Monster hunting anyone?

In the United States, many believe Big Foot is wandering the hills in Oregon, vampires exist in Pennsylvania and werewolves roam the forests in Colorado.

But what about the Midwest?

Few people know that Lake Superior, the largest of the five Great Lakes, is supposedly home to its own Loch Ness Monster, or at least the same type of dinosaur-sized water horse.

Loch Ness Lake in Scotland draws thousands of tourists a year hoping to catch a glimpse of the infamous beast named Bessie, but if you can’t get there, Michigan could be just as satisfying.

Lake Superior’s 75-foot beast is referred to as Pressie by the locals and is said to have been spotted in the fresh-water lake on numerous occasions. Although unfortunatly since this sea serpent doesn’t have the history Bessie does, establishing look-out towers and boat tours aren’t quite on Michigan’s to-do list for anytime in the near future.

Fine, OK, the rare sightings that have been recorded seem a little fishy, but there is no way you could come away with an uninteresting story from a weekend of monster hunting.

Ah, but to catch a monster, you need to know what to look for. According to witnesses, the sea serpent has distinct characteristics that make it easily distinguishable from imposters.

1. A snake-like monster 30, 40 or 75 feet long.

2. Something that looks like a porpoise.

3. A large animal black, blue or green in color. It also can be spotted by the gray polka dots on its backside.

4. Its body is either smooth and flat, or it has humps like certain types of whales.

Everyone remembers those class field trips you took in elementary school to some kind of historical museum or a dairy farm. They were meant to be educational, but since no one paid any attention the only real benefit was missing classes for a day without having to use up a precious “Mommy, I don’t feel good” excuse. Thinking about it, I know my seventh-grade class took trips to a construction site, Cave of the Mounds and an Underground Railroad museum. However, about seven years later, the only memories I still have from those field trips are getting a free, bright-yellow construction helmet; a classmate getting claustrophobic in the cave and throwing up; and accidently knocking over a manikin dressed in a Civil War uniform.

I am the first to agree that “educational field trips” have no lasting impact.

Though, for some reason, during my freshman year of college I randomly decided driving to see Mount Rushmore in one weekend would be the best idea ever. To and from Mount Rushmore was nearly a 22-hour drive, and one can easily argue that viewing four giant faces of presidents carved out of a mountain is educational. Didn’t matter, I wanted to go, and I dragged three friends along with me. In truth, driving through South Dakota is not the most exciting event. On the plus side, it’s impossible to lose the ever-popular travel game “I spy.” There were only three options: road, sky or dirt.

My friends didn’t just want to see stone faces, so before we left I did some research on other sites we could see in the area.

Option 1: Badlands National Park - another great photo opportunity and a pretty cool outdoor experience. The rocky terrain kind of looks like you’re on a different planet.

Option 2: Searching for buffalo - though it’s probably best to stay in the car for this one, South Dakota has a lot of interesting wildlife most people don’t see on a daily basis, such as buffalo, big horn sheep and antelope.

Option 3: Crazy Horse Memorial - another person being carved out of stone, but hey, who doesn’t like getting their picture taken by giant objects?

 According to legend, 1987 was the first time unidentified flying objects were spotted in the sky near Belleville, Wis. Two polices officers saw red, white and blue lights arranged horizontally in the sky just hovering, until all of a sudden they dissappeared.

Now, more than 20 years later, Belleville is known as the UFO capitol of the world, or at least of the Midwest. This is the place people gather to discuss the paranormal and unidentified flying objects they’ve seen hovering over a corn field.

Belleville didn’t earn its title just because of its central location. The first reports of UFOs in Wisconsin happened in the town years ago. Whether you’re a believer of extraterrestrials or not, hearing stories from those who are convinced they saw a green-skinned alien is not something you’ll likely forget.

The small town has tourist attractions for believers and skeptics alike. An alien and UFO-themed restaurant sits in the middle of Belleville.  And if you’re looking for the people who’ve have seen crop circles, this is likely where they’ll be hanging out. And they are willing to tell anyone about their encounters. Whether intentional or not, they’ve scared away a few curious tourists.

The week before Halloween, Belleville also hosts UFO Day. UFO Day consists of many paranormal events, including a science fiction movie marathon. Other activities are similar to the Halloween festival, but all have some kind of extraterrestrial twist. The pumpkin-carving contest emphasizes creating alien faces and painting them in spooky colors.

But the best part about visiting Belleville isn’t the events; it’s the atmosphere. Being in an area where numerous UFO sightings supposedly took place creates an eerie mood throughout the whole town. Maybe just because of the history and creepy stories, it’s easier to feel something paranormal could happen at any moment.  

In many ways, the life of a college student is similar to that of a hobo. We live in rooms smaller than boxcars. We eat what we find in our surroundings. Taking showers doesn’t always happen, and your bed is pretty much wherever you fall asleep.

But to truly live like a hobo, Britt, Iowa, is the place to visit. It is home to the National Hobo Convention, where visitors have the chance to live like a real American hobo, a person who wandered from place to place looking for odd jobs in the 1930s.

The event has everything from hobo souvenirs to a hobo parade. Visitors can purchase renditions of hobo poetry, water bottles, spoons, bells and thimbles.

The hobo-themed parade is a site worth seeing because … well how often do you see a bunch of hobos in a parade? All of the participants are willing to have pictures taken, also. Mulligan stew, a hobo delicacy, is available after the parade.

But don’t worry, there is still more to see and do. The event also features a 5K and 10K Walk/Run, Hobo king and queen coronation, a hobo museum, a hobo auction, a hobo memorial service, flea market, Classic Car Show, a Hobo Jungle and various musical entertainment.

The whole town of Britt comes together for the hobo convention that takes place over three days. While visiting Britt on just some random weekend might not be exciting, the convention would be well worth the trip. Hundreds of people show up for 72 hours of nonstop hobo fun. Every guest will be well fed for little to no cost, with omelet breakfasts, pie and ice cream socials and, of course, the stew.

Everyone loves the circus - the clowns riding unicycles, the popcorn, the elephants, and the guy getting his head bitten off by a lion. You just can’t get this high-quality entertainment anywhere else. Well Baraboo, Wis., is home of the circus, so there is no better place to go.

Baraboo was once the headquarters for the Ringling Brothers Circus, so it seems fitting to now be famous for the largest living circus museum in the U.S.

Circus World Museum not only has exhibits, but it also hosts a live circus daily, which is probably the most fun of the visit. You’ll get to see a full show of animal taming, tightrope walking and magical illusions.

Outside the circus tent, guests get the chance to ride elephants, camels, a train or a pony.

Yeah, maybe it seems lame, but when people are checking out your pictures on Facebook, what looks better - an awesome shot of you learning how to juggle from a clown or sitting around watching TV in a dorm room? Thought so.

Six other buildings occupy the lot, and all of them focus on a different part of carnie life. One of the biggest buildings focuses on the wardrobes of the circus performers, and another showcases one of the largest collections of circus wagons ever.

If none of the sites amuse you, bring along a friend with a fear of clowns. That is sure to give you a couple laughs.

Christmas in July? How about in October, May or February? Santa Clause, Ind., is a little-known town that has Christmas decorations up year round, in honor of its name, of course.

Many of the streets in town are even named to fit the Christmas season. Throughout the town, a person can also expect to find numerous Santa Clauses hanging around. Don’t worry, not the ones who ring bells and try to take your money; most of these are statues.

In fact, the largest Santa Clause statue in the United States is located in Santa Clause, Ind., which makes sense when you think about it. The 22-foot statue can be found in Santa Clause Park.

But there are more than just street names and decorations. How could you possibly have a town dedicated to the jolly man himself without some unique attractions? Well, you can’t.

Santa Clause, Ind., also is home to a wide array of places straight out of the North Pole, as well as some other holiday fun.

Santa’s Candy Castle

The name speaks for itself. Inside, you get to experience Santa’s workshop and get treated to gourmet candy. The world’s largest selection of gourmet candy canes also is on display here. Visitors also get a look at vintage toys.

Santa Museum

It’s a museum about Santa Clause. Maybe it won’t be the most eventful thing you’ll see during your visit, but hey, it’s free admission.

Holiday World

When you can no longer stand the excitement of Candy Castle and the museum, Santa Clause, Ind., also hosts Holiday World, a holiday-themed amusement park. It’s funny to think a town with only about 2,000 residents also has a theme park with tons of rollercoasters, other rides and even a water park.

Back in the day, Holiday World only focused on Christmas, but now it has sections for Thanksgiving and Halloween.

You will have to dish out some money for admission tickets, but once inside, for some reason, every visitor gets free sunscreen and unlimited soft drinks.

The residents in Santa Clause are all extremely friendly. My guess would be because they are living in a town chock full of the Christmas spirit year round, but then again, it might just be the accessibility to all that eggnog.

What’s in Missouri besides the big arch? OK, in truth, not a whole lot, but for the easily amused, a weekend trip to the middle of nowhere, Missouri, is the place to go. Weston, Mo., is home to the world’s largest ball of string. But if that isn’t exciting enough, right next door, Branson, Mo., is home to the world’s largest ball of twine.

Branson has even more fun sites to see, however: a giant fiddle, a giant banjo and a tribute to Mount Rushmore with the faces of Elvis, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe and Oliver Hardy. In truth, Branson is quickly becoming known as “Las Vegas for hicks” because of the tacky tourist attractions. But for a college student, these sites are not only free, but make for some great photo opportunities.

Also, something worth stopping at is one of the United States’ very few “Gravity Hills,” where gravity is defied, and people shrink and grow to different heights at a moment’s notice. Scientists say the natural balance is disrupted because of the ‘igneous’ rock in the hill, but you can be the judge.

For history buffs, moviegoers and lovers of the paranormal, Galena, Ill., is an excellent place to spend a day or two. Tucked into a valley in northwestern Illinois, Galena is home to an assortment of historical sites and events. The city itself has kept its old-school charm throughout the years, with brick-laid streets and buildings preserved from hundreds of years ago.

For the history buffs:

Galena gets some of its fame because of how many monumental people have lived there. Visitors can see the former homes of President Ulysses S. Grant and nine other civil war generals.

For the movie goers:

Galena has also proved an attractive site for Hollywood because of its winding streets and preserved look. No one can deny stepping onto an actual movie set where the greats once stood is pretty cool.

Most notably, “Field of Dreams” starring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones filmed there in 1989.

Gaily Gaily, the 1969 movie about a young reporter from Chicago also shot a few scenes in Galena. The bar scenes set in “downtown Chicago” were actually filmed on Main Street.

For paranormal seekers:

Who knows why Galena has been pegged with having such a spooky past, but ghost tours are plentiful here. Many of Galena’s hotels and mansions are said to be haunted, and seeing them isn’t a letdown. Simply looking at the old, creaky buildings is creepy enough, but hearing ghost stories in the middle of the night is bone chilling.

Galena has a variety of attractions to keep everyone entertained, but apart from those, simply walking around the town is an adventure in itself. The hilly town has paths leading every which way, and staircases to the sky. Unique shops and restaurants line Main Street, and a river flows through the middle of town.

OK, so Wisconsin’s Door County isn’t exactly a little-known secret. Tourists travel from far and wide to roam Wisconsin’s thumb. At first glance, Door County looks like a cluster of little towns named after fish, all of which are occupied by retired folks who didn’t make it to Florida and are visited by rich people from Chicago who want to see some grass and take their yacht out for the day. Yeah, about 75 percent of the people who actually do live up there throughout the year probably are most likely over the age of 65. And the majority of the “tourists” actually own their own cottage looking over the bay. So why would a college student ever want to spend a weekend there? Simple - if you know where to go and what to, you can avoid dishing out tons of cash. Door County is popular for various reasons:

Cherry picking

Wine

The state parks

Shopping

 All of which are worthwhile, but some inexpensive fun also includes:

Mini-golfing at the Fun Park in Egg Harbor

Visiting Whitefish Dunes in Jacksonport

Skyway Drive-in Movie Theater in Fish Creek

 For some amazing food, two restaurants come highly recommended: Wilson’s in Ephraim and Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay. Both are easy to find because of either the ease of access or the goats on the roof. Yes, Al Johnson’s roof is made of grass and during the warmer months, goats populate the hills above.

Many of the area’s beaches are free, another good option for someone wishing they were near an ocean.

No one wants to look back years after graduation and only remember sitting in a classroom trying to listen to a professor speak in a monotone voice about the study of plant cells. Everyone says it — the most memorable moments of college are the weekend road trips taken with a group of friends. But where to go if you live in the Midwest, an area known as the flat lands, a place where cows are more populous than people and buildings are outnumbered by corn fields? At least, that’s what most people think of when they hear “Midwest.”

In reality, many places in the fly-over country would make a perfect road trip. OK, sure, a tree might be the most exciting thing you’ll see from the car window on the way, but after reaching the destination, not only will unique photo opportunities take place, but the experiences will become the reason going to college was worth the money and late nights of studying nuclear physics.

This blog will do all the work for you. Instead of spending hours pouring over Web sites looking for events to go to, stop here. Each week, we’ll feature a different state and little known places to visit and what to do when you get there. All of these road trips will cost next to nothing; we are in college after all. Besides, who wants to tell people they went to Key West, Fla. for spring break, when a much more interesting story will stem from going to a little town called Knockemstiff, Ohio?