Branson mo. Petoskey mi.

I'm another one who hates Chicago congestion. Too much chance of stop-and-go traffic. I would take I-44 east to I-57 north. Get off at Gilman and take US24 east to US41 north, then cut over on hwy 114 to I-65 north. I've gone this way a couple of times and it avoids nearly all the bad stuff. Then make your way up the west side of MI to Grand Rapids and pick up US131 north. (That is, unless you want to poke along the coastline to see lighthouses, sand dunes, and such.)

I have a niece in Petoskey, and my sister and BIL (her parents) just closed on a house up there too; they're retiring. Safe travels.

I would go the St.Louis-Indianpolis-Lansing route to avoid the mess around Chicago.

You can get an idea by going to www.maps.yahoo.com and putting in the start and destination. Michigan 31 is a two lane road in decent shape but two lanes are not what we are used to driving on.