Prepare to kick off America's holiday season in style at The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. This mile-long festival has attracted over a million visitors daily for more than 32 years now. The festival's nighttime parade on Michigan Avenue is the largest in the United States, featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse from The Walt Disney World Resort leading the way. The event boasts an impressive lineup of fantastic floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, celebrities, musical performances, Santa Claus, fireworks, and more. The parade illuminates over a million lights on 200+ trees along The Avenue, creating a truly awe-inspiring sight.
Hawthorne Race Course is a venue that offers both live racing and simulcasting. It is a thoroughbred horse racetrack with a one-mile dirt oval and a seven-furlong turf oval. The homestretch on the main track is 1,320 feet long, making it one of the longest in the country. Founded in 1891, Hawthorne Race Course is the oldest sporting venue in Illinois for horse racing, considered America's original sport. The business is family-owned and operated, now in its 4th generation, and has been hosting racing events on the City's border for over a century. The track is famously known as "Chicago's hometown track." Hawthorne is also the only race course in the nation that hosts both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing. Additionally, they have the largest network of off-track betting bars in Illinois and offer two PointsBet Sportsbooks and a sportsbook at the track.
Enjoy a memorable evening on the water with City Experiences Chicago Cruises, Boat Rides & Tours. With a perfect setting to enjoy dinner, drinks, and dancing, they provide stunning views of Chicago from the water. City Experiences offers exciting options for groups of 20 or more, such as historic sightseeing cruises in Boston, thrilling speed boat rides on Seadog in Chicago or Codzilla in Boston, and awe-inspiring whale watches in San Diego or Boston. With unique tours and experiences, City Experiences ensures an unforgettable day on the water.
Are you looking to explore your creative side? Check out the Beverly Arts Cinema and discover your talents. With musical instruments such as the guitar, piano, percussion, harmonica, and strings, you can bring your imagination to life. Express yourself with visual art, including painting, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, glass, and photography. Or, try movie production with character development, screenwriting, editing, and stop-motion techniques. And for those interested in theatrics, learn the fundamentals of acting, improvisation, broadway, directing, and theatre makeup. The possibilities are endless.