Lake County tourism expo at Gurnee Mills

Gurnee Mills will be the site Friday for an inaugural tourism exposition co-hosted by the mall and a Lake County agency.

Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau representatives will promote what they consider 25 of the best local summer attractions for families at the free expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Gurnee Mills' Showcourt at Entry G.

Expo visitors will have a chance to win Lake County hotel stays, gift baskets and theater tickets. Six Flags Great America in Gurnee will have Bugs Bunny on hand for photographs with children.

Convention and visitors bureau President Maureen Riedy said Friday's festivities will mark the official kickoff to the agency's summer theme of “Let the Ride Take You.”

In that vein, she said, the bureau has designed day trips such as one along Lake Michigan from southern Lake County to Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park in Zion. Riedy said that excursion could include a stop at the Great Lakes Naval Station museum, which has no admission charge

“We do think people will stay closer to home this summer,” she said.

Expo attendees will receive copies of the bureau's new visitors guide that'll be full of Lake County tourism facts and ideas.

Hotel occupancy rates are up about 5 percent so far this year in Lake County compared to 2010, according to the convention and visitors bureau. Riedy said the trend is expected to continue through the summer.

Michelle Rice, director of marketing and business development at Gurnee Mills, noted the mall is one of the Midwest's top tourist attractions. One of the newest additions is Off Broadway Shoes, a high-fashion deep discounter with Nashville roots that selected Gurnee Mills as its first Illinois location.

“We are proud to help increase tourism in Lake County,” Rice said.