A new program is rewarding south suburban beer enthusiasts for doing more of what they already love — stopping by local breweries.
Visit Chicago Southland, also known as the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau, is tapping into the region’s love of beer — and its abundance of breweries — for its latest mobile passport program, Suds Buds. Launched last month, the program incentivizes visiting multiple Southland businesses with prize packages.
“Locals or visitors, it doesn’t matter,” said Kim Kislowski, vice president of marketing for Visit Chicago Southland. “Anyone can do this. I always say local people are tourism ambassadors. … It’s nice to have everybody know what’s going on in the area.”
Fourteen area breweries are included on the list of eligible spots that qualify for a passport check-in on their mobile devices. Each visit earns points that can be redeemed for Visit Chicago Southland-branded merchandise such as a coaster, tote bag, sticker and sweatshirt. Some breweries are also offering coupons within the passport.
“This is exciting,” Kislowski said. “It’s a new program.”
Evil Horse Brewing on Main Street in Crete is part of the new Suds Buds passport program from Visit Chicago Southland, which rewards visits to area breweries with Southland themed swag. (Susan DeMar Lafferty/Daily Southtown)
The new Suds Buds passport program comes on the heels of news that another popular south suburban beer passport program is ending. The organizers of the Dixie Highway Brewery Trail posted March 7 that it would be coming to an end, though partially completed passports could be finished and redeemed for any prizes that were left over.
“We hope you’ve had fun on the trail,” the announcement stated. “We appreciate all of the support you have given to our awesome SouthSide breweries!”
Several breweries from the Dixie Highway trail are involved with Suds Buds, including Blue Island Beer Company, Evil Horse Brewing in Crete, Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery, One Trick Pony Brewery in Lansing and Rabid Brewing in Homewood. They’re joined on the current list by One Allegiance Brewing in Chicago Ridge, Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in Orland Park, Brothership Brewing in Mokena, Bulldog Ale House in Lansing, Trail’s Edge Brewing Company in Frankfort, Arrowhead Ales Brewing Company in New Lenox and Hickory Creek Brewing Company in New Lenox.
Suds Buds is part of a larger initiative from Visit Chicago Southland called Passports to the Southland, which thus far has focused on golf, food, performing arts and visual arts.
Upon signing up for a passport, participants get a text and email with a link to add a button to the home screen of the mobile device for easy access to the web-based platform — with no application or download required. A video was created to help educate people on how the system works.
Visit Chicago Southland has paid for the passports program with Cook County Tourism Alive funding — American Rescue Plan money that Cook County is investing in tourism. Visit Chicago Southland is one of five convention and visitor bureaus to receive such support through the program.
“We’re very thankful to Cook County and the Cook County Tourism Alive program for allowing us to try these new ideas and new promotions,” Kislowski said. “In our normal budget, I would not have the money to do these and also the promotion that goes along with it.”
The program started at the beginning of 2023 with restaurants under a passport called “Savor the Southland,” which initially included restaurant gift card prizes. “Tee It Up” followed it, and previously featured a ticket giveaway for the 2023 BMW Championship in August at Olympia Fields Golf Course. The year was rounded out by the introduction of performing arts and visual arts passports.
“The idea behind the money given to us was: This is our time to try a new project,” Kislowski said, “The goal was to get people into these small businesses to help recover from COVID.”
Kislowski said after the opening year, Visit Chicago Southland looked to narrow the focus of its passports. Suds Buds became the strongest option, with other bureaus noting the brewery passports have been particularly popular. And because they are not tied to a particular event, the Suds Buds program is slated to run for the foreseeable future.
“There is no deadline,” Kislowski said. “You can do this for as long as the program exists.”
And Visit Chicago Southland has plans for more passports this year, with the next one up being disc golf courses. Kislowski said a pizza passport will likely follow.
Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
