The city of Rockford, Illinois is symbolically protected by a quartet of fittingly stony sentinels.

This bridge was constructed from the remains of the first Ferris wheel.

Home to the world's largest refracting telescope and the birthplace of modern astrophysics.

Behind a modern brick exterior lies the oldest continuously-operating lunch-car diner in the United States.

A six-story-tall golden pyramid, surrounded by a moat.

The site of a 19th century "dream city" that almost rivaled Chicago before being swallowed by the Indiana sand dunes.

This tiny historic jail along Route 66 is the perfect fit for exactly one criminal and their partner-in-crime.

Moving, mind-blowing metal sculpture work of an outsider artist.

This stunning gothic ruin was a casualty of the Indiana steel industry crash.

This sprawling mini-golf empire is an impressive testament to a disappearing attraction.

Roses and other fascinating flora fill this garden built to commemorate Britain's immortal Bard.

The murals have transformed a residential alley into a vibrant drive-through gallery.

The first and only museum dedicated to stained glass and horology opened outside of Chicago in 2017.

Shop of curiosities with a dinosaur museum tucked in its basement.

This old steel industry company town has a tradition of parking cars on the sidewalk so people can walk in the narrow streets.

Take a break from all the boring business of death at this funeral home mini-golf course.

Chicago's museum dedicated to the history of bondage and fetishism is more textbook than titillation.

These chunky stone towers out in Lake Michigan are the key to Chicago’s drinking water.

This small, but long-running hobby club has built one of the largest model rail lines in the US.

A haunting statue called "Eternal Silence" has quite the reputation among visitors with active imaginations.

An enormous park-like oasis, full of famous Chicagoans' graves.

An antiquated German apothecary on Chicago's North Side.

Chicago's North Park Village was once the largest municipal sanatorium in the country.

All of Chicago's wood-paved streets are long gone but two alleys remain.