Places michaelamiller Wants to Go

Built in 1869, this now-retired structure looks more like a medieval fortress than a county lock-up.

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

This family driveway also serves as the highest point in Illinois.

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

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

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

Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.

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

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

Orthodox church partially financed by Tsar Nicolas II.

Arguably the best example of an authentic Dutch windmill in the United States, rivaling its counterparts in the Netherlands.

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

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

Quirky water tower advertises the long-gone Brooks Tomato Products Co.

The 40-year-old machine serves soda quicker than you can catch it for a mere 75 cents a pop.

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

A small abandoned and abused cemetery that has become a magnet for ghost hunters.

These mansions date back to Chicago's days as a brewer's paradise.

One-of-a-kind preserved ruins of an abandoned 1880s church in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

The final resting place of up to 6,000 Confederate soldiers, the largest mass grave in the Western Hemisphere.

The final resting place of the world's first nuclear reactor.

When you visit his grave, be sure to rub the Great Emancipator's nose for good luck.

Once one of the world's great cities, Cahokia was a place of religious worship, trade and mass human sacrifice before being mysteriously abandoned.

What may be America's largest classic video game arcade lurks inconspicuously in a Chicago suburb.