An abandoned observatory in the middle of the Illinois prairie.

Just off I-55 in McLean, Illinois, is a place where you can play over 100 arcade and pinball machines for 25-75 cents a pop.

The inconspicuous grave of the University of Illinois' first president is just steps from the main quadrangle.

A board game enthusiast's love for the game, memorialized forever.

The Reagan Peace Garden at Eureka College features a chunk of the Berlin Wall.

This 4,000-acre restored grassland in northern Illinois is home to a range of native flora and fauna, from clovers to plovers to a herd of bison.

This carved armchair marks the final resting place for two pals in the Chicago suburbs.

After an Illinois church was struck by lightning and burned down, Frank Lloyd Wright designed this replacement.

Thousands of hats, pens, and pencils, hanging inside the walls of a former church.

Inside the center are Italian works of art and a replica model of St. Peter's Basilica.

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.

A Depression-era sculpture by Charles Umlauf survives in a small suburban post office.

This small-town opera house has appeared much more in national culture and history than its charming setting might suggest.

This church doubles a museum dedicated to Norwegian heritage.

From banquet hall to Masonic Lodge and now concert venue, Ganz Hall is a breathtaking glimpse of into the golden age of American architecture.

Meant for a railway that was never built because of the Great Chicago Fire, these piers still stand nearly 150 years after they were installed.

Dozens of large steel sculptures fill this two-acre park outside a former blacksmith's studio.

In the middle of Calvary Cemetery stands this singular memorial to a small boy who died too young.

A small cemetery chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1906.

This graveyard is home to the so-called "Witch's Circle."

The empty tomb that houses the memories of Roy Bertelli's revenge.

Kwanu'sila the Thunderbird has been silently watching over Chicago for more than 100 years (kind of).

The poet’s boyhood home is now dedicated to celebrating his life and legacy.