The world's third-largest scale model of the planets.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A plaque marks a former safe house on the secret route, now hidden next to a McDonald's.

Tour the luxe "glass cage" that inspired and unnerved the architecture world upon its debut.

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

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

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

Oversized statues are just the tip of this nostalgic Americana roadside attraction.

A river with some unusual, and occasionally dangerous, habits.

Eclectic collection of rare and beautiful stones in a historic home.

World's second largest particle accelerator, where nature reveals its secrets.

The 40-year-old machine serves soda quicker than you can catch it for a mere 75 cents a pop.

The mysterious white squirrels of this Illinois city are treated like sacred cows.

The world's largest collection of the world's largest objects is in one small Illinois town.

What may be America's largest classic video game arcade lurks inconspicuously in a Chicago suburb.

Recognized the world over as the home of the McCallisters in the 1990 movie "Home Alone."

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