It was originally part of a "terrible lizards" collection at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

One of the most powerful computers in the world can be visited by anyone who wants to experience more computing than they can handle.

This abstract sculpture is rumored to cast a hammer-and-sickle shadow once a year.

Once at the center of U.S. finance, the historic Trading Room was meticulously recreated piece by piece and rebuilt in the Art Institute.

These chunky stone towers out in Lake Michigan are the key to Chicago’s drinking water.

Illegal drag racing two stories beneath Chicago’s streets.

Theater has had many different incarnations but has survived the ravages of time.

This historic Illinois "Muffler Man" has been converted from axe-touting lumberjack to rocket-wielding space ace.

A Chicago Movie Palace Lost to Time.

The park that the Chicago Stockyards built.

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

Man-made geyser that rises to the exact height of the Gateway Arch.

A goddess-topped water fountain in Chicago was created thanks to the dreams of a thirsty newsboy.

Today this bizarre rooftop phone booth seems like a piece of kitsch but it was once used to spot disastrous storms.

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

The world's third-largest scale model of the planets.

This cheerfully-named branch of the Chicago River is the fetid result of years of blood, entrails, and meatpacking waste.

While he no longer has an eatery to give him context, this off-brand Paul Bunyan still holds his giant hot dog with pride.

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

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

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

Fragments of architectural wonders from around the globe are embedded in the newspaper building's walls.

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

Former bath house turns gastropub.