Quite simply, the Aurora Area of Illinois is a destination for all seasons and all reasons. Nestled along Chicagoland's Fox River Valley, it has attractions to visit, sights to see and things to do that are sure to appeal to athletes and their families, as well as that famous Midwestern hospitality that keeps visitors coming back.
The Aurora Area is easy access. O’Hare, Midway or Aurora Municipal Airport make getting here a breeze, as do Amtrak routes. Driving to this destination is easy as well.
Places to Play: The Aurora Area offers a multitude of sporting facilities from baseball to golf to volleyball and everything in between, many of which are open year-round. Professional, amateur and youth sporting events play here – and your event can as well.
Consider our venues:
- Stuart Sports Complex - Newly expanded Stuart Sports Complex has become one of the Midwest's premier athletic venues with 300 acres of action featuring 32 full-size soccer fields, eight lighted softball/baseball fields and parking for 1,300 cars.
- Vaughan Athletic Center – This 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 upper level and 1/8 mile lower level) and the VAC café. The VAC is home of the 2015 Butterfly Aurora Cup, a USA sanctioned table tennis tournament with 38 segmented courts.
- Rush-Copley Healthplex - Located at the west end of Rush-Copley's Aurora campus, the Healthplex is a spacious 166,000-square-foot facility that offers the very latest in equipment, creative and medically-sound fitness and wellness programs, and is home to the area's only premier tennis club featuring eight DecoTurf (hard) indoor courts.
- Parkside Lanes - Offering 54 competitive bowling lanes, Parkside is one of the largest bowling facilities in Illinois. A member of the Suburban Windy City Bowling Association, Parkside utilizes the latest innovations in automatic scoring and synthetic surfaces for consistent, professional play. Parkside is proud to be the home bowling center of Sean Rash, 2012 PBA Player of the Year.
Rich Harvest Farms - Since opening in 1999, Rich Harvest Farms has been a premier destination for golfers from all over the world. The facility is home to the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois as well as the Northern Illinois University Huskies Men's & Women's Golf Teams.
The course has earned many honors including consistently being named one of Rolex's "World's Top 1,000 Golf Courses" and Golf Digest's "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses." Golf Digest also honored Rich Harvest Farms in its inaugural year by naming it the 5th Best New Private Course in the United States. Rich Harvest Farms is proud of its prestigious list of amateur and professional golf tournaments both past and future.
- Supreme Courts - Conveniently located just 5 miles from I-88 near the Fox Valley Mall, Supreme Courts boasts four high school courts with premium hardwood floors, full climate control (cooled in the summer, heated in the winter), 24 collegiate-grade ceiling-mounted baskets, large wall and ceiling-mount scoreboards on each court and professional scoring tables.
Supreme Courts uses the same flooring as 90 percent of NBA courts and top universities like Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Indiana University. The low-profile interwoven subfloor design provides enhanced acoustics and dynamic, uniform ball bounce.
- Wheatland Athletic Association Sports Center - Two indoor soccer fields with top-of-the-line new turf and sand infill for tournament or event use. Includes viewing areas, renovated washrooms and ample parking.
Orchard Valley Golf Course - Rated by Golf Magazine as the #6 public course in Illinois and 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest, Orchard Valley features a beautiful 18-hole championship layout with a blend of natural challenges such as meandering wetlands, lakes, roughs, water hazards, bunkers, hollows and waterfalls. Dining and events space on-site make this an ideal location for tournaments, special events, weddings and other group outings.
- Waubonsee Community College Field House - a 59,000-square-foot athletic training facility, featuring three new indoor practice courts and a suspended running track, among other state-of-the-art features. The Field House also offers athletes almost 60,000 square feet of additional space to practice, train and exercise.
- Marge Cline Whitewater Course - Enjoy the Midwest's newest whitewater paddle destination featuring 1,100 feet of whitewater, scenic river walk and picturesque bridge. Located on Yorkville's scenic Bicentennial Riverfront Park and the Fox River Water Trail.
- Beecher Community Park - The park spans more than 22 acres and is the location of several baseball fields, a playground, a walkway around the play area, beautiful shade trees to sit under and permanent picnic tables. This park is the site of the annual Hometown Days Festival held Labor Day weekend.
… and that’s just an overview. A full directory of our sports facilities can be found at this link, which allows users to sort by sport, as well as by region.
Places to Stay: Aurora has a huge variety of accommodations, from luxury properties to those that are more budget friendly. Get the full list here.
We Make it Easy: The Aurora Area Sports Alliance (AASA) was established to positively impact the economy and quality of life of the Aurora Area by encouraging the creation, development and promotion of sporting events in Aurora and its surrounding communities.
Learn more about our services or submit an RFP.
To learn more about what makes the Aurora Area an outstanding sporting events destination, please contact Brad Banks, Sports Sales Manager, at 630-256-3194 or email brad@enjoyaurora.com.