julieshapleigh's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Chicago, Illinois

'Nuclear Energy'

This bronze sculpture on a former squash court marks the secret origins of the Atomic Age.
robertshell22 Added by robertshell22
Chicago, Illinois

Narwhals at the Field Museum

To find the "unicorns of the deep" you've got to go downstairs.
jessicahester1 Added by jessicahester1
Vandalia, Illinois

The Kaskaskia Dragon

Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.
sierrawest Added by sierrawest
Greenville, Illinois

DeMoulin Museum

Spanking machines, fake goats, and more devices of humiliation are on display in this museum of fraternal initiation devices.
goatmuseum Added by goatmuseum
Maywood, Illinois

Underground Railroad Memorial at McDonald's

A plaque marks a former safe house on the secret route, now hidden next to a McDonald's.
lewblank Added by lewblank
Addison, Illinois

Nike Park

Cold War missile launch site which has been converted to a public park.
r131313 Added by r131313
Plano, Illinois

The Farnsworth House

Tour the luxe "glass cage" that inspired and unnerved the architecture world upon its debut.
Deuce Added by Deuce
Batavia, Illinois

Fermilab

World's second largest particle accelerator, where nature reveals its secrets.
Trevor Added by Trevor
Chicago, Illinois

Cosmic Ray Detectors

One of the largest pieces of scientific equipment ever carried on a NASA space shuttle sits in a Chicago alley.
Added by dpalmer01
Casey, Illinois

World Records of Casey, Illinois

The world's largest collection of the world's largest objects is in one small Illinois town.
Added by tcox55
Rockford, Illinois

Rockmen Guardians

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

Englewood Post Office

This modest post office sits on the site of H.H. Holmes' famous murder castle.
Paul Dailing Added by Paul Dailing
Chicago, Illinois

The World's Columbian Exhibition of 1893

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

Palmer House Hilton

This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.
lewblank Added by lewblank
Chicago, Illinois

Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art

Nonprofit art center that promotes outsider, intuitive, and self-taught art.
Added by xsegax
Park Ridge, Illinois

American Science & Surplus

A science teacher's dream.
Rebekah Otto Added by Rebekah Otto
Waterloo, Iowa

Sans Souci Island

This remote island in Iowa was abandoned after being devastated by flood.
LaurynSmith11 Added by LaurynSmith11
Ames, Iowa

Grant Wood Murals

The “American Gothic" artist's largest works hang in an Iowa State University library.
abandonedexplorerscom Added by abandonedexplorerscom
Ames, Iowa

Elwood, the World's Tallest Concrete Gnome

Beating out all other concrete competitors, this massive garden feature's pointy hat has earned it a world record.
EricGrundhauser Added by EricGrundhauser
Columbus Junction, Iowa

Lover's Leap Swinging Bridge

A warning to the weak-kneed: This narrow bridge does its swinging eight stories high.
Added by angiedavidson75
Madrid, Iowa

High Trestle Trail Bridge

A half-mile long and three stories high, this bridge over the Des Moines River Valley mimics a descent into a mine shaft.
Blindcolour Added by Blindcolour
New Harmony, Indiana

'A Healing Palindrome'

Part of a worldwide art project, this mysterious semicircle of concrete shapes holds the pieces of a larger story.
geographeratlarge Added by geographeratlarge
Knob Noster, Missouri

Whiteman Minuteman Missile Site

The only remaining Cold War–era Minuteman II missile control center in Missouri.
Added by 2timhill
Marceline, Missouri

Walt Disney Hometown Museum

A celebration of the animation wizard's childhood home and antique railroad memorabilia collection.
Fred Cherrygarden Added by Fred Cherrygarden