Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

A garden oasis filled with flowers mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare.

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

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

California's own majestic geyser is powered by a subterranean volcano.

Once a place of peaceful repose, this sanitarium now faces an uncertain future.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

This quirky roadside attraction dives into the many theories surrounding North America's most infamous hairy cryptid.

A still functioning vaudeville carousel that has operated for over a century boasts a colorful menagerie and past.

Costumed elves and mountain bikers co-exist peacefully at this abandoned Christmas-themed adventure park.

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.

San Diego's most historic and haunted home.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.

The largest permanent Monopoly board makes one of the longest games even bigger.

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

An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.