A military museum and library dedicated to the citizen soldier.

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

No one knows how many bodies are in this vault in a Chicago public park.

An avant garde art museum at the University of Chicago.

Fragments of architectural wonders from around the globe are embedded in the newspaper building's walls.

An outdoor urban gallery of large-scale artworks by the world's most influential street artists.

Nonprofit art center that promotes outsider, intuitive, and self-taught art.

This is the last hand-cranked chain ferry of its kind in operation in the United States.

This lush 12-acre site was once named the finest Japanese garden in North America.

This historic Illinois "Muffler Man" has been converted from axe-touting lumberjack to rocket-wielding space ace.

The study has wall paneling from a 17th century ship.

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

Half-sized replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa built to honor Galileo.

Pizza with a side of fine art.

Designed by Alfred Caldwel, this landscape showcases his vision of a native garden.

A little-known subterranean street runs under some of the best-known buildings in Chicago's River North.

This memorial plaque remembers a strangely shallow maritime disaster known as "Chicago's Titanic."

Where dioramas can follow you home.

These pretty kitties killed and ate as many as 135 railway workers.

Illegal drag racing two stories beneath Chicago’s streets.

The last masonry skyscraper ever built reveals a transitional moment in architectural history.

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

This historic house museum that celebrates one of the world's most influential social reformers is also one of the most haunted locations in Chicago.

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