A Japanese temple, old German townhouses, and public chess tables offer a peaceful escape from the bustle of the North Side.

A gothic church spire sits atop this skyscraper, the tallest church in the world.

This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.

The 30,000-volume library is one of the world's most impressive poetry collections.

Hidden on the 7th floor of a historic building, this Cajun spot features wall-to-wall bottles of hot sauce.

Assemble a masterpiece at the first and only North American school exclusively dedicated to mosaic art.

A historic beacon built in the aftermath of the worst maritime disaster on the Great Lakes.

The iconic Chicago sculpture hides a beautiful and easily overlooked plaque on the backside.

Each of these gorgeous, intricately decorated rooms is painstakingly crafted to the scale of 1 inch: 1 foot.

This massive stained-glass masterpiece is thought to be the largest Tiffany dome in existence.

Rifle through images of skyscrapers, Worlds Fairs, and more in the largest public postcard repository in America.

Small and slightly hidden, the American Writers Museum is preserving the legacy of America's finest authors.

At Chicago's revered Field Museum, visitors are invited to learn about and literally explore DNA.

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

Train cars and railroad artifacts abound at this restaurant devoted to railway history.

What's left of the ruins of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, or World's Fair, also known as the White City.

This awkward aquarium sculpture is one of the strangest statues in Chicago.

A shining sculpture made of 3,115 lights, the number of visible stars in the Northern Hemisphere.

This unauthorized stone mermaid was secretly carved out of public stone before being permanently preserved.

Partially submerged Buddha heads freckle Chicago’s neighborhoods.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

A 19th-century horse lover's bequest led to the construction of this unique fountain in Chicago.

The restored ferry is now a dockside museum and a unique bed and breakfast.

House built with over 60,000 glass bottles.