Places samanthamarie Wants to Go

Just outside Chicago, one of the few traditional Mongolian restaurants in the U.S. serves a misunderstood cuisine.

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

Where a brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel, and a recluse met one Saturday and changed their lives forever.

The oldest functioning restaurant in the state of Illinois, operating since 1847.

This former nursery supplied plants for the creation of Chicago's largest park.

Largest tulip festival in America, includes fireworks, a parade, and a carnival.

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

This is the last hand-cranked chain ferry of its kind in operation in the United States.

The park is home to the United States's only still-operating Dutch windmill.

Make a joyful noise with these contrabass chimes.

These five houses were built for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

A museum of carnival attractions where you are invited to ride the rides.

Hiding behind a grocery store is a spectacular cavern carved as part of an old limestone quarry.

Home of an evil witch famous within southern folklore.

A museum and gift shop in a small Illinois town commemorates the work of E.C. Segar and the local figures on whom he based his characters.

The hometown of Popeye's creator is littered with a growing collection of granite cartoon characters.

A key producer of charcoal iron in the early 1800s, the structure still stands today.

An old tree that is the final resting place for many pair of shoes.

A once-booming Mississippi River town with a history of racial violence is now eerie and mostly abandoned.

A natural sandstone bridge nestled within a mature forest in southern Illinois.

A whimsical folk art garden full of punny pieces and a diorama containing 3,500 toys.

Symbolic attempt to overcome the issues of life.

A 22-foot stainless steel quilting needle pays tribute to a local connection to fiber arts.

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