This teeny-tiny park built by a San Francisco man in 1962 is mostly stairs.

Floating man-made island and upscale restaurant.

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

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.

Spiral labyrinth hidden in the hills above Oakland, CA.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

A hardware store Buddha statue installed to deter vandalism wound up attracting Vietnamese immigrants who came to pray.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Condemned US Navy seaplane control tower turned officers’ club sits atop Yerba Buena Island.

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.

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

With statues of Nelson Mandela and Harvey Milk this monument has been called the Mount Rushmore of California.

Masterful ceramic fountain and map of the Pacific Basin.

An enormous artwork that colorfully celebrates over 150 years of US military achievements.

The first mural ever dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.

Collective dedicated to restoring steam engines.

Handmade treasures from around the world.

Where the alchemists dream of transmuting base metal into gold was actually achieved.

From buttons to beads, flounces to fripperies, this textile museum and shop honors the history of needlework.

Travelers exchange letters with woodland creatures at this mini post office.

Every Sunday, this Thai temple in Berkeley serves a backyard brunch.

A storybook European village in Berkeley.