From Chicago's sky-high architecture to lakeside wildernesses, the Great Lakes states provide the perfect backdrop for a road trip into the heart of the USA.
The region, often referred to as America's fourth coast, is made for exploration. It clusters around lakes Erie, Superior, Huron, Ontario and Michigan, and has the fabled Route 66 rising out of the Chicago suburbs on its march west.
The region is made for road trips, so follow Route 66 into Abraham Lincoln's old stomping ground, south of Chicago. Soak up the charm of the highway's diners while learning about the President and visit the Henry Ford Museum, which houses JFK's limousine and George Washington's camp bed from the revolutionary war.
In Detroit, head to the Institute of Arts for 100 galleries of art and culture, and then visit the abandoned Michigan Central Station. This former transport hub now provides a gritty backdrop to films such as Transformers.
But while the cities of Chicago and Detroit are perfect jumping-off points for your classic American road trip, there is so much more to explore outside of the cities in the states of Michigan and Illinois. The lakes region also takes in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Each state offers its own blend of exquisite scenery, buzzing city life, natural beauty, culinary delights, music, architecture and quirky roadside photo opportunities. Wherever you go and whatever you do in the region, the Great Lakes are always there as your constant and perfect companions.
Sweet home Chicago
Whether you're peering down from the Willis Tower or looking up at the vaulted glass ceiling of the Lincoln Park Conservatory, Chicago's art and architecture reflects America's buzzing heart. With street art on every corner, a bustling theatre scene, shopping on the Magnificent Mile and, arguably, the finest pizza in America, there is plenty to delve into. Sports fans will be rapt watching a Chicago Bulls game, while for culture lovers there is the Art Institute of Chicago and Anish Kapoor's bean-shaped Cloud Gate sculpture. Take in a lecture at the city's art deco Civic Opera House or learn improvisation from possibly the finest comedy school in the world, Second City, which has taught the likes of Jon Belushi, Tina Fey and Mike Myers since 1959.
Where Motown was born
Detroit has nurtured some of the most popular performers, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstine and John Lee Hooker. Take a tour of the Motown Museum, housed in the building where the record label began. The Detroit Blues Society holds live events across the city, while the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, in Cleveland, Ohio, has Jimi Hendrix's Stratocaster and Janis Joplin's jewellery.
Call of the wild
The trails on Isle Royale on Lake Superior and its scattering of small islands boast such unique flora and fauna that they form a designated United Nations International Biosphere Reserve. The Pictured Rocks national lakeshore is a protected wilderness covering 42 miles of shore along Lake Superior (above). The Pictured Rocks cliffs can be seen via a short cruise or on foot, and a hike to Chapel beach is well worth the effort. Adventure seekers will love Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park. Formed by glaciers in the last ice age and named after French colonial fur traders, the park offers a plethora of activities.
Missing: an entire nation
Ponder the fate of the Cahokia civilisation as you stroll through the remnants of one of the largest ancient cities. The Unesco World Heritage-listed Cahokia Mounds, in St Louis, Illinois, was occupied between AD800 and AD1350, and, at one time, was bigger than any European city. But the people who built it appear to have vanished, leaving archaeologists to piece together who they were from relics in the 120 earthen mounds scattered across the 3,950-acre site.
