Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
1 day ago
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
3 days ago
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
4 days ago
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
All the United States Illinois Rockford

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Rockford

6 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Rockford, Illinois

Updated January 24, 2024

Email
Attractions
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Hotel Deals

Unusual Attractions in Rockford

Rockmen Guardians

Rockford, Illinois

Rockmen Guardians

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

Rockford, Illinois

Anderson Japanese Gardens

This lush 12-acre site was once named the finest Japanese garden in North America.
Umpire’s view of the diamond at Beyer Park.

Rockford, Illinois

Beyer Stadium

This baseball diamond was home to the Rockford Peaches, a team featured in the hit film "A League of Their Own."
Shot of the lacquered cabinets and custom-built casket used for Forgotten Boneyard display.

Rockford, Illinois

Scavenged Parts Antiques & Oddities

A wondrously macabre treasury of obscure antiques and unusual oddities.
Beattie Park Mound Group Historic Site

Rockford, Illinois

Beattie Park Mound Group Historic Site

This unassuming city park is home to three different types of Native American mounds.
Wandering along the labyrinth is a meditative journey.

Rockford, Illinois

Labyrinth at Womanspace

Walk along the intricate path of this stone labyrinth and gardens.
Are we missing something unusual?
Add it!
Pettit Memorial Chapel

Belvidere, Illinois

Pettit Memorial Chapel

A small cemetery chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1906.
12 miles from Rockford
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

A Feminist Road Trip Across the U.S.

Atlas Obscura has a tradition of exploring the stories of women who changed the world, from wildlife biologists and mountain climbers to Civil War spies and tattoo artists. To celebrate these daring women who struck out on their own, we’ve put together a cross-country road trip. Over 12 stops and more than 3,000 miles, this route will give you a front-row seat to women’s history in America.

View Itinerary

Explore Rockford, Illinois

A
6

Rockford Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. jen487
    1
  2. atwright73
    1
  3. ViolaHD
    1
  4. adamnelson815
    1
  5. lynnur
    1
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Rockford.

Places Edited

  1. Darrell Powers
    5
  2. ryanmkerch
    2
  3. Collector of Experiences
    1
  4. jamis2000
    1
  5. atwright73
    1
Join the Ranks!
Improve the Atlas with edits and photos.

Places Visited

  1. jdeleo4
    6
  2. wolff924
    6
  3. 7oddgr
    6
  4. kevbot
    6
  5. Collector of Experiences
    5
Join the Ranks!
Visit a place in Rockford.

Recent Rockford Activity

  • RecklessThor

    has been to Anderson Japanese Gardens

    3 days ago
  • RecklessThor

    has been to Beyer Stadium

    3 days ago
  • 16carbe

    wants to go to Rockmen Guardians

    about 14 hours ago
  • andrzejczakj1221

    wants to go to Labyrinth at Womanspace

    about 13 hours ago
  • scarmepretty

    wants to go to Scavenged Parts Antiques & Oddities

    about 10 hours ago

Stories About Rockford

Podcast: Secret Places With Ashley Ray

A love letter to an unloved Midwestern town.
by The Podcast Team
June 21, 2023

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Learn More

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.