DOWNTOWN ENTREPRENEURS ARE ‘BLAZING A TRAIL’ OF BUSINESS Trailblazers are the pioneers, innovators, and lifelong learners who will help to make the world a better place, by propelling the future of downtown, and are giving back to our community. These are the folks that are innovating, using their spirt and agility to transform Rockford. They […]

Read More

The Amazing Entrepreneur Trailblazers

Tourism in the Rock River Valley can and does provide many significant forms of human activity and it can have many more major impacts with an Urban Casino as an entertainment venue in downtown Rockford. These impacts are very visible where tourists interact with the local environment, economy, community culture and social venues. This activity […]

Read More

The Impact of Tourism

An entertainment district as a destination offers residents, tourists and guests’ opportunities to enjoy the entertainment venues in arts and culture, education and learning, shopping and dining, lodging and conference, and community festivals and events. Another aspect to understand is the power of placemaking with live entertainment and exhibitions that draw large numbers to aquariums, museums […]

Read More

An Entertainment District as a Destination
Rockford Aquarium Makes a Splash

The downtown Rockford Aquarium would offer a life-altering aquarium experience where visitors will explore beautiful and vibrant ocean life and learn the importance of conserving our water, the ocean and its inhabitants. Many people ask the question, “Why an aquarium?” The answer to this question is quite simple.

Read More

During the 1990s, state governments began legalizing riverboat and barge gaming. Some states further required that gaming activities only be conducted while the riverboats were cruising. The casinos restricted to riverboat gaming were built as stand-alone operations and their contributions to their local community came primarily in the form of tax revenue and jobs – […]

Read More

Land-Based Urban Casino Regeneration
The Modern Casino & New Urbanism

New Urbanism is a movement that works to restore  life into city downtown locations across America that lost their bustle to sub-urbanization. Suburbanization is is a population shift from central urban areas into suburbs.  Rockford’s downtown area is a perfect example of the New Urbanism Movement. Our downtown’s story reads something like a hero’s journey- […]

Read More

Casinos are a destination that will attract thousands of visitors. Currently, there are 13.5 million people in our Area of Dominant Influence (ADI) who live and work within two hours of the US 20 bypass and the South Main corridor who will flock from all directions to visit Rockford’s new casino—north, south, east, and west. […]

Read More

Drive Time to Downtown