Places istnbl Wants to Go

This tiny historic jail along Route 66 is the perfect fit for exactly one criminal and their partner-in-crime.

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

This lagomorph-obsessed Route 66 emporium is home to a giant jackrabbit that sits in a bunny graveyard.

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

Partially submerged Buddha heads freckle Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Where dioramas can follow you home.

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

One of the few remaining relics of the meatpacking hub that made Chicago the "hog butcher to the world."

An abandoned observatory in the middle of the Illinois prairie.

A bloodstain from "the wound of the transverberation of the heart."

A historic beacon built in the aftermath of the worst maritime disaster on the Great Lakes.

This deceivingly ordinary warehouse hides an enormous collection of pop culture treasures.

The famous author's birthplace is preserved in a town that he once described as narrow-minded.

A military museum and library dedicated to the citizen soldier.

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

A hidden grotto on the grounds of the Kane County Government Center.

This cemetery is all that remains of a school for "wayward" girls.

The hometown of Popeye's creator is littered with a growing collection of granite cartoon characters.

This life-size bronze statue remembers the tallest recorded human in his Illinois hometown.

Museum dedicated to the art of cutting and polishing stones.

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

A historic and oft-filmed prison stands in a Chicago suburb.

First known as the "Sample House," this construction mash-up was meant to be a living catalogue of building styles.

Roses and other fascinating flora fill this garden built to commemorate Britain's immortal Bard.