Places GINGERTRAVELS Wants to Go

The name is a dubious distinction for the man who ordered a full retreat during what is considered the first engagement of the Black Hawk War.

Volo Bog is the only open-water quaking bog in Illinois, and also the southernmost open-water quaking bog in North America to exhibit all stages of bog succession.

Collection of over 1,000 rare and vintage bicycles.

A goofy attempt to generate business for a repair shop turned into one of Ottawa's favorite tourist attractions.

The oldest operating hotel in Illinois enjoys a historic (and some say haunted) past.

Admire impressively detailed models of everything from a Pennsylvania Dutch kitchen to the world's smallest Swiss Army Knife.

Everything good comes from Uranus

Built in 1933, this unique ballroom is nicknamed the "floating dance floor."

Picturesque and haunting, these 160-year-old stone ruins on top of a bluff are the only remains of a settler's legacy.

Built by an accountant with a dream of running a grand resort, this estate has sat vacant for over half a century.

The secluded resting place of a local historical figure who perished during the sinking of the Titanic.

The museum houses one of the world's largest collections of glass paperweights.

At this Wisconsin museum there are real ducks, fake ducks, duck calls and a Duck Blind.

Where experiments are conducted on all things wood.

The site of an ancient Mississippian settlement that appears to have flourished during the 10th to 13th centuries.

The final resting place of one of Thomas Jefferson's formerly enslaved sons.

A 100-year-old chair with joints "cemented by nature."

Prayers and messages of hope decorate the ceramic tiles of this pavilion.

The tunnel that runs beneath this former inn was once a hiding place for enslaved people seeking freedom.

Sip whey-based vodka at the first Native-owned distillery opened on a reservation in centuries.

A museum celebrating the self-taught artist-environment builder.

The only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structure in the architect's hometown.

Walk up a ramp through a forest for panoramic views of Lake Michigan.

Meet the "Green Monster" of Monico, Wisconsin.