Classic Kia's Travel Guide to Exploring Amazing National Parks of the Midwest and the Northeast!

Looking for something fun to do in the area this weekend? We’ve got a great roundup of Halloween events and festive seasonal fun for kids, teens, and adults!  Got an event you think our readers would love? Let us know in the comments or leave a link to your event on our social media post for this blog! more Friday, October 28th, swing on by the Tractor Supply in Antioch for Face Painter/Gore Makeup sessions with professional makeup artist Sue Nolan. Book your slot for a 30 minute session online here. Friday, October 28th from 11AM to 2PM in Libertyville, come on down for a town wide Trick or Treat down Main Street! Friday, October 28th at the Shiloh Center in Zion, everyone is welcome to join in the festivities for the Halloween Trail of Treats from 4PM to 6PM! Saturday, October 29th from 1PM to 2:30PM at Bowen Park, join the Waukegan Park District’s Halloween Trick or Treat Trail event for families!  Come out in costume and meet a seasonal cast of characters along the way while gathering prizes and treats! Saturday, October 29th starting at 12PM, families and kids can enjoy a wonderful afternoon of Halloween crafting and art making at Dandelion Gallery and Studio in Waukegan. Saturday, October 29th from 10AM to 3PM, The Highland Park Public Library is hosting the Halloween Railroad event! Saturday, October 29th through Monday October 31st  is T rick or Treat Weekend at the Lake Bluff Public Library from 10AM to 9PM in Lake Bluff where kids, teens, and adults are all encouraged to attend in costume and stop by the front desk for a treat! Saturday, October 29th at the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce & Industry annual trick or treat event from 11AM to 1PM, everyone is encouraged to come out and trick or treat at the local shops and businesses! Saturday, October 29th is Haunted Night at the Lehmann Mansion in Lake Villa from 5PM to 10PM. There will be games, food, drinks, a live DJ, and even an axe thrower! Saturday, October 29th from 1AM to 5PM at Lambs Farm in Libertyville is a special family friendly halloween event where the kiddos can trick-or-treat alongside their favorite farm animals and enjoy other festive fun! Sunday, October 30th at 12PM until 1PM, come and j oin Jarrett Dapier as he reads his picture book aloud at Madame ZuZu’s in Highland Park! Costumes are encouraged as there will be a costume contest along with the storytime. Sunday, October 30th in Wauconda is the Wauconda Chamber of Commerce Trick or Treat on Main Street event from 1PM to 5PM! Come one, come all, and enjoy the costumed event and get into the halloween spirit! Sunday, October 30th at Maggiano’s of Vernon Hills come out and join in the fun for a night of Murder and Mystery at this interactive dinner party starting at 6PM!

We love things that go bump in the night and give us a chill of fright!  That’s why we’re exploring even more fun haunted road trip destinations.  Today, we’re traveling to nearby  Michigan.  Why stop at exploring haunted sites like graveyards and theatres when you can book a stay with a surprise ghost as an extra guest?  We’ve got plenty of haunted hotels, inns, and resorts that are still open to the public today.  Check it out on today’s blog and see for yourself! more Doherty Hotel in Clare This 1924 redbrick hotel once housed the town’s library, a soda shop, and even a barber shop!  It was a notorious hangout for infamous gangsters of the 1920 and 1930s.  And, as is the case with so many unsavory personalities in one place, it became synonymous with illegal gambling and even murder.  Numerous visitors to the location have reported seeing the ghost of Isaiah Leebove, of the former Purple Gang, wandering the halls.  Other ghostly apparitions have been seen locking and unlocking doors, and knocking on doors and walls with no other possible explanation. Henderson Castle in Kalamazoo Often touted as one of the top ten haunted places in Michigan, you’ll find no shortage of spectral shenanigans here!  Step through its doors and you may be greeted by the castle’s original owners Frank and Mary Henderson.  Wander its halls and you may find Calre Burleigh, a Spanish-American War veteran who served alongside Hendersons’s son in battle.  Other apparitions include that of an unidentified little girl, and even a rogue dog!  You may find opening and closing doors, disembodied voices, figures at the top of the stairs, and other ghastly activities.  You’ll just have to come investigate for yourself! The Landmark Inn in Marquette If you’ve ever wanted to book a room in a haunted hotel, we think you’ll really get your jollies from a stay in the Lilac Room, one of the Inn’s most reportedly haunted rooms.  You may catch a glimpse of the Librarian who lost her one true love to a shipwreck at sea who peers out the window waiting for her betrothed’s impossible return.  Or perhaps you’ll find unexpected trinkets nestled in the sheets or blankets that weren’t there at check in, such as one guest who reportedly requested housekeeping remove screws from the sheets.  Even the front desk has experienced unexpected happenings such as phantom phone calls from the Lilac Room even without guests lodging! Spooky…. The Terrace Inn in Petoskey Michigan This historic inn offers 38 rooms to choose from, 1 restaurant on site, and at least 2 resident ghosts.  Book a stay at the Terrace Inn and you may encounter the Lady in White or the Man in Tweed.  Wander downstairs in this Victorian Era hotel and you may even bump into the Boy from the Basement!  Rumor has it, there may even be more aloof apparitions to be found if you keep your eyes open.  Ask the front desk and they will gladly share with you the book of Ghost-Tales from past guests and visitors! Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island, Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island…and more Mackinac Island is such a special place it’s known to be a paranormal activity hotbed, so many, in fact, that some speculate there may be more specters than residents at this point. Check out these videos from MattsRadShow on Youtube to learn more about a few of the haunted happenings on this iconic resort island: Masonic Temple in Detroit The Detroit Masonic Temple is the largest Masonic Temple in the world. This impressive and quite imposing piece of Gothic Architecture has more than 1,000 rooms as well as a cathedral, multiple chapels, 2 ballrooms, lodging facilities, a library, and even a 4,000 seat auditorium.  Visitors report seeing the specter of George Mason himself going up and down the stairs, but that may just be a Halloween Tale of Terror.  You’ll just have to see for yourself! Mary Mayo Hall in Lansing The oldest residence hall on campus is located on the West Circle are aof Michigan State University’s northern end.  It was built in 1931 and named after Mary Anne Mayo, a leading member of several organizations on campus, and a thoughtful leader with progressive views on womens’ education.  Though rumors swirl that her death was caused by murder, ill-will, or even self-inflicted injuries, she actaully passed away of illness in 1903off-campus.  Nevertheless, after years of campaigning for womens’ equal access and housing on campus, students report seeing her ghost wander the halls of the dorm. Other areas of note for ghost hunting in Michigan: South Manitou Island in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, H ell’s Bridge near Grand Rapids Rockford, Calumet Theater in Calumet, Felt Mansion in Saugatuck Holland, David Whitney House in Detroit, Fayette Ghost Town in Fayette, Holly Hotel in Holly, Fort Shelby Hotel in Detroit, Bowers Harbor Inn in Traverse City, Seul Choix Point Lighthouse in Gulliver, White River Light Station in Whitehall

It’s National Day of Motoring, and we’re honoring that holiday with a round-up of some of the most famous well-traveled roads, scenic highways and byways of America!  Check out these iconic landmarks and plan your next getaway today. more North Shore Scenic Drive in Minnesota: 449 miles from Classic Auto Group This 150-mile drive up Highway 61 stretches from Duluth, Minnesota, all the way up through to the Canadian border along the shores of Lake Superior. It makes its way through 8 state parks, and small shoreline towns filled with local seafood eateries, art galleries, and unique shops to explore. We recommend stops at: Split Rock Lighthouse, Grand Portage National Monument, the Great Lakes Aquarium, and Superior Hiking Trail, just to name a few. Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina: 665 miles from Classic Auto Group This winding 500-Mile roadway snakes all through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as the Shenandoah National Parks.  The drive is worth making more than once, too, as this ever changing landscape is prime viewing in all seasons.  From the lush green canopies of the dense forest or rolling hills of fiery oranges, yellows, and reds in the autumn, to the wintertime hillsides dotted with ski slopes and snow capped mountainscapes, it’s never the same experience twice! Scenic Byway 12 in Utah: 1500 miles from Classic Auto Group Clocking in at 123 miles and an elevation of about 9,200 feet, this winding roadway dips in and out of red rock cliffs, mountainscapes, rural roadside towns, evergreen forests, and deep cut rock canyons. It’s worth planning stops at Dixie National Forest. Capitol Reef National Park, Anasazi State Park and Museum, Lower Calf Creek Falls, and lots of other incredible National Parks and historic sites.  This Byway is home to so many vistas and hot spots we could spend all day giving you an itinerary! High Road in New Mexico: 1,300 miles from Classic Auto Group Ever heard the phrase “you should take the high road,” well, turns out it’s not just a catchphrase!  You can actually take the higher ground from Santa Fe to Taos and back again.  This 56-mile stretch of road weaves its way through the Southwest across an ever changing landscape: from deserts to mountains to forests to farms and indigenous villages and historic sites.  You’ll want it on your bucket list for sure. Olympic Peninsula Loop in Washington: 2,000+ miles from Classic Auto Group Take a ride through the deciduous rainforests of the Olympic National Park in Washington state.  If you’re driving the entire length of the loop, it  clocks in at an average of 8 hours and 329 miles, wow!  You’ll find the area host to all manner of outdoor activities such as kayaking, canoeing, rafting, fishing, and plenty of hiking trails.  You can visit the Hoh Rainforest, La Push Beach, Shi Shi Beach, Hurricane Ridge, Ruby Beach, and Lake Crescent  For a shorter trip, driving the route via Olympic National Park Quinault Lake and Rainforest Loop around the lake; it’s just 32 miles and is home to beautiful waterfalls, an impressive creek, and the world’s largest sika spruce. There’s so many ways to immerse yourself in the scenic views of magical, misty mountains and rich, emerald green treescapes. Pacific Coast Highway in California: 2,000+ miles from Classic Auto Group Clocking in at 656 miles, it’s the longest state route in California. It snakes southerly along the coast stretching from Washington State all the way through to the end of California.  If you’re driving the California portion only, the trip will take you about 5 hours to complete all 123 miles.  Recommended stops include Crescent City, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Half Moon Bay, the intimidating Devil’s Slide Trail, Shark Fin Cove, Davenport Beach, Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf and 17-mile drive, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Big Sur. Let us know your suggestions for Iconic Road Trip Destinations in the US that we should include on our next roundup! Pop your suggestions in the comments on our social media!