Charlevoix & Petoskey
Harbor Springs
For history, harbor views and the Tunnel of Trees: a small town on the north shore of Little Traverse Bay, with two ski areas nearby for winter.
Sports · Outdoors · Harbor Springs
Ugotta Regatta
A late-July sailing regatta on Little Traverse Bay, hosted by the Little Traverse Yacht Club the weekend after the Mackinac races.
The Ugotta Regatta is one of the north’s long-running sailing traditions, held each year on the weekend after the second of the Mackinac races. Boats 22 feet and longer race on Little Traverse Bay.
You do not need a boat to enjoy it: the shoreline parks around the bay give you a view of the racing.
What to expect
Sailors from across the country race Friday through Sunday, with one-design fleets and tour-of-the-bay courses. From land, the visitors bureau suggests Petoskey State Park, Sunset Park, the Petoskey breakwall and Bayfront Park; spectators in their own boats should give the racers room.
Location
Where Ugotta Regatta happens
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
The pin marks the town; check the organizer for exact venues.
About Harbor Springs
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Scenic drive
M-119 Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route
A narrow, winding stretch of M-119 along the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Harbor Springs toward Cross Village, made for a slow drive.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Beach
Zorn Park Beach
Harbor Springs' downtown beach: a marked swim area, a floating raft, picnic lawns, restrooms and lifeguards on select summer days.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Beach
Zoll Street Beach
A dog-friendly beach on Little Traverse Bay near downtown Harbor Springs, with free parking, a restroom and an easy kayak launch.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Places to stay nearby
Inn · Mid-range
Colonial Inn
In the Wequetonsing neighborhood of Harbor Springs
A Harbor Springs inn dating to 1894 in the Wequetonsing summer neighborhood, a member of Historic Hotels of America with 42 restored rooms.
Hotel · Budget
OTIS Harbor Springs
On South Lake Shore Drive (M-119) just outside Harbor Springs, near the Tunnel of Trees
A boutique hotel with a mid-century look on a 10-acre property just outside Harbor Springs, along the road to the Tunnel of Trees.
Resort
The Highlands at Harbor Springs
Near Harbor Springs, north of Petoskey
A Boyne-owned ski and golf resort near Harbor Springs, known as Boyne Highlands until 2022, with several golf courses and downhill skiing.
More events in and around Harbor Springs
- Blissfest Music FestivalA three-day folk, world and roots music festival with camping at the 200-acre Festival Farm outside Harbor Springs, held the second weekend in July.
- Harbor Springs Ice FestA two-day February festival that fills downtown Harbor Springs with ice sculptures, live carving and an ice park in Zorn Park.
- Odawa Homecoming Pow WowAn August pow wow near Harbor Springs that is free and open to the public, with dance and drum contests and food.
- Bay View Fourth of JulyBay View's old-fashioned Fourth morning: a children's bike parade, a parade through the cottage streets and a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
- Bay View Music FestivalA summer music festival in Bay View, billed as the longest continuously operating chamber music festival in the country, with Sunday vesper concerts.
- Boyne City Fourth of JulyA two-day Fourth in Boyne City with an art fair, a raft race on the Boyne River, a kids' bike parade and fireworks over Lake Charlevoix.