A journey begins with a single step, and for many, the road-trip of a lifetime started at this Chicago intersection.

An amazing collection of scale model ships.

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

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

This folk art wall claims to be the world's one and only memorial to the bygone age of hippies.

More than 8,000 drinking jugs say “Cheers!” to a guy named Toby.

Planes, trains, and automobiles have all been sunk as attractions at this Illinois diving spot.

This historic lavatory leftover features two levels of defecation stations completely without context.

This softly rounded mansion was built without corners not to avoid evil spirits, but to make them more comfortable.

The world's third-largest scale model of the planets.

This lush 12-acre site was once named the finest Japanese garden in North America.

This tiny historic jail along Route 66 is the perfect fit for exactly one criminal and their partner-in-crime.

Fresh wooden posts have been added to ancient holes to recreate a primitive henge clock.

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

A 400-foot-tall tall map of Chicago makes this once-ignored building stand out.

This lagomorph-obsessed Route 66 emporium is home to a giant jackrabbit that sits in a bunny graveyard.

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

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

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

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.

A historic and oft-filmed prison stands in a Chicago suburb.

Arguably the best example of an authentic Dutch windmill in the United States, rivaling its counterparts in the Netherlands.

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