A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

A famous alternative culture epicenter and where Joplin serenaded young hippies.

This collector's home is a constant work in progress.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

No one's quite sure why there's a metal megaphone bolted on two rocks in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

An amazing collection of fantastic reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and insects.

L.A.'s oldest operating bowling alley is a beautifully restored homage to its speakeasy days.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

Get up close to emus and ostriches, or buy their tasty meat.

A tribute to the life and work of the beloved "Peanuts" cartoonist.

Because there's no place like home.

One of the few remaining carousels built by master amusement park carver Charles I.D. Looff.

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

Join the circus for a few lessons to learn clowning, acrobatics, and Chinese contortion.

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

A library built during San Francisco's pioneer times is a student's retreat, bibliophile's sanctuary, and chess player's delight.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

A cozy bookstore is tucked within an old gold mine shaft beneath the cafe and ice cream shop.

Where there's quartz, there must be gold. Thus is the story of the mines of Julian, and the titillating times of the Gold Rush.

Discover for yourself what Herb Caen referred to as "the best kept secret in the Bay Area."

Art from the latest counter-culture; kids who dye their hair blue and believe the future will be a post-apocalyptic water world.

A deserted hodgepodge of experimental structures designed by nearby university students.