Places rainablackcat Wants to Go

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

The world's largest collection of the world's largest objects is in one small Illinois town.

Former hotel turned into haunted playground.

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

River pirates, murderous bandits, and serial killers used this Illinois cave as their debauched hideout.

Cemetery featuring rare glass-fronted columbarium.

The beloved home to all publications indie, erotic, and punky.

An antiquated German apothecary on Chicago's North Side.

A Bibliophile's Dream.

This morbid, delightful curiosity shop offers everything from animal bones to human teeth.

Former meatpacking facility turned vertical farm and sustainable business complex.

Beloved bar home to musicians of all eras and reputations.

A speakeasy takes on Chicago's drinking culture.

Museum covers every step of the chocolate-making process, from cultivation to the finished product.

This small window display is dedicated to the noble carrot.

First Nations’ foodways are front and center at this food truck-turned-brick-and-mortar.

This relatively recently abandoned brewery is a tragic reminder of the continuing effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Introducing the Green Fairy to her fawning masses.

Site of a former hidden treehouse in New Orleans.

A 200-year-old live oak on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain.

Some believe this tree to be more than 1,500 years old.

Located in a remote part of a Louisiana wildlife refuge, this tree has been standing for more than 1,200 years.

The LSU mascot lived on the college campus in one of the most impressive tiger habitats in the country.

A Cajun-style Christmas on the river also involves sky-high pyres and explosives.