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

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

The beloved home to all publications indie, erotic, and punky.

This whimsical Oz-themed park had a wonderful impact on the surrounding neighborhood.

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.

A wonderfully strange collection of 500+ stuffed frogs doing people things.

The big toe of this towering monument to a Croatian national hero is worn from years of superstitious rubbing.

This titanic Catholic church in Chicago is also a refuge of the fictional cult-favorite wizard detective Harry Dresden.

This surprising gem is a world-class archeological museum hidden at the University of Chicago.

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

Hidden on the seventh floor of a historic building, this Cajun spot features wall-to-wall bottles of hot sauce.

A chance to follow in the footsteps of the word's most legendary animator.

A 400-foot-tall tall map of Chicago makes this once-ignored building stand out.

The last masonry skyscraper ever built reveals a transitional moment in architectural history.

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

A six-story-tall golden pyramid, surrounded by a moat.

Partially submerged Buddha heads freckle Chicago’s neighborhoods.

When you visit his grave, be sure to rub the Great Emancipator's nose for good luck.

This historic church is named for abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher and the ruse to arm his fellow abolitionists.

Once one of the world's great cities, Cahokia was a place of religious worship, trade and mass human sacrifice before being mysteriously abandoned.

This bar named after the world's first mixed cocktail was home to one of New Orleans' most notorious politicians.

This limestone cave offers an incredible view of the Río Grande de Arecibo valley.

Once the site of a Native American harvest festival, this humble clearing later played an invaluable role in the birth of jazz.

This distinctive Crescent City tradition dates back to the days of horse-drawn carriages.