Heritage Corridor Destinations announced earlier this month that it was honored with the Bureau Innovation Award from the Upper Midwest Conference and Visitors Bureau for The Landing Pad, just a few steps from the iconic Gemini Giant in Wilmington, Illinois.
The honor was given earlier this month at the Upper Midwest Conference and Visitors Bureau Fall Conference in Appleton, Wisconsin.
According to WJOL radio, the award, voted by leading tourism professionals, “recognizes destination marketing organizations and tourism bureaus that implement creative and original ideas to promote tourism and enhance visitor experiences … for projects that demonstrate innovation, community impact, and measurable success in attracting and engaging travelers across the Upper Midwest.”
Opened in partnership with the Joliet Area Historical Museum and the Wilmington Park District, The Landing Pad has quickly become a must-stop destination, offering visitors and residents alike the chance to shop for unique gifts that celebrate the Gemini Giant as well as photo ops that channel the spirit of the Mother Road.
“The Landing Pad has become more than just a souvenir shop — it’s an experience that connects visitors with the history, culture, and nostalgia of Route 66 in Wilmington,” said Robert Navarro, President & CEO of Heritage Corridor Destinations. “We are honored to receive this award, and we share it with the entire community of Wilmington and the Joliet Area Historical Museum for helping us create a place where community pride and iconic Route 66 history intersect.”
The Landing Pad opened in May at 110 S. Park St. (map here) at South Island Park, just off Route 66 in Wilmington.
The refurbished, 28-foot-tall Gemini Giant returned to Wilmington late last year and was installed less than a mile from its old location at the closed Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant.
The Gemini Giant sold at auction in March 2024 for $275,000. The Joliet Area Historical Museum in nearby Joliet, Illinois, placed the winning bid on the fiberglass giant and turned it over to the city. The museum used a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. In return, the Gemini Giant will remain there through at least 2045.
Buying and securing the Gemini Giant took on urgency when the Launching Pad’s owner, Holly Barker, threatened to destroy it if it didn’t sell for $100,000.
Barker and her former business partner, Tully Garrett, bought the closed restaurant in 2017 and reopened it about 18 months later. They shuttered it during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened it only sporadically.
The Gemini Giant initially landed at the Launching Pad in 1965 after its original owner, John Korelc, saw a Muffler Man during a restaurant convention.
(Image of the Gemini Giant with The Landing Pad in the background at South Island Park in Wilmington, Illinois)