This tiny site in Iowa, part of a patchwork national wildlife refuge, is home to ancient flora and fauna.

This family driveway also serves as the highest point in Illinois.

A tribute to the twin ideals of religion and patriotism, built by a Catholic priest from rocks, glass, and innumerable found items.

Make a joyful noise with these contrabass chimes.

A relic of the Cold War in Chicago.

The final resting place of up to 6,000 Confederate soldiers, the largest mass grave in the Western Hemisphere.

A lone traffic cone perched on a ledge has remained unmoved since at least 2011, unofficially earning the status of a tiny Chicago landmark.

In 2004, a Dave Matthews Band tour bus dumped 800 pounds of waste off a bridge and onto an unsuspecting tour boat below.

Louis Sullivan’s dark, swirling cast-iron designs envelop a popular department store in this Chicago landmark.

The iconic Chicago sculpture hides a beautiful and easily overlooked plaque on the backside.

Partially submerged Buddha heads freckle Chicago’s neighborhoods.

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

Chicago's Navy Pier on Lake Michigan was a training hub for aircraft carrier pilots during WWII.

This was the first ever National Lakeshore, established in 1966.

Nonprofit art center that promotes outsider, intuitive, and self-taught art.

The faint remains of a Polish news empire still linger.

Odd, decrepit fountain honors Chicago author who had mixed feelings about his hometown.

Where old school Polish Chicago and young hipster Chicago live side by side.

Where Cusack's record store from the film "High Fidelity" was located.

Once called the "Polish Gold Coast" it is an icon of the neighborhood that bears its same name.

Walk in the footsteps of the famed astronaut at Purdue University.

It took 40 years to build this Eden-like garden in Marrakech, later restored by Yves Saint-Laurent.

World's largest film studio, where visitors tour the decaying sets that litter the harsh desert environment.

A fortified city, home to a remaining population of five families