A wonderfully curated used bookstore in an airport.

One of the oldest and tallest lighthouses still in service on Lake Michigan.

The spaceship-like theater, which is still in use, was one of the most popular exhibits at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Behind a modern brick exterior lies the oldest continuously-operating lunch-car diner in the United States.

This lakefront cottage was crafted in the 1800s and was once a sanitorium.

An unusual statue in Wisconsin of the first daily comic strip character.

A historic ballroom host to famous performers from the big band era to 1980s rock.

Legend says Dungeons and Dragons players can get their dice blessed at the creator of the game's memorial.

Home to the world's largest refracting telescope and the birthplace of modern astrophysics.

A lush green oasis in the middle of Chicago.

The first home and studio that belonged to the famous architect.

The famous author's birthplace is preserved in a town that he once described as narrow-minded.

After an Illinois church was struck by lightning and burned down, Frank Lloyd Wright designed this replacement.

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

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

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

The last remaining vestige of a popular 1999 public art display.

This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.

Louis Sullivan’s dark, swirling cast-iron designs envelop a popular department store in this Chicago landmark.

This museum celebrating the almighty dollar lets visitors literally stand in the shadow of a million bucks.

The last masonry skyscraper ever built reveals a transitional moment in architectural history.

These pretty kitties killed and ate as many as 135 railway workers.

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