At this hidden studio, the dying art of taxidermy is alive and well.

Beach instrument turned bed and breakfast.

Whimsical artist house in the New Jersey woods.

A pair of mutilated bronze octopuses slump at the base of the monument honoring California's admission to the U.S.

Over 315,000 preserved amphibians and reptiles in jars.

A collection of memorabilia from the Beat era in the back of a San Francisco bookstore.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

Tiki luxury on Nob Hill.

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

The neighborhood shop is a sort of tiny cactus museum full of exotic specimens you can take home.

There are lots of hands and feet stamped in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, but Mel left behind something extra.

Hidden above a drug store on a nondescript corner of Lincoln Heights is a private clubhouse for intrepid explorers.

Pay your respects to a folk-punk legend.

One of the world's largest collections of rare and magnificent bird specimens.

The art and history of the velvet painting are on full display in this Los Angeles museum.

A ghost town at the airport is now a refuge for blue butterflies.

Rainbow-hued local gem in Venice.

A look into the Church of Scientology's deeply unfavorable view of psychiatry.

Established in the '60s, a family-owned tropical drink bar founded by Ray Buhen, bartender to the stars.

A prohibition-style speakeasy takes up residence in the last Victorian residence in Hollywood.

Shop selling 500 flavors of soda has something for everyone.

Giant Redwood-themed cafeteria operates under the golden rule, "Dine Free Unless Delighted."