A fashion designer's dazzling world of Japanese collectibles is hidden in a warehouse downtown.

A castle that was built stone by stone by an eccentric journalist.

Historic marionette theater features thousands of handmade puppets and free cups of ice cream.

Historic funicular railway, believed to be the shortest railroad in the world.

The house where Good Will Hunting was written is a surreal fairytale abode.

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

Church and home-museum of a 1920s female revivalist preacher with a very sordid past.

Home to secret Eastern Bloc spy equipment and the largest stretch of the original Berlin Wall outside of Germany.

Outposts of this restaurant chain were shaped like jaunty chapeaus.

Magical-looking cottages that inspired one of the most famous animated films ever.

Space program, pneumatics and more, bits and pieces, for movie sets or the common man.

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

From pre-war whiskey cocktails to prohibition-era speakeasy secrecy, this bar has seen it all.

Authentic gondola hanging from the ceiling, notable mural in the back room.

A master of deception, Harry Houdini's greatest trick may have been living in two places at once.

The largest collection of two headed animals in the world.

The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.

Storybook cottage in Beverly Hills was once the site of 1920s silent film studio, affectionately known as "The Witch's House."

Venue for strange sideshow displays and musical acts.

Stroll the grounds built by murder, suicide, and dirty oil money at one of Hollywood's most filmed mansions.

This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.

What began with a single, 357-pound chunk of the Canyon Diablo meteorite grew to be an impressive collection. 

According to legend it was a nap taken under this tree that kicked off the California Gold Rush.

Every weekend, the parking lot of this Buddhist temple turns into a Thai street-food paradise.