Places toniamonkey Wants to Go

This life-size bronze statue remembers the tallest recorded human in his Illinois hometown.

To find the "unicorns of the deep" you've got to go downstairs.

In the loving memory of a tragically deceased role-player this Illinois park is decked out with both dungeons and dragons.

A bloodstain from "the wound of the transverberation of the heart."

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

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

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

Assemble a masterpiece at the first and only North American school exclusively dedicated to mosaic art.

This memorial plaque remembers a strangely shallow maritime disaster known as "Chicago's Titanic."

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

Not to be confused with the iconic New York City skyscraper, this Chicago building is a vibrant hub for artists.

One of the largest pieces of scientific equipment ever carried on a NASA space shuttle sits in a Chicago alley.

An eccentric park and pool.

Take a break from all the boring business of death at this funeral home mini-golf course.

In a quiet north Chicago neighborhood rests a stunning relic of the golden age of earthenware design.

Orthodox church partially financed by Tsar Nicolas II.

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

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

You can take a class, browse the library, or visit the lavish lair of an international men's humor society.

Once called the "Polish Gold Coast" it is an icon of the neighborhood that bears its same name.

This historic-shipwreck-cum-diving-spot can still be seen poking its boiler out of the Lake Michigan waters that claimed it.

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

Former bath house turns gastropub.

This abandoned 19th century orphanage started as a boarding school for children of Civil War veterans.