The Windy City is one of the most traveled-to cities in the country (and for good reason!) but few get to experience the stranger side of Chicago. If you're headed to Chi-Town, why not add a dash of weird to your trip? From quirky tours to niche museums to fascinating art, here are some of the coolest ways to get weird in the Windy City!
The International Museum of Surgical Sciences is a strange but effective mix of scientific and surgical ephemera. You'll see iron lungs, old-school surgical equipment, technical analyses of viruses and infectious diseases, plasticized circulatory systems (a la ‘Body World’) and enormous cringe-inducing gallstones.
WARNING: This is not a museum for the squeamish, so unless you think you can stomach seeing a plasticized body cut into one inch slices and spread the length of a room, you should steer clear.
Tips: Entry costs $15, and you can plan on spending at least an hour and a half if you're rushing through. Student? Bring your ID and save five bucks.
Oz Park is one of Chicago's hidden gems. It's completely Wizard of Oz-themed, with statues of all the major characters. Sorry Wicked Witch fans, the famous green villain is the only character missing her own statue. And yes, Dorothy is sporting her ruby slippers!
Not Your Mama's Bus Tour is a non-profit tour company that is in the business of helping members of the Chicago homeless community turn their lives around. Passengers are taken on a tour of the city, all while being serenaded with music and powerful short stories, all written by former homeless people.
The tour, which has only been beating the concrete since last year, takes guests to some of Chicago's most famous off the beaten path stops, including filming locations from "E.R" and "Chicago Hope", Chicago's Civic Center, and even the former site of the series "Good Times".
The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art is the only non-profit in the country that's focused entirely on the work of self-taught and outsider artists. The exhibitions display a rotating assortment of more then 1,100 works of art.
One of the more well-known outsider artists, Henry Darger, lived in a one room apartment in Chicago for most of his life, writing and illustrating a15,000 page saga detailing the adventures of the mythical ‘Vivian Girls’, which was discovered after his death. The Intuit Center came into possession of much of his work and furnishings, and has re-created his room in the museum, giving you a glimpse into Darger’s extraordinary and strange mind.
Tips: The museum isn't huge, but entry is only $5, making it well worth the visit. Expect to spent about 45 minutes exploring the exhibits.
The bronzed “coil” sits proudly atop a marble pillar on Augusta Boulevard, daring all “crappy” dog walkers to leave behind a “dog pile”. Water ripples from the top of the statue as a subtle war cry, telling all 4-legged passers-by to keep on walking.
The gross fountain is on private property, but that hasn’t stopped sightseers from taking a peek and snapping a poo-poo profile pic of their own.
Tip: If you’re interested in checking out the turd memorial, remember to respect the homeowners and stick to the sidewalk… that goes for your pooch too.
This cute spy-themed store, which peddles spy glasses, fake mustache disguises, and "burn after reading" stamps among other things, is actually a front for 826CHI, an organization devoted to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to help teachers inspire their students to write, via tutoring, classes, field trips and more. Secret agent gadgets to support an awesome charity? A must see!
Not only is The Wieners Circle famous for amazing Chicago-style hotdogs, cheese fries, and burgers, it's also the restaurant where you can expect a little verbal abuse from the employees... but it's all in good fun. The restaurant is open until 5AM (which you've probably already guessed) makes it the perfect place for all the booze-fueled customers coming out of the bars, hungry and ready to offend.
Tip: The meek might want to sit this one out, especially after-hours. It gets loud, shouty, and pretty profane.
Kuma's Corner, which has a stellar reputation for being one of the coolest (and most delicious) burger joints in the city, has no problem living up to its expectations. Every burger on the menu is named after a famous heavy metal band, including the Led Zeppelin burger, which you have to hold together with waffle fries.
Tips: Kuma's Corner is literally one of the busiest restaurants in the city, so if you're planning on grabbing lunch, be there well in advance. Make sure to bring plenty of cash, because the staff aren't fans of using cards. Seriously. Don't try and use a card. We warned you.
Oddity shops are nothing new, but Woolly Mammoth is easily one of the country's weirdest. Filled with vintage taxidermy, real human skulls, and the most bizarre antiques you've ever seen, the shop is a dream-come-true for weirdos looking for the perfect accent to their personal collections. Need a creepy old medical device? They've got that. A pig fetus in a mason jar? Sure! How about a taxidermy giraffe? Yep, they've got that too.
Tip: Ever wanted to learn taxidermy? They offer regular courses!
If you're headed to the Windy City and you're looking to turn your road trip into a wonderfully weird one, look no further. These destinations are guaranteed to satisfy any offbeat adventure itch!