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

Illinois

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

Cities

Unusual Attractions in Illinois

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Chicago: A Weekend Guide for the Curious Traveler

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

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Unique Food & Drink in Illinois

Explore Illinois

Launch Map

Upcoming Illinois Events

New info has been discovered about Inez.
Apr 20
Chicago, Illinois

Graceland Cemetery Walking Tour

Explore both the celebrated and overlooked histories of Graceland Cemetery.
Resurrectionists in the process of digging up a fresh corpse.
Apr 23
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!
Here be monsters.
Apr 25
Chicago, Illinois

Carta Monstruosa - Weird, Wild, and Wonderful Maps

Discover Maps and Travel Ephemera at the Newberry Library.
Horn Speakers
Apr 27
Chicago, Illinois

Sound and Beauty: A Tour of Specimen Products

Join us for a one-of-a-kind visit to Ian Schneller’s magical workshop teeming with his finely tuned creations.
The sign for the Green Mill, a historic jazz lounge, on a rainy day.
Apr 28
Chicago, Illinois

Of Movie Palaces and Film Studios: Entertainment in Uptown

Explore film and entertainment history in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood.
Rabkin and Hoppy the Psychic Wonder Bunny wowing the audience with magic and miracles.
Apr 28
Chicago, Illinois

Sideshow and Sleight of Hand: A Showcase of Intrigue and Illusions

Join Atlas Obscura for an exclusive evening of magic and sideshow at Trickery Chicago.
The monument to Perkins Bass, who was fired from his job by President Andrew Johnson.
May 5
Chicago, Illinois

Rosehill Cemetery Walk

One of our most popular monthly events returns for the 2019 season!
Challengers Comics.
May 9
Chicago, Illinois

An Interactive History of Comics

Explore the history of comics, zines, & more at Challengers Comics.
Will these hops be a hit?
May 15
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.
Mentalist Jacob Mayfield gazes into his crystal ball
May 23
Chicago, Illinois

Psychic Speakeasy: An Evening of Mind Reading in Room 13

Join us for an intimate evening with a local mentalist inside a cozy, prohibition-themed speakeasy in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.
Apartment buildings came after the mansions.
May 26
Chicago, Illinois

Beaches, Landmarks, and Mansions: The Search for the Suburbs in Edgewater

Learn about the surprisingly suburban history of Edgewater in this brand new summer scavenger hunt.
A common site to all Chicagoans...and film buffs.
May 31
Chicago, Illinois

Location, Location, Location! A Scavenger Hunt for Movie Magic

Race to discover the Chicago locales featured in famous Hollywood films as we act as location scouts and travel to places near, far, and in-between during this thrilling, star-studded scavenger hunt.

Recent Illinois Activity

triumphofalltheoldmen wants to go to Bachelor's Grove Cemetery
david45jm wants to go to Damen Silos
misskodimlea misskodimlea has been to Joliet Correctional Center
misskodimlea misskodimlea has been to Joliet Iron and Steel Works (Joliet Iron Works Park)
s1k2bt s1k2bt wants to go to Onan's Gold Pyramid House

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
Jim Westerfield working in his Illinois garden during the summer.

The Plant Breeder Who Minted a New World of Flavor

Jim Westerfield created dozens of new culinary mints in his Illinois garden.
by Samantha Nobles-Block
July 27, 2018
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