An unexpected but incredible collection of wildlife dioramas spanning rainforests, swamps, forests, and plains.

A whimsical folk art garden full of punny pieces and a diorama containing 3,500 toys.

In the Shawnee National Forest, amazing rock formations peer through the treeline.

Where the author wrote her beloved "Little House" books.

You have to love a museum with a truly dedicated focus. A focus on Superman, for example.

Planes, trains, and automobiles have all been sunk as attractions at this Illinois diving spot.

The deepest spring in Missouri.

In the loving memory of a tragically deceased role-player this Illinois park is decked out with both dungeons and dragons.

Erosion and time have created a naturally-formed water park.

In the St. Francois Mountains in the Ozarks at 1,772 feet above sea level, Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest (and possibly oldest) peak in Missouri.

Giant granite rocks standing end-to-end like a train of circus elephants.

A subterranean haunt where wine and homemade biscottis are always on the menu.

The world's largest man-made underground caverns offer unparalleled underwater wonders.

400 million-year old limestone caverns nestled in the Ozarks served as shelter and a hideout for cultures throughout North American history.

Oversized statues are just the tip of this nostalgic Americana roadside attraction.

This life-size bronze statue remembers the tallest recorded human in his Illinois hometown.

Quirky water tower advertises the long-gone Brooks Tomato Products Co.

A mythical bird etched into the face of a rock doubles as the mascot for a nearby school.

Fresh wooden posts have been added to ancient holes to recreate a primitive henge clock.

Once one of the world's great cities, Cahokia was a place of religious worship, trade and mass human sacrifice before being mysteriously abandoned.

Who said a biker bar is no place for a taxidermy squirrel collection?

Entombed in this strange, white stone hill are the deadly remains of radioactive weapons production.

A late sculptor's last project was to turn this abandoned cement factory into a castle-themed amusement park.

This wooded grove of beautiful hand-built stone grottos is a hidden gem within a shuttered Franciscan monastery.