Places Avalon Wants to Go

A sprawling outdoor museum filled with larger-than-life works of art.

This architectural stunner is one of the few surviving Egyptian Revival theaters in the U.S.

Not to be confused with the iconic New York City skyscraper, this Chicago building is a vibrant hub for artists.

An eccentric park and pool.

Rifle through images of skyscrapers, Worlds Fairs, and more in the largest public postcard repository in America.

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

This landmark of the Chicago silent film industry may not be in the picture business anymore but it still stands proudly.

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

This historic-shipwreck-cum-diving-spot can still be seen poking its boiler out of the Lake Michigan waters that claimed it.

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

This abandoned 19th century orphanage started as a boarding school for children of Civil War veterans.

A curious collection of miniatures in a quiet corner of the Chicago Children's Museum.

This urban drawbridge gained eternal pop culture fame when the Blues Brothers jumped it while it was raised.

Cold War missile launch site which has been converted to a public park.

Former bath house turns gastropub.

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

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

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

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

You can take a class, browse the library, or visit the lavish lair of an international men's humor society.

Quirky water tower advertises the long-gone Brooks Tomato Products Co.

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

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

One of the last functioning antique elevators in Chicago.