Places rbowptown Wants to Go

The lowest point in the state of Illinois, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

The only place in America where anyone who wants can shovel coal aboard an antique train.

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

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.

Museum dedicated to the art of cutting and polishing stones.

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

This architectural stunner is one of the few surviving Egyptian Revival theaters in the U.S.

An eccentric park and pool.

The first and only museum dedicated to stained glass and horology opened outside of Chicago in 2017.

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

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

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

World's second largest particle accelerator, where nature reveals its secrets.

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

Oversized statues are just the tip of this nostalgic Americana roadside attraction.

What was once the second largest steel mill in the US is now a sprawling complex of modern ruins.

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

This sprawling mini-golf empire is an impressive testament to a disappearing attraction.

This elaborate Hindu temple is located in a Chicago suburb, but looks like it was transported directly from India.

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

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

This overgrown Illinois water park offers a whole new type of adventure.

Former hotel turned into haunted playground.