Here are some of the more interesting events, deals, websites and other travel tidbits that have come across our desk recently:
•Competitive mountain bikers will tackle the 2018 Bell’s Beer Iceman Cometh Challenge on Nov. 3. The 30-mile race runs from Kalkaska to Traverse City, Mich., on dirt roads, mountain bike tracks, abandoned railroad beds and the Vasa Nordic ski trail. The race attracts more than 4,000 riders. www.iceman.com
•“Literary Heroines: Their Times, Their Fashions” includes vignette displays of apparel and accessories that tell the story of different literary heroines from books such as “Pride and Prejudice,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “The Help,” and “Little Women.” The exhibit at the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa, will be on display through Jan. 4. The exhibit includes a section on “Hometown Heroines” that features recorded oral history excerpts from some successful women of the Quad Cities. http://tinyurl.com/y8ud8e7r
•In the spirit of the Halloween season, the Wisconsin tourism folks have put together lists of some of the state’s haunted houses (http://tinyurl.com/yapowkj9), ghost tours (http://tinyurl.com/y8rus743) and haunted historic hotels (http://tinyurl.com/yctj5v38).
•Opportunities to jam abound at the 28th annual Bluegrass Masters Weekend, Nov. 2-4 at the Lutsen Resort in Lutsen, Minn. Nov. 3 will be a full day of vocal workshops led by international performer Valerie Smith. She’ll join her band, Liberty Pike, for a performance that night. The other two days of the event are devoted to informal jamming. 218-387-1272, http://tinyurl.com/y8ubzbr6
•Realm of Terror, which has been highly rated among Illinois haunted houses, operates on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 28. The attraction in Round Lake Beach also will have a final Bloodbath on Nov. 3, with ponchos available. www.realmofterror.com
•Manistee County, Michigan, has a list of 14 self-guided tours in the county, including inland and coastal fall color outings, u-pick orchards and natural wonders. The county borders Lake Michigan and includes a portion of the Huron-Manistee National Forest. http://tinyurl.com/y74c5kha
•Check fall color in Iowa, find corn mazes, festivals, scenic byways and more at http://tinyurl.com/y7e5w746.
•Amtrak’s Hoosier State train runs four times a week between Indianapolis and Chicago, with stops in Crawfordsville, Lafayette, Rensselaer and Dyer. Through the end of the year you can get 15 percent off tickets with promo code V524. http://tinyurl.com/y8o6e44f
•Traverse City Beer Week, Nov. 9-16, celebrates the Michigan town’s 19 craft breweries, brewpubs and taprooms. Among special events will be a brewery tour, the Flapjack and Flannel Festival, the Great Beerd Run 5K and specials on beer and food. www.traversecity.com/tcbw
•For Jeep owners and fans, the seventh annual Jeep Creep will be held Oct. 26-28 at Riverwalk Place Resort & Spa in Gladwin, Mich. More than 600 Jeeps are expected, and there will be a Challenge Course to tackle. There will be family-friendly activities, live music, vendors selling off-road gear and more. http://tinyurl.com/y7n8o733
•Fantasticon, billed as the ultimate comic book and pop culture experience, will be held Oct. 27-28 at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The show is aimed at collectors of comic books, action figures and graphic novels. There’s also cosplay, with a costume contest for kids and adults. http://tinyurl.com/ybua5h4u
•The 27th annual St. Louis International Film Festival will be held Nov. 1-11 at a variety of venues. Hundreds of films will be screened, including international movies, documentaries, indies and shorts. Actor John Goodman will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award on Nov. 2, along with a screening of “The Big Lebowski” on its 20th anniversary. www.cinemastlouis.org
Deals and websites listed here have been checked for availability as of press time. Listings are not endorsements. Send tips at least a month in advance to ChicagoTribTravel@gmail.com.
Phil Marty is a freelancer.
