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

In the Shawnee National Forest, amazing rock formations peer through the treeline.

An avant garde art museum at the University of Chicago.

The face of a woman pushes its way through the earth.

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

This elaborate Hindu temple is located in a Chicago suburb, but looks like it was transported directly from India.

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

The city of Rockford, Illinois is symbolically protected by a quartet of fittingly stony sentinels.

Fragments of architectural wonders from around the globe are embedded in the newspaper building's walls.

Once one of the world's great cities, Cahokia was a place of religious worship, trade and mass human sacrifice before being mysteriously abandoned.

River pirates, murderous bandits, and serial killers used this Illinois cave as their debauched hideout.

What's left of the ruins of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, or World's Fair, also known as the White City.

A science teacher's dream.

All of Chicago's wood-paved streets are long gone but two alleys remain.

The only Bahá'í house of worship in North America and one of only a handful worldwide.

These abandoned grain silos and tunnels are an urban exploration dream.

This unauthorized stone mermaid was secretly carved out of public stone before being permanently preserved.

Four glass boxes hover over 1,000 feet in the air to give visitors an unparalleled view of Chicago.

A lush green oasis in the middle of Chicago.

This massive stained-glass masterpiece is thought to be the largest Tiffany dome in existence.

Previously a hot spring, this park remains a site of unique history, wildlife, and geology.

This hidden gem in Arizona is truly worth the rugged journey.

An excursion train traverses a picturesque red-rock canyon along the Verde River.

This small interfaith chapel lies not far from the rim of the Grand Canyon.