The Iowa state contender for largest pan in the world oddly only comes in second or so.

One of Chicago's last seafood smokehouses perfects a dying breed of fishcraft.

River pirates, murderous bandits, and serial killers used this Illinois cave as their debauched hideout.

A historic and oft-filmed prison stands in a Chicago suburb.

A hidden barn-sized rendition of Grant Wood's most famous, and most parodied, painting.

Known as the "Cross At The Crossroads," this massive metal cross is just short enough to avoid the FAA.

Man-made geyser that rises to the exact height of the Gateway Arch.

During the 19th-century, this park was a vital trading fort.

This botanical garden outside Chicago boasts an array of more than 300 varieties of lilacs.

The world's second largest rocking chair is found on Route 66 in Cuba... Missouri.

An unlikely Transcendental Meditation haven in the American Heartland built around the ancient Vedic principles of balance and harmony.

This national park dedicated to the tallgrass prairie ecosystem still displays its military past.

A warning to the weak-kneed: This narrow bridge does its swinging eight stories high.

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

While there are no actual snakes in the history of this crooked road, there may be a number of dead horses.

Giant works of art interspersed throughout meadows and woodlands offer a new discovery at every turn.

What was once a presidential estate is now an exotic menagerie and home to the Budweiser Clydesdales.

This titanic oil company sign is a reminder of the Americana boom of the 1970s and also its commoditization.

One of the world's earliest skyscrapers.

This folk art wall claims to be the world's one and only memorial to the bygone age of hippies.

The multinational Burger King chain is banned from operating within 20 miles of a family restaurant filed under the same name.

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

This abandoned 19th century orphanage started as a boarding school for children of Civil War veterans.

The country music legend's grave is surrounded by Astroturf because fans kept plucking out the grass.