All United States Illinois

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Illinois

325 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Illinois

Updated May 16, 2023

Email

Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Alton
  2. Alto Pass
  3. Arcola
  4. Ashmore
  5. Batavia
  6. Bloomington
  7. Brookfield
  8. Cairo
  9. Chester
  10. Chicago
  11. Collinsville
  12. Des Plaines
  13. East St. Louis
  14. Evanston
  15. Freeport
  16. Galena
  17. Geneva
  18. Joliet
  19. Lincoln
  20. Lombard
  21. Mattoon
  22. Maywood
  23. Oak Park
  24. Paris
  25. Park Ridge
  26. Peoria
  27. Rockford
  28. Springfield
  29. Urbana
  30. Wilmington
  31. Woodstock

Unusual Attractions in Illinois

See All 325 Things To Do in Illinois

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Illinois

See all 10 Places to Eat in Illinois
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

A Feminist Road Trip Across the U.S.

Atlas Obscura has a tradition of exploring the stories of women who changed the world, from wildlife biologists and mountain climbers to Civil War spies and tattoo artists. To celebrate these daring women who struck out on their own, we’ve put together a cross-country road trip. Over 12 stops and more than 3,000 miles, this route will give you a front-row seat to women’s history in America.

View Itinerary

Explore Illinois

Architectural Oddities 27
Shops 25
Museums And Collections 25
Statues 25
History 23
Art 23
Sculptures 21
Collections 20

Illinois Leaderboard

Recent Illinois Activity

Stories About Illinois

Podcast: Phone Booth on a Roof

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team

Podcast: Leaning Tower of Niles

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
Kevin Dzurny, chief cartographer at Replogle Globes, has to keep things up to date—and keep certain countries happy.

How a Globemaker Navigates a Digital World

“It’s kind of a joke, but in some sense, I almost feel like I could start a war.”
by Lauren Vespoli
Teenage T. rex would still have been plenty fearsome.

How a 70-Year-Old Dino-Size Mystery May Have Finally Been Solved

Was it a teenage T. rex or another species entirely?
by Isaac Schultz
If you squint, you might just see the Kincaid Mounds shimmer.

The Glittery Legacy of Lead at a Historic Native American Site

A shiny mineral called galena, once prized by the Mississippian people, left its mark on the soil.
by Sabrina Imbler
The Masonic Temple in Aurora, pictured here in 2014, sat vacant for about a decade before it went up in flames in early October.

The Grandeur of Old Masonic Temples Also Makes Them Vulnerable to Fires

They're hard to reuse, and can be quick to burn.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
Some of the treasures found in the pilfered wallets.

Found: 15 Wallets From the 1940s, Stolen and Stashed Behind a Bathroom Wall

The cash is gone, but a lot of memories remain.
by Matthew Taub
Felicia on the job.

Why Physicists Tried to Put a Ferret in a Particle Accelerator

Felicia had a job to do.
by Jen Pinkowski

Lists Featuring Illinois

Rats of Karni Mata Temple
Paxton Gate Exterior
Albino Squirrels of Olney, Illinois

A Rat Lover's Tour of the World

15 places where rodents are celebrated, feared, preserved, and studied.

15

Including Karni Mata Temple, Nutty Narrows Bridge, and Paxton Gate

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads and no pop-ups.

Learn More