What It Is: One of the largest road-riding rallies on the planet, Americade is held in picturesque Lake George, N.Y., and features legendary roads in the 6-million-acre Adirondack National Park. It’s billed as a great motorcycle vacation, which it certainly is.

Why It’s Cool: Americade is a laid-back, road-riding touring destination with a family friendly atmosphere. Besides the great riding and camaraderie, the event offers a variety of activities including ghost tours, boat cruises, poker runs, fireworks, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, bike judging, a light parade and much more.

What You Wouldn’t Expect: Americade attracts thousands of motorcyclists, but the sound level of the machines is low—quiet bikes and responsible riding are the norm.

Bonus: Motorcyclist and comedian Alonzo Bodden will be the featured entertainer this year. Also, Americade has a long history of focusing on rider advocacy, activism and education, offering classes and seminars that benefit motorcyclists during the entire riding season.

Info: Americade.com

What It Is: AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, is one awesome event, featuring North America’s largest motorcycle-related swap meet, vintage racing, new bike demo rides and much, much more.

Why It’s Cool: It’s a happening enjoyed by tens of thousands of enthusiasts each year who can find just about anything they are looking for in a vintage motorcycle event, from old Indian motorcycles to 1980s motocrossers to café racers, national championship racing and heroes of yesteryear.

What’s Special: Since AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is the largest annual fund-raising event for the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which is located on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, the Hall of Fame pulls out all the stops to entertain and educate. Historic motorcycles, world-class speakers and entertaining displays are all part of the excitement.

Bonus: AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is just an hour and a half from the spectacular Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which features the main-floor Hall of Fame gallery and two other exhibits: “30-Year Ride: Honda’s Ohio-Made Motorcycles” and “Dirt-Track! All-American Racing.”

Info: AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com

What It Is: The Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally is a huge event in the town of Ruidoso, high in the Rocky Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The rally offers a great way to close out the riding season and start up new friendships.

Why It’s Cool: The great fall temperatures, roads twisting up into the mountains and shaded pines all combine to make this rally almost a spiritual experience. Plus, there’s 86,400-square-feet of trade show, five different poker runs/tours, bike judging, free meals and a new Harley-Davidson FLHR giveaway.

Unexpected: Any self-respecting alien hunter should make the 70-mile jaunt from Ruidoso to Roswell, N.M., to check out its rich history of extraterrestrials, and maybe catch a glimpse of who-knows-what!

Bonus: White Sands National Monument commemorates the area’s once-secret Manhattan Project history.

Info: MotorcycleRally.com

What It Is: The sister rally to the Golden Aspen Rally, the Aspencash Motorcycle Rally in Ruidoso, N.M., offers a great way to kick off the rally season in the Southwest.

Why It’s Cool: Besides the great mountain roads, Aspencash offers a $10,000 poker run, four-day trade show with 33,000 square feet of vendors and $10,000 in cash prizes.

Unexpected: The roads are magnificent. They run up to the top of Sierra Blanca Peak, which, as the highest point in southern New Mexico at 12,000 feet, is a must-do ride.

Bonus: The nearby Lincoln National Forest, with elevations ranging from 4,000 to 11,000 feet, consists of more than 1 million acres and four mountain ranges.

Info: MotorcycleRally.com

What It Is: The famed Laconia Motorcycle Week is on par with other mega-gatherings such as Daytona (Fla.) Bike Week and Sturgis in South Dakota. This is the 88th anniversary of this popular event, meaning organizers will be working overtime to make it the best ever.

Why It’s Cool: It’s a happening that attracts all types of machines, from tourers to customs to sportbikes to dual-sports. Hanging out at Weir’s Beach on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee is a Laconia Motorcycle Week tradition.

Unexpected: A Biker Build-Off at the Laconia Roadhouse offers an opportunity to watch the masters from six custom bike shops competing to build bikes for a big cash prize.

Bonus: Among the many activities during Laconia Motorcycle Week is a guided ride up Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States at 6,288 feet.

Info: LaconiaMCWeek.com

What It Is: Considered the "largest camping rally," the NBR is truly a Gypsy event, changing location each year and hosted by a different member club. Started in 1977 in Kansas City, Kan., this event is aimed at all makes and types of riders, with as diverse a following as any major rally in the United States.

Why It’s Cool: It’s never the same rally twice. Once in every 10 years, the NBR returns to Kansas City, Kan., where it has its roots.

Unexpected: This is truly a rider's rally. The NBR is governed with bylaws created by the motorcycle clubs that attend the rally and the Winter Meeting. Each year the event is re-created from the ground up.

Bonus: For the first time ever in Las Vegas, at the famous Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This rally will be hot in more ways than one!

What It Is: Escorted ride through the Black Hills to support the Sturgis Fire Dept.

Why It's Cool: Fantastic scenery and great roads - a must-do at Sturgis.

Unexpected: Local volunteers are responsible to protect the Sturgis area, even during one of the biggest rallies in the USA. Funds raised from this ride help maintain their equiment and make the entire rally possible.

Bonus: Make it a 2-fer and head down to Custer for the August 9th Mayor's Ride, too!

Info: SturgisMotorcycleRally.com/Mayor's Ride

What It Is: A three-day lifestyle event--which takes place at the base of the mountains in far northern California--is a fun, entertainment-rich motorcycle event for riders and non-riders.

Why It's Cool: This is a new and up-and-coming rally set in some of the most pristine and scenic areas of Northern California.

Unexpected:  The Redding Convention Center will be the site for the annual Redding Police Dept. Invitation Motor Competition.

Bonus: Check out the American Veterans Traveling Tribute featuring the Traveling Wall, an 80 percent scale version of the Viet Nam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. Across its 370-foot length, the wall lists the name of every American casualty from the war etched on its surface.

Info: BigBikeWeekend.com

What They Are: The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s national Ride For Kids program has become one of the most successful fund-raising efforts among motorcyclists in the nation. Held in cities throughout the country, Ride for Kids events feature phenomenal planning, great scenery, wonderful camaraderie and the opportunity to help a good cause—families struggling with the diagnosis and treatment of a child’s brain tumor.

Why They’re Cool: You feel good riding a motorcycle. You feel even better riding a motorcycle for a good cause, and sharing the experience with others.

Unexpected: It’s just too easy to make friends on these rides, especially with the patient-families.

Bonus: Participants have an opportunity to win a Honda motorcycle and other prizes.

Info: RideForKids.org

What It Is: This ride supports a favorite charity of motorcyclists—the March of Dimes—while educating people about the seriousness of premature birth and birth defects.

Why It’s Cool: This is another great opportunity for motorcyclists to ride for a good cause.

Bonus: Who wouldn’t want a chance to hang out with Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider?

Info: BikersForBabies.org