Places aerynriver Wants to Go

A sprawling historic mansion with connections to a notable industrial and publishing dynasty.

In Chicago, an empty relic of a time when neighborhood zoos were more common.

The oldest purpose built museum in Illinois, home to original Victorian taxidermy.

This small-town opera house has appeared much more in national culture and history than its charming setting might suggest.

The owners of this Victorian-era estate say it’s still visited by the spirits of long-gone residents.

A section in the cemetery mostly for circus performers, including victims of the famous 1918 Hammond Circus train wreck.

This church doubles a museum dedicated to Norwegian heritage.

A natural sandstone bridge nestled within a mature forest in southern Illinois.

This horror movie and monster shop is like if a haunted house was a retail store.

This graveyard is home to the so-called "Witch's Circle."

Chicago’s last original drive-in restaurant is a family-run hot dog joint that started in 1948.

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

A taxidermy “mermaid,” vampire-killing kits, and hundreds of other bizarre objects are housed at this quirky museum.

The only place in America where anyone who wants can shovel coal aboard an antique train.

In a grove of fast growing walnut trees outside Paris, Illinois, a marker shares the story of a fictional road building culture.

Grand opera on a miniature scale.

An amazing collection of scale model ships.

People escaping slavery passed through the oldest house in Lombard, Illinois on their northbound journey to freedom.

An exhibit of items from the mental institution where Mary Todd Lincoln lived after her son conspired to have her committed.

Planes, trains, and automobiles have all been sunk as attractions at this Illinois diving spot.

Also known as the Osaka Garden, this garden was originally built in 1893 as part of the World's Columbian Exposition.

This softly rounded mansion was built without corners not to avoid evil spirits, but to make them more comfortable.

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

This cemetery is all that remains of a school for "wayward" girls.