A museum and gift shop in a small Illinois town commemorates the work of E.C. Segar and the local figures on whom he based his characters.

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

A small museum celebrating the fiberglass giants that are icons of America's highways.

Take a trip back in time at this retro cinema dating back to 1954.

This diner serves Route 66 nostalgia and what it claims is the 'original' hot dog on a stick.

This church doubles a museum dedicated to Norwegian heritage.

A 30-foot-tall goat tower in central Illinois is home to a herd of Swiss ungulates.

A wondrously macabre treasury of obscure antiques and unusual oddities.

Even with its slightly risible name this colossal cross is still able to inspire awe.

This odd stone memorial remembers a loyal dog who offended the rail barons with his speed and saved his master with his pee.

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

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

This simple gravestone remembers a pig who single-hoofedly raised $19,000,000 for the Navy.

At the largest railway museum in the United States, you can see everything from an early steam engine to a functioning Thomas the Tank Engine.

Grand opera on a miniature scale.

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

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

Built in 1869, this now-retired structure looks more like a medieval fortress than a county lock-up.

A massive bur oak tree believed to be some 500 years old is the centerpiece of this quiet urban greenspace.

Known as the "Cross At The Crossroads," this massive metal cross is just short enough to avoid the FAA.

Though it's thrived abroad, this forgotten Dunkin' rival has just one store left in the States.

A 30-foot man on a penny-farthing bicycle rides along the banks of the Mississippi.

This family driveway also serves as the highest point in Illinois.

This house renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright was the centerpiece of a lavish 20th-century estate.