Something is taking shape in the Illinois Valley.
The Illinois Valley Wine Trail began with four wineries and a simple idea: create an easier, more inviting way for people to discover the wine being grown and made here.
But a wine trail was never going to be only about wine.
Visitors who come to taste also need somewhere to eat. Somewhere to stay. Things to do. Places to shop. Trails to hike, rivers to explore, art to discover, and reasons to stay a little longer.
That is where the rest of our community comes in.
The Illinois Valley Wine Trail Founding Tourism Partner Program is an invitation to local businesses and organizations to become part of the visitor experience we’re building together.
Wine Is the Invitation. The Illinois Valley Is the Experience.
Our wineries may give someone a reason to turn off the highway, but what happens after that?
Maybe they discover a restaurant they didn’t know was here. They spend the night instead of driving through. They stop for coffee the next morning. They wander into a local shop. They book an outdoor adventure. They attend an event. They tell someone else about the place they found.
That is the larger vision for the Illinois Valley Wine Trail.
We want to help connect the dots between the businesses, experiences and people that make this valley worth exploring.
Tourism works better when visitors aren’t simply sent to a destination. They’re given reasons to move through a community.
Introducing Our Founding Tourism Partners
As the Wine Trail grows, we’re inviting businesses and organizations throughout the Illinois Valley and surrounding region to become Founding Tourism Partners during this early chapter of the Trail.
This isn’t simply about putting logos on a website.
Founding Tourism Partners help create a connected visitor network around Illinois Valley wine country while gaining opportunities for visibility through Wine Trail marketing, digital content, visitor resources, events and collaborative promotion.
Depending on the partnership level, benefits may include website presence, inclusion in visitor-planning resources, social media and editorial features, event opportunities, printed materials, collaborative marketing and other ways to connect your business with people exploring the region.
And because these are Founding partnerships, participating businesses become part of the story at the beginning.
Who Belongs on the Trail?
You don’t have to make wine to be part of wine tourism.
We’re interested in connecting with businesses and organizations that help someone experience the Illinois Valley, including lodging, restaurants and food businesses, recreation and outdoor experiences, retail and artisan businesses, attractions, transportation, wellness experiences, event services, and other visitor-friendly businesses.
The question isn’t necessarily, “Are you a tourism business?”
A better question might be:
Could someone visiting the Illinois Valley Wine Trail also have a reason to visit you?
If the answer is yes, there may be a place for you in what we’re building.
Why Now?
This is an especially exciting moment to tell the story of Southern Oregon wine country.
The Rogue Valley was recently named the #1 Wine Region in the United States in USA TODAY’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, bringing new national attention to the wine, landscapes and communities of Southern Oregon.
At the same time, the Illinois Valley Wine Trail is just beginning.
That creates an extraordinary opportunity: not simply to attract visitors, but to think intentionally about what happens when they arrive and how more of our local businesses can benefit from the attention coming to the region.
We have the opportunity to build those connections now.
We’re Building More Than a Map
The long-term vision for the Illinois Valley Wine Trail includes more than winery visits.
We’re building events and experiences that give people reasons to return throughout the year. We’re creating tools that encourage visitors to explore. We’re developing partnerships that connect wine with food, lodging, recreation, art, shopping and the character of the Illinois Valley itself.
And we’re only getting started.
The businesses that join us during this founding period won’t simply be advertising alongside the Trail.
They’ll be helping shape what the Trail becomes.
Interested in Becoming a Founding Tourism Partner?
We’ve created a Founding Tourism Partner Handbook with partnership levels, benefits, opportunities and additional information to help you decide whether the program is a good fit for your business or organization.
>>Download the Founding Tourism Partner Handbook
>>Explore Partnership Opportunities
Have questions before becoming a partner? We’d love to talk with you about your business and where it might fit into the Trail.
Because ultimately, the goal isn’t simply to bring people here.
It’s to give them more reasons to explore while they’re here, more reasons to stay, and more reasons to come back.
Wine is the invitation.
The Illinois Valley is the experience.
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