Sunset-colored dunes of volcanic ash make taking a poor photo impossible.

This residential door allows San Francisco muggles a glimpse at the wizarding world.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

The most unique castle in all of Southern California, entirely constructed from repurposed materials.

An optical illusion found amid a logged redwood forest.

An increasingly eccentric apartment building, topped with winged beasties.

This partially buried wreck is one of the most complete of its kind but is only revealed when the sea allows.

One of the most unusual geological features, recognizable from a dozen hit movies.

Rodin's famous depiction of Dante's 'Inferno', amidst a sculpture garden of many of his other works.

Hundreds of trees made from glass bottles make up this forest on Route 66.

A historic hotel that made a cameo in Hitchcock's classic film has no intention of letting guests forget its fame.

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

An unreal vintage shop that wears its dadaist influence on its zombie fish.

This 19th-century church is now a popular roller rink.

A bigger-than-life pun that has become a beacon of altruism.

Commonly referred to as the most photographed Victorian home in the United States.

These millipedes glow not out of attraction, but as a not-too-subtle warning.

Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling) themed taco shop.

Mexican food and folk art.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Whiskey lovers, this is your happy place.

A Barbary Coast watering hole built into a Gold Rush shipwreck.

A watering hole where the options for seating include a bar, patio, or subterranean cave.