Places megkaczynski Wants to Go

Burial mounds of prehistoric Native Americans who lived along the DuPage River.

The remains of a Rockefeller's lush Italianate estate hidden in the underbrush on the coast of Lake Michigan.

Recognized the world over as the home of the McCallisters in the 1990 movie "Home Alone."

A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.

An enormous park-like oasis, full of famous Chicagoans’ graves.

A lush green oasis in the middle of Chicago.

This art gallery and oddities boutique bewitches visitors with a trove of occult trinkets and eccentric antiques, work by an ever-changing roster of underground artists, and classes in tarot and other mystic arts.

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

A Bibliophile's Dream.

A speakeasy takes on Chicago's drinking culture.

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

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

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

At Chicago's revered Field Museum, visitors are invited to learn about and literally explore DNA.

The C. A. Nothnagle Log House stands as the oldest surviving log cabin in the United States, offering a remarkable glimpse into America's colonial past.

This semi-spooky remnant of an abandoned hotel provides fantastic views.

An award-winning children’s garden enchants visitors at the intersection of natural beauty and fairy tales.

These small house replicas have stood proudly since the 1950s, even as the property has changed hands.

This historic boathouse was constructed using salvaged lumber from burned barns.

The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.

A wondrous old library overlooking the nation's capital.

For 60 years, the academy had no permanent location until members voted Washington D.C. as its forever home.

This stately mansion, built in 1787 by America's first Secretary of the Navy, is rumored to be one of the most haunted buildings in Washington, DC.

This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.