Oddball Illinois

In this updated edition, it's plain to see that the state of Illinois has only gotten weirder. Where there was once just a single Popeye statue in downstate Chester, today the town has monuments to Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, Bluto, the Sea Hag, and more. The creepy Piasa Bird petroglyph on the bluff in Alton now has a roadside pullout with picnic tables, and the two-story outhouse in Gays has a new contemplative garden. With almost twice as many destinations as its predecessor, this edition boasts detailed information on each site—address, phone number, website, hours, entry fees, and driving directions—as well as maps, photos, and a wealth of regional history in the descriptions. Some new sites include Henry's Rabbit Ranch, the World's First Jungle Gym, Ahlgrim Acres (a miniature golf course at a funeral home), the Leather Archives and Museum, General Santa Ana's two wooden legs, the World's Largest Sock Monkey, the Friendship Shoe Fence, a truck stop with a marionette show, and a coin-operated fire-breathing dragon. There is more between Chicago and St. Louis than cornfields and plenty of fascinating places in the Windy City that aren't on Michigan Avenue, and here is a chance to see these underappreciated sites throughout the state.

Updated and even stranger, this new edition boasts more than 400 unique destinations for tourists looking for attractions off the beaten path. Bizarre locations and landmarks include Chainsaw Gordy's Garden of Saws, Smokey Bear's head, the World's Largest Soup Kettle, the Toilet Bowl Parade, and the world's only upside-down White House. This book offers fascinating and little-known historical tidbits and answers burning questions such as Where was Liberace born? What is a hodag, and where do you catch one? Who invented the hamburger? and Will a Polka Hall of Fame ever be built? This is the real guide to Wisconsin, birthplace of the snowmobile, the typewriter, and the ice cream sundae. The address, phone number, hours, cost, directions, and website of each oddity accompany its description.

There's more to Michigan than beautiful forests, shuttered factories, and miles and miles of stunning shoreline. Armed with this offbeat travel guide, you'll soon discover the strange underbelly of the Great Lakes State. Michigan has monuments to fluoridation, snurfing, the designer of the Jefferson nickel, and the once-famous Mr. Chicken, as well as festivals honoring tulips, Christmas pickles, and a 38-acre fungus. It's where you'll find the World's Largest Lugnut, the Nun Doll Museum, Joe's Gizzard City, the Teenie-Weenie Pickle Barrel Cottage, Howdy Doody, and Thomas Edison's last breath. The state also has its share of weird history—it's where Harry Houdini perished on Halloween night in 1926, where skater Tanya Harding's posse whacked Nancy Kerrigan, and where the Kellogg brothers invented popular breakfast cereals and less-popular yogurt enemas. Along with humorous histories and witty observations, Oddball Michigan provides addresses, websites, hours, fees, and driving directions for each of its 450 entries.

Find out about the strange and mysterious creatures living in Illinois.

This offbeat travel guide is a mix of Fodor's( and News of the Weird. Behind all the odd sights is some wonderfully interesting history and a chance to see some under-appreciated sites throughout the state. Photos.

Jean Shepherd (1921-1999) master humorist is best known for his creation ÊA Christmas StoryÊ the popular movie about the child who wants a BB gun for Christmas and nearly shoots his eye out. What else did Shepherd do? He is considered by many to be the Mark Twain and James Thurber of his day. For many thousands of fans for decades Shep talked on the radio late at night keeping them up way past their bedtimes. He entertained without a script improvising like a jazz musician on any and every subject you can imagine. He invented and remains the master of talk radio. Shepherd perpetrated one of the great literary hoaxes of all time promoting a nonexistent book and author and then brought the book into existence. He wrote 23 short stories for ÊPlayboyÊ four times winning their humor of the year award and also interviewed The Beatles for the magazine. He authored several popular books of humor and satire created several television series and acted in several plays. He is the model for the character played by Jason Robards in the play and movie ÊA Thousand ClownsÊ as well as the inspiration for the Shel Silverstein song made famous by Johnny Cash A Boy Named Sue. Readers will learn the significance of innumerable Shepherd words and phrases such as Excelsior you fathead and observe his constant confrontations with the America he loved. They will get to know and understand this multitalented genius by peeking behind the wall he built for himself ä a wall to hide a different and less agreeable persona. Through interviews with his friends co-workers and creative associates such as musician David Amram cartoonist and playwright Jules Feiffer publisher and broadcaster Paul Krassner and author Norman Mailer the book explains a complex and unique genius of our time. Shepherd pretty much invented talk radio ... What I got of him was a wonder at the world one man could create. I am as awed now by his achievement as I was then. ä Richard Corliss ÊTimeÊ magazine online

Featuring more than 70 museums, this is the quintessential guide to quirky, offbeat museums throughout the Midwest. Included are museums in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. From the Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin to the Super Museum in Metropolis, Illinois, and the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota, this guide is sure to amuse and entertain.

Test your knowledge of the Land of Lincoln, and learn a few new things with this fun collection of puzzles and trivia from Illinois. Filled with fun facts, this book is an essential addition to any Illinois trivia lover's library or for those who want to learn about this beautiful and historic state. The book also includes word searchers appropriate for readers of all ages.