Sightseeing Sunday: Weird Things to Do in Illinois
Looking for weird things to do in Illinois? We’ve been collecting roadside oddities, oversized objects, offbeat attractions, and stops that make you wonder how one small town ended up with a dozen “World’s Largest” things.
Fun Facts About Illinois
The first McDonald’s opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955.
Twinkies were invented in River Forest, Illinois, in 1930.
The tallest man ever documented, Robert Wadlow, was born in Alton, Illinois, standing 8 feet 11 inches.
Illinois is the largest producer of pumpkins in the country.
Illinois is home to some serious roadside weird — a town with a dozen “World’s Largest” attractions, a giant Superman statue, and the world’s largest ketchup bottle. Some of these we’ve visited, others are still on our list. When we’ve been somewhere, the link takes you to our photo page with details and snark. Otherwise, you’ll head to their official site — assuming one exists, since sometimes that’s half the adventure.
Illinois Weirdness, Town by Town
Showing 32 of 32 stops
Ashmore
World's Largest Abraham Lincoln Statue — Located at 9699 County Rd 2000 E. Coordinates: 39.5170, -88.1060 Weird Roadside & Oddities
Berwyn
World's Largest Laundromat — Massive coin laundry facility. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Casey
World's Largest Barbershop Pole — Part of Casey's collection of giant everyday objects. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Gavel — Oversized judge's gavel on display. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Golf Driver — Giant golf club attraction. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Golf Tee — Massive golf tee to match the driver. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Mailbox — Fully functional giant mailbox. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Pitchfork — Agricultural implement gone supersized. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Rocking Chair — Actually rocks! Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Swizzle Spoon — Bar spoon on a massive scale. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Teeter Totter — Functioning playground equipment. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Truck Key — Oversized semi truck key. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Wind Chime — Creates actual musical tones. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Wooden Shoes — Dutch-style clogs at giant scale. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Chester
Popeye Character Statues Trail — A whole town of Popeye character statues to hunt down. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Popeye Statue — Popeye stands tall in the hometown of his creator, Elzie Segar. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Chicago
ReClectic — Creative reuse center for art and craft supplies. Creative ReuseNot visited yet
The Waste Shed — Creative reuse center for art and craft supplies. Creative ReuseNot visited yet
World's Largest Bean — Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Collinsville
World's Largest Catsup Bottle — 170-foot water tower shaped like a Brooks ketchup bottle. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Dwight
Route 66 Hall of Fame — Celebrating the Mother Road's legends. MuseumsHistoric SitesNot visited yet
East Moline
John Deere Harvester Works Factory Tour — See heavy equipment manufacturing in action. Factory Tours
Gillespie
Coalby the Goat Statue — A 10-foot fiberglass goat at 872 Staunton Road — “Goat Your Kicks on Route 66.” Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Granite City
Giant Fork in the Road Sculpture — A giant fork sculpture, stuck in the road. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Gurnee
The Annunaki — An alien figure at Six Flags Great America. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Macomb
Birthplace of Monopoly — The town claims Monopoly as its own hometown game. Weird Roadside & OdditiesHistoric SitesNot visited yet
Metropolis
Giant Superman Statue — 15-foot bronze Superman standing in Superman Square. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Super Museum — World's largest collection of Superman memorabilia. MuseumsWeird Roadside & Oddities
Niles
The Leaning Tower of Niles — Half-scale replica of Italy's famous tower. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Peoria
Caterpillar Visitor Center — Big yellow iron in Caterpillar's hometown — the company's visitor center. Factory ToursMuseumsNot visited yet
Pontiac
Bob Waldmire School Bus — Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire's school bus, at the Land of Lincoln. MuseumsWeird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Urbana
The Idea Store — Creative reuse store — art and craft supplies, secondhand. Creative ReuseNot visited yet
Plan Your Illinois Road Trip
We’re always adding new weird things to do in Illinois to this list, so check back for more roadside attractions, quirky museums, oversized oddities, and future road trip discoveries.
Where to next? Check out our Indiana roadside attractions guide for more Midwest weird, browse our complete roadside attractions by state guide, get tips for traveling with pets, or head back to the Right At The Light homepage.
Interactive Map: Weird Roadside Stops We’re Tracking
This map includes weird roadside attractions, big-rig friendly stops, and places still on our running road trip list across the country.