This conservatory allows a little bit of the tropics to thrive in the middle of a major Canadian city.

A working steam clock, one of only a few in the world, located in Vancouver's Victorian Gastown.

A high point in Vancouver kitsch.

Locals transformed this Canadian evergreen into a secret hangout with spectacular views of Vancouver's skyline.

Traditional 15th century Chinese garden in the middle of Vancouver.

This Elizabethan hedge maze is one of only six in North America.

One of the world's heaviest musical instruments towers within a popular urban park.

These old stone ruins in the Oregon wilderness were once bathrooms and are steeped in legends of murder.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

A 140-year-old castle with underground caves hidden in San Francisco.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.

Bring your own cardboard to the slippery slopes of concrete hidden in a neighborhood park.

The ruins of an ancient island city built atop a coral reef in the South Pacific are spectacular and strange enough to have inspired H.P. Lovecraft.

A Roman-inspired temple once controlled half of San Francisco's waters.

The old Niles Canyon Aqueduct in the San Francisco Bay Area is a bemusing and secret trail through nature for wayward travelers.

Neither Spanish settlers nor anyone since has been able to tell who built these strange California rock walls.