three-story Swiss inspired barn was added to the property which housed cows, chickens, and horses.

CITY: Rockford

Midway Village Museum

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 Link: Socks, Monkeys and Rockford's Industrial Past. Special events throughout the year include a World War II re-enatment, Sock Monkey and Scarecrow Harvest Festivals, and more. Free recreational path located on property.

CITY: Rockford

Coronado Performing Arts Center

See a play or musical performance at the wonderfully ornate Coronado Performing Arts Center, which was once a 1920s movie palace and vaudeville hall. The Coronado still features its original whimsical details, such as gilded Spanish castles, Chinese dragons in relief on the walls and a faux starry sky. Coronado Performing Arts Center is the venue for many performing arts groups and traveling shows.

CITY: Rockford

Burpee Museum of Natural History

The award-winning "Jane: Diary of a Dinosaur" exhibit explores the history of the museum's young T. rex skeleton on display that has been called one of the 10 most important dinosaur discoveries of the past 100 years. Visitors can also view the skull of Homer, a juvenile Triceratops, and see Burpee staff members working on his bones in the lab. Other exhibits include a coal forest with simulated thunderstorms, a Native American exhibit with a full-size wigwam, and rotating traveling exhibits in the new Woodward Hall. Don't miss Burpee's annual PaleoFest in March.

CITY: Rockford

Anderson Japanese Gardens

Rockford's 12-acre, "pond-strolling" Japanese garden is acclaimed as one of the top two authentic formal Japanese gardens outside of Japan. Winding paths, serene waterfalls, Sukiya-style buildings, and a gift shop selling authentic Japanese crafts make the gardens a must-see.

CITY: Rockford