Race to Mackinac Send-Off

The Race to Mackinac is a Chicago summer institution — the world's largest and oldest annual offshore freshwater race. Hundreds of boats and thousands of sailors line up off the lakefront before setting off on the 333-mile run up Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island. The send-off from the shore is a spectacle of sails as far as you can see.

What to expect

• A massive fleet of sailboats staging off the lakefront
• Prime skyline-and-sails photo views from Museum Campus and the harbors
• A festive dockside atmosphere before the start
• One of the great free lakefront spectacles of the summer

Good to know: Watch free from the lakefront near the harbors. Bring binoculars and sunscreen; arrive early for the best vantage points.