10 Mysterious, Unusual Spots In Illinois You Never Knew Existed

Here at Only in Illinois, we are committed to telling you about the wackiest, most unusual places around Illinois that you don't know of. It's that quirkiness that makes us so awesome. Today, we are profiling 10 of the absolute weirdest places in Illinois. You should visit all of these.

1. Kaskaskia Dragon

Yes, there are dragons in Illinois. We hear she has a fiery personality. This one is 35 feet tall and it actually will shoot fire if you put some coins in it. While it's sadly not real, it's definitely super amazing.

2. Wadsworth Gold Pyramid

Editor's Note: The Wadsworth Gold Pyramid is permanently closed.

What would compel you to build a gold pyramid in Wadsworth, Illinois? Wouldn't you live in a gold pyramid if you had the cash? It's pretty remarkable to drive through Illinois and feel like you are in Egypt. This place offers tours.

3. DeMoulin Museum

Editor's Note: The DeMoulin Museum is temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

What does this museum have? Oh, I don't know, fraternal initiation devices. Yes, there is a museum for everything. Thank you sir, may I have another?

4. Piasa Bird

When visiting Illinois in the 1600s, Father Marquette claimed to have seen this creature that was winged but also had antlers. We think that he was the victim of one heck of an awesome joke. But in Alton, the Piasa bird has been commemorated as a painting on a rock.

5. Hippie Memorial

Hippies are people, too. And they have one memorial that recognizes what they contributed to the culture of the 1960s. This memorial can be found in Arcola, Illinois, and it is a whopping 60 feet long.

6. World's Largest Catsup Bottle

I love ketchup as much as anyone, but a giant ketchup bottle? Yes. It's actually a water tower (sorry, not actually filled with ketchup, although that would be amazing). It is the largest in the world. Head to Collinsville to see it in all its glory.

7. Double Decker Outhouse

Where in the world can you find a double decker outhouse? Why in Gays, Illinois. Why this this greenlighted? When would this have ever made sense? We don't know, but it's hilarious.

8. Illinois State Military Museum

This museum isn't too unusual, but what's inside is. They have the fake leg of Santa Anna. Santa Anna was the general who ordered his troops to kill Davy Crockett and the rest of the Alamo. We remember the Alamo really well by capturing this dude's leg. It's at the museum.

9. Leaning Tower of Pisa

Want to get to Italy but are strapped for cash? Why not take a quick jaunt up to Niles, where you can see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Yes, it's a smaller version of the building, and you can totally recreate that dumb picture everyone takes by the leaning tower of Pisa. Yes, it totally looks like you're pushing it back up.

10. International Museum of Surgical Science

Editor's Note: The International Museum of Surgical Science is temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

Again, they have a museum for pretty much everything. This one is super creepy, though, especially when you are looking at the old surgical equipment that was once used. As much as we complain about surgery today, it used to be pretty bad. How far we've come!

Did any of these surprise you?