236 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Illinois - Atlas Obscura
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The Atlas Obscura Guide To

Hidden Illinois

Discover 236 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Illinois

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Unusual Attractions in Illinois

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Mayslake Hall's front door.
Jun 23

Oak Brook, Illinois

Peabody's Mansion

Tour the grounds of an incredible estate, featuring unparalleled architecture, murmurous monks, and tales of a curious corpse.
Not for the faint of heart!
Jun 30

Chicago, Illinois

SCANDAL! A Pearl-Clutching Tour of Chicago’s Gilded Age Drama

Discover the shocking history of late 19th-century Chicago on this decidedly fabulous walking tour.
Resurrectionists in the process of digging up a fresh corpse.
Jul 3

Chicago, Illinois

Grave Robbing 101

Tour relics of the old city cemetery and learn all you need to know to launch YOUR career as a 19th-century body snatcher—today!
Along The Astonishing Architecture Boat Tour.
Jul 12

Chicago, Illinois

The Astonishing Architecture Boat Tour

Atlas Obscura presents a very special twist on Chicago's beloved architecture boat tours, revealing the unknown tales hidden inside the city's most famous landmarks and locations.

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Recent Illinois Activity

theresezimmerman wants to go to Dixie Square Mall
theresezimmerman wants to go to Peoria State Hospital
theresezimmerman wants to go to Lawndale Theater
theresezimmerman wants to go to Armour Meatpacking Plant
theresezimmerman wants to go to Couch Tomb

Stories About Illinois

The Route 66 record holder was bested by a bigger rocking chair in Illinois.

How the U.S. Lost the Title for the World's Largest Chair

After a century of states battling it out for the honor, the current record holder is in... Austria.
by Kavya Ram Mohan
June 22, 2017
A "sea devil" from Icones animalium (1553).

Where to Find the World's Best Hometown Monsters

Here are 25 places to see yetis, sea monsters, Sasquatch, and other cryptids.
by Molly McBride Jacobson
February 24, 2017

Lists Featuring Illinois

A Rat Lover's Tour of the World
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