Things to Do in Sterling

As a member of the National Association of Consumer Shows, Showtime Productions, Inc. has hosted some of the largest and most well-attended trade shows in the Midwest. The Rockford Home Show, for example, has been going strong for more than 30 years, and Showtime partners with Landro Productions to organize boating and fishing and camping and travel shows that have attracted outdoor enthusiasts for more than four decades.

Many of their events are held at the Indoor Sports Center, a 60,000-square-foot complex where visitors have plenty of room to walk past rows and rows of exhibit booths. Convention guests refuel with burgers, tacos, and other casual bites while watching the action below from the second-floor Skybox Restaurant and sports bar.

Between the dark, black walls at The Lazer Maze, green beams of light stretch from one wall to another, striking anyone willing to venture through their neon labyrinth. Levels of difficulty vary as beginners and pros nimbly crouch, tumble, and Macarena over and under laser beams, trying to beat the best time. The staff also equips a 3000-square-foot party room with party lighting, music, fog, and bubbles for birthday parties and other social events.

Located high above the wilderness of the Illinois River Valley, the cables, suspension bridges, and treetop platforms at Zip Chicago are fully designed and licensed by the EBL (Experience Based Learning Inc.)—a leading authority in ziplining adventures. Six half-inch cables ranging between 225 feet and 1,000 feet in length snake through the hardwood forest, providing bird's-eye views of the Illinois River Valley from up to 90 feet above the ground. Throughout the tours, fully trained guides ensure every detail results in a safe, exciting adventure, from clipping into the harnesses properly to converting cell phones into grappling-hook mode.