A journey begins with a single step, and for many, the road-trip of a lifetime started at this Chicago intersection.

A replica of the first public theater built in California.

Before it was abandoned and left to rust alongside the road, this riverboat starred in a John Wayne movie.

The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

A mesmerizing disco ball-like sculpture along the Sacramento River Walk.

Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

I Street Bridge is the heaviest swinging center bridge in the United States.

Where the first "expert riders, willing to risk death daily" for the Pony Express were recruited.

This 15-story mural celebrates the 50th anniversary of the musician's iconic "At Folsom Prison" album.

The capitol city's oldest existing cemetery.

An eccentric home stands out in an otherwise average neighborhood with mosaics, mini topiaries, and kinetic sculpture.

Dentist's hated concrete colossi are now beloved icons of the community.

A grave dedicated to the pioneers who settled California.

"You don't need a rocket scientist to build a steam engine, but we've got one." -Museum docent on the credentials of a restoration volunteer.

The first U.S. town to secede from the Union, only to vote themselves right back in.

A middle school sports field that many believe was the true location of the first successful powered flight - and not by the Wright Brothers.

The oldest continuously operating Catholic school west of the Mississippi.

Established in 1853, this crumbling cemetery sits forgotten on the corner of Church and Chapel in Gold Country.

The modest home of the very immodest dancer who cost a king his crown.

An abandoned lot littered with concrete debris was once the home of the world's first female railroad president.

This fully intact Neoclassical-Greek Revival style firehouse operated until 1938.

Hidden in a hotel parking lot is a strange historical plaque erected by an obscure fraternal society.

Pillars made of 700 pieces of luggage climb to the ceiling of Sacramento Airport's baggage claim.

This pseudo-steampunk weapons facility is the world's largest wood and glue structure, and packs quite a wallop.