267 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Illinois - Atlas Obscura
What's near me?
All   /  United States   /  Illinois
The Atlas Obscura Guide To

Illinois

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

Cities

Unusual Attractions in Illinois

Unique Food & Drink in Illinois

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Chicago

Just when you thought you knew the Windy City, it finds new ways to surprise you.

View Itinerary
Atlas Obscura Itineraries
Chicago
Just when you thought you knew the Windy City, it finds new ways to surprise you.
View this Itinerary
Join Faier (Henry Darger Room Collection at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art)

Community Forums / United States / US: Midwest

Top Discussions in the US: Midwest Travel Forum

Post Replies Views Activity
7-10 day July 2019 Holiday in Chicago
AFJAGExplores tyler Ssshannon amkbrenner
 		13
Silver Dome Ballroom
AtlasObscura lewbryson
 		14
Shaker Lemon Pie
AtlasObscura WhiskeyBristles EricGrundhauser sontaron
 		10
The Archduke of Austria's Michigan Grave
AtlasObscura hzoi talbotcrichton
 		10
Two-Story Outhouse
AtlasObscura
 		9
New Post Visit the Forum

Explore Illinois

Launch Map

Upcoming Illinois Events

Guide Adam Selzer on a 2018 cruise
Jun 18
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.
Mysterious Chicago.
Jun 19
Chicago, Illinois

Architecture of Mysterious Chicago

Author Adam Selzer highlights the histories and unsolved mysteries of the city's landmarks.
Famous authors have lived in homes like these in Wicker Park
Jun 21
Chicago, Illinois

Mansions, Merchants and Mystery: Hunting for the History of Wicker Park

A historic and “Google-proof” scavenger hunt, set in Chicago’s Wicker Park.
Taylor Street is packed with strange history.
Jun 23
Chicago, Illinois

The Darker Side of History: Taylor Street

Travel the same stretch of Little Italy that was home to some of Chicago's most notorious mobsters.
Will these hops be a hit?
Jun 26
Evanston, Illinois

A Battle of the Bizarre Brews

Taste your way through a delightfully strange sampling of craft beers paired with a five-course meal inside a former fire station.
Cuttlefish with ticket.
Jun 27
Chicago, Illinois

Cephalopod Movie Night With Science Friday

Join the Science Friday crew to celebrate Cephalopod week with libations and an immersion into the underwater world of these strange, tentacled creatures.
Graffiti Garden St. Louis Viaduct
Jun 29
Chicago, Illinois

The Graffiti Garden: A Street Art Walk & Talk

Join artist Stephanie Garland to experience this collection of more than 70 vibrant outdoor murals.
Chicago Fire Boat.
Jul 6
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Fire Boat Tour

Climb aboard one of Chicago's most valuable pieces of firefighting equipment as you learn about its rich, 80-year history.
The front of a meticulously restored "transportable" instrument.
Jul 11
Barrington Hills, Illinois

Whimsy and Wonder at The Place de la Musique

Explore a secret wonderland of antique music machines and Victorian ephemera at the Sanfilippo Estate's private home and museum.
Inside The Tivoli.
Jul 13
Downers Grove, Illinois

Tour the Tivoli, the Wonder Theater of Suburban Chicago

Discover what separates this classic cinema from others in the Chicago area.
Cornfield sunset.
Jul 27
Cabery, Illinois

Cosmic Cornfields

Immerse yourself in a world of ancient aliens, esoteric thought, and sustainability—all in the Illinois heartland.
Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina Cohn
Aug 24
Chicago, Illinois

Oddities Flea Market: Exclusive VIP Presale Tickets

The legendary Oddities Market by Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina Cohn is coming to Chicago, and Atlas Obscura has your ticket to skip the line and get in early!

Illinois Leaderboard

Recent Illinois Activity

jbdear wants to go to Green Mill Jazz Club
jbdear has been to North Avenue Baths Facade
kim135 has been to Wicker Park
geckoguy15 has been to Carroll Avenue
geckoguy15 has been to Haymarket Square

Stories About Illinois

Felicia on the job.

Why Physicists Tried to Put a Ferret in a Particle Accelerator

Felicia had a job to do.
by Jen Pinkowski
April 02, 2019
Monks Mound at Cahokia.

How Did Cahokian Farmers Feed North America’s Largest Indigenous City?

Native American farming was more sophisticated than your history textbook told you.
by Reina Gattuso
March 28, 2019
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