Lake Michigan is an enormous, inviting body of water. It can be a lot of fun to take the family out boating on the open waters, which is why boating is such a popular pastime for people in Illinois. Even if you've never been out on the ocean, you can experience what the seas are really like when the shoreline of Illinois drops from you and all you can see spreading out in any direction is the choppy, blue waters of the third largest Great Lake.