St. Louis, Missouri
Turtle Playground
This is not your typical jungle gym.
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
St. Louis, Missouri
This is not your typical jungle gym.
St. Louis, Missouri
One man's unrequited love stands in a glass box forever.
St. Louis, Missouri
The first rural cemetery west of the Mississippi is home to the elaborate tombs of St. Louis' local beer barons.
St. Louis, Missouri
A late sculptor's last project was to turn this abandoned cement factory into a castle-themed amusement park.
Livingston, Illinois
Oversized statues are just the tip of this nostalgic Americana roadside attraction.
Vandalia, Illinois
Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.
Effingham, Illinois
Known as the "Cross At The Crossroads," this massive metal cross is just short enough to avoid the FAA.
Springfield, Illinois
The empty tomb that houses the memories of Roy Bertelli's revenge.
Springfield, Illinois
When you visit his grave, be sure to rub the Great Emancipator's nose for good luck.
Springfield, Illinois
Abraham Lincoln's likeness rests at the top of this giant totem pole.
Springfield, Illinois
This diner serves Route 66 nostalgia and what it claims is the 'original' hot dog on a stick.
Lincoln, Illinois
The world's largest covered wagon is piloted by a giant Lincoln lawyer.
Lincoln, Illinois
Today this bizarre rooftop phone booth seems like a piece of kitsch but it was once used to spot disastrous storms.
Lincoln, Illinois
This colorful monument commemorates a little-known story from the life of Abraham Lincoln.
Atlanta, Illinois
While he no longer has an eatery to give him context, this off-brand Paul Bunyan still holds his giant hot dog with pride.
Atlanta, Illinois
A small museum celebrating the fiberglass giants that are icons of America's highways.
McLean, Illinois
Just off I-55 in McLean, Illinois, is a place where you can play over 100 arcade and pinball machines for 25-75 cents a pop.
Shirley, Illinois
Eclectic collection of rare and beautiful stones in a historic home.
Bloomington, Illinois
A giant wooden statue of one of the greatest pitchers in 19th-century baseball.
Bloomington, Illinois
The carved remains of a 200-year-old oak tree memorialize the namesake of the iconic "Wizard of Oz" character.
Normal, Illinois
This abandoned 19th century orphanage started as a boarding school for children of Civil War veterans.
Joliet, Illinois
What was once the second largest steel mill in the US is now a sprawling complex of modern ruins.
Willow Springs, Illinois
The final resting place of the world's first nuclear reactor.
Joliet, Illinois
A historic and oft-filmed prison stands in a Chicago suburb.