Travel Tuesday, November 27

The holiday season is officially here. From the lights of Chicago's Magnificent Mile to the shopping boutiques of Galena's Main Street, there are so many ways to make your holidays more amazing in Illinois. That's the joyful message we're spreading this season, inspiring visitors to get out and explore the state during this magical time of year.

As always, one of the best ways to uncover the magic of Illinois is via the small businesses that make our local communities thrive, exemplified by the artisans of Illinois Made. When visitors step through the door of an Illinois Maker, not only are they finding handmade gifts for their loved ones — they're also getting an amazing visitor experience that can only be found in Illinois. That's why we've created the Illinois Made Holiday Gift Guide, featuring Makers ranging from craft brewers to coffee roasters to crafters of custom jewelry. As we present the Gift Guide to travelers and media outlets to inspire this season's holiday wish lists, I know it will spark visitors to add "visit an Illinois Made maker" to their vacation wish list as well.

To me, the holiday season is all about the magical events happening in communities all around the state. In Gurnee, Six Flags Great America strung up lights for the inaugural Holiday in the Park, a holiday extravaganza with rides, attractions and shows with a seasonal setting. Springfield spreads holiday cheer with the Old Capitol Holiday Walks featuring dining, shopping and historical sights. With a drive-thru array of dazzling light displays, East Peoria Festival of Lights Winter Wonderland is a holiday tradition for many all over Illinois. And during Night of the Luminaria, the town of Galena comes to life with holiday-inspired animations in more than 30 windows along Main Street.

These events — and ones just like them all over Illinois — are some of what makes this the most amazing time of the year. It fills me with joy to know that so many visitors choose to enjoy their holiday season in Illinois.

Your friend in Illinois tourism,

Applications are now available for the Tourism Attraction Grant Program and the Tourism Private Sector Grant Program. Each of these grants is an opportunity for partners in Illinois Tourism to receive funding for the purpose of expanding Illinois tourism, whether by attracting and hosting tourism events or developing or improving tourism attractions in Illinois. Successful applications must identify performance measurements they will use to identify successful outcomes.

All prospective grantees are required to pre-register prior to applying for a grant. The deadline for these two grant program applications is February 1, 2019.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Tracey Minder, the Tourism Grants Manager, at Tracey.Minder@illinois.gov or 217-558-1653. To submit an application, visit the links above or view these and other grant opportunities at the Illinois GATA Portal.

Blue Man Group has been mesmerizing audiences at Chicago's Briar Street Theatre for over 20 years. And the show only continues to deliver bigger and better thrills. In recent weeks, the show has added musical instruments that can't be seen anywhere else, unveiled spectacular inventions such as the "light horn," and incorporated other all-new elements — many of which defy description. They have to be seen (and heard) to be believed. Get out to Blue Man Group in Chicago and see the new changes for yourself.

Registration is underway for the state's premier industry event, the Illinois Governor's Conference on Travel & Tourism. It returns to Chicago February 4–6, 2019 and will gather professionals from across Illinois and around the country at the Palmer House Hilton to network and learn from travel and tourism's best and brightest. General sessions speakers include Jeff Fromm from Millennial Marketing, who will share insights on marketing to Gen Z. Click the link to register below, or visit the website for information on sponsoring the event.

As Illinois gets ready for another winter, it's easy to forget that just 12,000 years ago the whole region was covered in ice and snow. In Illinois and many surrounding states, glaciers once dominated the landscape — and they've left their mark on natural features from rolling hills to flat prairies to drumlins dotting the horizon.

Evidence of this glacial impact can be seen in all its glory at the 3,400-acre Glacial Park in McHenry County's Conservation District. There, glacial mounds known as kames stand among other glacial features such as marshes, savannah and the gorgeous, meandering Nippersink Creek. There's plenty to do in the winter as well: visitors can explore the land in snow shoes, go cross-country skiing, snowmobile on nine miles of trails or sled down the hills.

Read more about the park here, or Visit EnjoyIllinois.com/200 to see all the videos released so far in our Illinois 200 series, as well as a variety of articles and stories that showcase the amazing people, places and moments that were Born, Built and Grown in Illinois.

More and more events looking for secondary cities
As one of the biggest drivers of tourism, the events space has the ability to impact the industry in big ways. Recently, planners have begun to look beyond traditional cities when booking events, aiming to cut costs while still presenting attendees with authentic experiences. What it means for tourism: you can't rely solely on traditional spaces to attract events in the long-term. Think about how to use secondary destinations to entice planners to keep holding events in your area.

From November 30 through January 6, Navy Pier hosts the Fifth Third Bank Winter WonderFest, a holiday destination with 170,000 square feet of attractions. Zoom down the Alpine Slide, lift 16 feet into the air on the Candy Cane Lighthouse, travel aboard the Arctic Express train, glide along an indoor ice skating rink — and so much more. All the rides and activities are appropriate for the whole family, making this an annual Chicago event that many families have turned into a holiday tradition.