The only depiction of Abraham Lincoln holding a weapon, and the names of all 9,000 Cuyahoga veterans of the Civil War.

The world's first aircraft factory has been hiding inside an automobile plant for almost 80 years.

You can walk through the first Boeing Air Force One, which famously carried JFK's casket from Dallas back to D.C.

A real flying saucer, contracted by the U.S. Air Force.

One of just a few cities in the world to base their center of government on an island. Others: Paris and Osaka.

While there are no actual snakes in the history of this crooked road, there may be a number of dead horses.

The world’s largest truck stop includes a barber shop, chiropractor, and a huge museum with antique trucks.

This cheerfully-named branch of the Chicago River is the fetid result of years of blood, entrails, and meatpacking waste.

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

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

Man-made geyser that rises to the exact height of the Gateway Arch.

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

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

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

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

This monolithic statue was erected in honor of Chief Black Hawk (even if it wasn't made to look like him).

The world's largest covered wagon is piloted by a giant Lincoln lawyer.

Now nearly abandoned, Kaskaskia was once the capital of Illinois and one of the most important towns on the upper Mississippi.

Abraham Lincoln's likeness rests at the top of this giant totem pole.

One of the largest carillons in the world, this giant instrument has 67 cast-iron bells played by a keyboard.

The famous Beatle secretly visited this Illinois town several times to visit his sister.

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

The site of the first couple's first kiss is commemorated by the most adorable presidential monument ever.

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