Places hopemch Wants to Go

The study has wall paneling from a 17th century ship.

A Japanese temple, old German townhouses, and public chess tables offer a peaceful escape from the bustle of the North Side.

Over 1,000 pieces of one of the most niche art objects imaginable: the glass paperweight.

Its eclectic exhibits range from the world’s first motorcycle to Luke Skywalker’s Land Speeder.

In the Shawnee National Forest, amazing rock formations peer through the treeline.

A mini Wrigley Field for mini baseball players.

A former atom smasher turned into an art gallery.

A 19th-century horse lover's bequest led to the construction of this unique fountain in Chicago.

This odd stone memorial remembers a loyal dog who offended the rail barons with his speed and saved his master with his pee.

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

This simple gravestone remembers a pig who single-hoofedly raised $19,000,000 for the Navy.

This monolithic statue was erected in honor of Chief Black Hawk (even if it wasn't made to look like him).

A remote hill on a stretch of country road where the laws of physics are defied... or so it seems.

A metal ring in the middle of the road marks the exact spot where the Soviet satellite crash-landed in 1962.

The center of the only hemisphere that awards visitors with a commemorative coin.

This striking art museum holds an amazing series of curiosity cabinets.

Wisconsin's most celebrated export gets the royal treatment on I-94.

Hidden away in the city of Madison, Wisconsin is a nearly forgotten home that Frank Lloyd Wright built for a childhood friend.

The arboretum whose marshy soil sucked up the dreams of housing developers.

Vikings and Evangelicals have both had a hand in this replica medieval church.

This pebble beach is so beautiful that taking its rocks is against the law.

These molds for fiberglass statues have formed an eerie, accidental sculpture park.

These Great Lakes sea caves accessible by boat in the summer turn into temples of ice reachable by foot in the winter.

Robots, lasers, and whoopee cushions, oh my!