Chicago Medical History International Museum of Surgical Science Chicago, Illinois This museum pairs the elegance of a Versailles-inspired chateau with the visceral reality of medical history, featuring everything from barber-surgeon saws to heart valves.
Myopic Books Chicago, Illinois This sprawling Chicago institution offers a dizzying array of used titles packed into a multi-story space, creating a literal dreamscape for anyone who loves the smell of old paper.
Subterranean Ohio Wonder Crystal Cave Put-in-Bay, Ohio This isn't just a cave; it's the interior of a single, massive rock. As the largest geode ever discovered, it offers a rare chance to stand inside a crystal-lined 'vug' while visiting a historic island winery.
Chicago Public Art Shit Fountain Chicago, Illinois This bronze sculpture turns a common urban nuisance into a high-art statement, serving as both a playful jab at neighborhood dogs and a permanent reminder for owners to keep the sidewalks clean.
Cincinnati, Ohio American Sign Museum Cincinnati, Ohio This sprawling warehouse preserves the glowing heritage of American commerce, showcasing a faux Main Street lined with everything from pre-neon wood carvings to space-age Sputnik designs.
Chicago’s Glass-Domed Sanctuary Garfield Park Conservatory Chicago, Illinois This massive community-run greenhouse provides a humid, green refuge from Chicago’s concrete grid, housing thousands of exotic plants and artistic floral displays under soaring glass ceilings.
Andersonville’s Morbid Emporium Woolly Mammoth Antiques and Oddities Chicago, Illinois This Andersonville storefront transforms the morbid into art, housing a dense collection of skeletal remains, vintage medical tools, and eccentric taxidermy intended to help visitors confront mortality.
Chicago Literary Green Space Oz Park Chicago, Illinois This playful Chicago park honors author L. Frank Baum by populating a lush neighborhood garden with iconic bronze figures from the Land of Oz.
Spring Green, Wisconsin House on the Rock Spring Green, Wisconsin Perched atop a 60-foot sandstone chimney, this architectural fever dream houses an overwhelming collection of oddities, including a record-breaking carousel and thousands of flickering lights.
