Places mattduesing Wants to Go

The carved remains of a 200-year-old oak tree memorialize the namesake of the iconic "Wizard of Oz" character.

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

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

This lush 12-acre site was once named the finest Japanese garden in North America.

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

Designed by Alfred Caldwel, this landscape showcases his vision of a native garden.

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

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

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

Tour the luxe "glass cage" that inspired and unnerved the architecture world upon its debut.

Take a break from all the boring business of death at this funeral home mini-golf course.

Spanking machines, fake goats, and more devices of humiliation are on display in this museum of fraternal initiation devices.

A sprawling outdoor museum filled with larger-than-life works of art.

A plaque marks a former safe house on the secret route, now hidden next to a McDonald's.

The multinational Burger King chain is banned from operating within 20 miles of a family restaurant filed under the same name.

Even with only two residents and one building, this tiny Illinois town is famous for its burgers.

A river with some unusual, and occasionally dangerous, habits.

You have to love a museum with a truly dedicated focus. A focus on Superman, for example.

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

The legacy of an unsolved, gruesome murder rests beneath the spans of this historic bridge.

Eclectic collection of rare and beautiful stones in a historic home.

A six-story-tall golden pyramid, surrounded by a moat.

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

Home to a protest movement, a bombing, and a dramatic change in labor history.