Today this bizarre rooftop phone booth seems like a piece of kitsch but it was once used to spot disastrous storms.

A goddess-topped water fountain in Chicago was created thanks to the dreams of a thirsty newsboy.

A bloodstain from "the wound of the transverberation of the heart."

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

One of the few remaining relics of the meatpacking hub that made Chicago the "hog butcher to the world."

This deceivingly ordinary warehouse hides an enormous collection of pop culture treasures.

The hometown of Popeye's creator is littered with a growing collection of granite cartoon characters.

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

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

An abandoned observatory in the middle of the Illinois prairie.

First known as the "Sample House," this construction mash-up was meant to be a living catalogue of building styles.

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

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

Spanking machines, fake goats, and more devices of humiliation are on display in this museum of fraternal initiation devices.

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

Its eclectic exhibits range from the world’s first motorcycle to Luke Skywalker’s Land Speeder.

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

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

Former bath house turns gastropub.

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

An actual 1957 Cadillac De Ville, encased in 15 cubic yards of concrete.

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

Where old school Polish Chicago and young hipster Chicago live side by side.

Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.