Places toniamonkey Wants to Go

People escaping slavery passed through the oldest house in Lombard, Illinois on their northbound journey to freedom.

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

This historic Illinois "Muffler Man" has been converted from axe-touting lumberjack to rocket-wielding space ace.

The original Garfield station is the oldest station facility on the "L", with the station house dating from 1892.

The original vault that held the president's remains still stands, empty, not far from where he was finally buried.

A hidden grotto on the grounds of the Kane County Government Center.

It was originally part of a "terrible lizards" collection at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

The clothes-washing king doubles as a community center with some unusual features, including an aviary filled with finches.

This folk art wall claims to be the world's one and only memorial to the bygone age of hippies.

This cemetery is all that remains of a school for "wayward" girls.

This abstract sculpture is rumored to cast a hammer-and-sickle shadow once a year.

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

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

The dream home of an iconoclastic renaissance man still stands as a monument to his domestically mundane vision.

These chunky stone towers out in Lake Michigan are the key to Chicago’s drinking water.

This Mediterranean castle was built for a millionaire and his giant dog.

This lagomorph-obsessed Route 66 emporium is home to a giant jackrabbit that sits in a bunny graveyard.

This historic lavatory leftover features two levels of defecation stations completely without context.

This softly rounded mansion was built without corners not to avoid evil spirits, but to make them more comfortable.

This surprising gem is a world-class archeological museum hidden at the University of Chicago.

This awkward aquarium sculpture is one of the strangest statues in Chicago.

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

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

This tiny historic jail along Route 66 is the perfect fit for exactly one criminal and their partner-in-crime.