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We will be spending a few days on Lake Michigan Aug 9-15th.
1st timers,,, looking for info. We have a 28 ft eliminator V. Any ideas? Places to try or see?? Any info would be great.
Thanks...

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What harbor will you be leaving out of? I'm sure we can help you out! keith

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Ditto.

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Winthrop harbor, North port marina. Sure that means something to you all?? We just picked a name out of a hat. Whats the water like? Guess like all places if the minds up its a little ruff. We boat at LOTO, sometimes its like 7 foot sea'ssss.. 28 footer ok for your area?

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Marimate, I have a 26 Donzi ZX that I go out of Winthrop with, if you pick the right days it is not bad, usually anything less then 3's would be fine. If it gets bigger than that you'll be thrown around pretty good. Also watch out for winds out of the North to East, anything in that range can kick up this conner of the lake pretty quick.

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Bob,
Great,,, Any places you know folks go to hang out? Neat sights?

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Lots of boats hang out in the "playpen", which is just north of navy pier in downtown Chicago. Ive also heard of some cool beaches down in indiana, probably 40 minutes from downtown chicago. There's a couple of places to eat on the Chicago river also downtown.

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Any reason you guys are goingout of North Point? It would be cheaperjust to drive to Diversey and launch almost right in Chicago....your only like a 5min ride to where all the actions at over at Navy Pier and the entrance to the river (The Locks) are right there as well. I know the headache of trailering it down and then the city streets and traffic can be a bear at times but it not bad depending on what time of day you go down there. And if you were thinking of staying downtown Diversey has a nice secure parking area right next to the marina.
As for things to do in the city....sadly i have to say that Cicago is not very boater friendly. :( Navy Pier wont let anyone dock on either side. You can go into the river and go over to North Pier just on the other side of Lake Shore drive/Wacker but they want like $20/half hour for docking......minimum 1 hour! Although the one time i did dock there they only charged me $40 even though i was there for like 3 hours :) So maybe i'm hoping its a $40 one time fee......
Theres also another bar/grill on the river on the north branch called Slow Down....or Lifes too Short....or what ever they call it....but last i heard their docks were not open.....i have no idea about this year.

On the South branch of the river theres the south branch marina...and they have a small food hut and boat dockage. Good food and a neat little place to hang out at :)

Going through the heart of the city by boat i think cant be beat! Just wish they would get the heads out of their a$$'s and see how much revenue is being lost from boaters :(

Oh and once an hour at the first....or maybe the last 10 min theres a cool fountain that shoots across the river just west of Lake Shore Drive :)

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I agree with what wally said. you can lauch at burnham harbor, diversey, and I think Belmont. Burnham is a nice spot. There is the old meigs field right there that is now a park that has concerts. check out westrec.com for rates. Maybe a transient slip at burnham, and you could cab it around town if you wish, cuz youll be in the heart on the city.

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Where are you from, Like Wally said Chicago is a not easy to boat in especialy if you want to get off the boat for a few hours or pull up to a dock and have dinner or drinks that ain't gonna happen, it is not like LOTO. It is also not like the MI side of the lake where you have a choice of cute harbor towns. What you have are a few nice marinas at the IN & IL border like Hammond, but aside from the Casino not much to do in that area and it is not a nice town. Then you have Chicago, the marinas are all run by the city and hard to get a transient slip in, technically you need to make a reservation through the central system, I think it is called Westeck. Some people on the board might be able to help you with that. I am not sure if you said this, are you keeping your boat in the water or going in and out daily basis. I ask you this because I am trying to figure out your objective, are you in town that whole time and just plan on taking the boats out a day here or there or are you trying to be in the water the whole time. If you tell us more about how much time you want to spend on the water maybe we can help you better. Each people's needs are differnt so I am sure we can help point you in the right direction

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Thanks for all the help. We think we can get a slip at the marina where we are staying?? They do not take reservations. Guess you could say flying by the seat of our pants.
Ms Patri, you know about LOTO it seems, and yes it would be nice to find a place to have dinner, drink by water. Sounds like sights seeing is what's in store??? Really have no idea what to expect. We will have our children, teens. Guess is it worth hauling from St Louis to boat in your area? Should we just bring wave runners and let the kids have fun?

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Wally,
We can boat the river into Chicago?? That does sound neat. Do we go through the lock? Silly question I know,, but never been there?? Your info very helpful, thanks for taking the time to write. If you make to Lake of the Ozarks I can help you out,,,

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I tried to PM you and email you through the site but it says you have not chosen to receive any, I am not sure why...... we don't bite and more importantly the info is not public. If you want any more help PM me with an email address or a contact number, I was going to give you Mr P's and mine. If not have fun, and we will catch you next time.
Donna

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Man the more I read this I think you are one confusing dude :D , "we think we can get a slip at the marina we are staying" what does that mean, most people stay at a hotel, a marina is for boats so where are you staying ??? No more typing info for me; PM me with a number and I will try to help

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Yup take the river right through downtown.....you can take the south branch around and if you know where your going you can take it down and around and end back out in Lake MI just south of chicago near Calumet.....ive heard theres a few bars on the water there but never have made that trip yet.

Yes you go through the locks....real easy to do....the comercial ships have priority over recreational vessels....make sure you have life jackets for everyone onboard!!! they will not let you through if you dont or if someone happens to not be wearing one.

Oh and on Wed and Saturday nights they have fireworks for navy pier at i think 9:30 pm. Lots of boats turn out for it and its a neat thing to see with the city skyline on the background.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask....i'll help ya anyway i can :)

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Fireworks, kids will enjoy that. We are sure going to try the river, sounds neat..;. except the going through the lock deal. Really great info wally,,, thanks.