A free, public museum dedicated to the fascinating science of sight.

A quiet nook at the top of a little-known hilltop park named after California's first poet laureate.

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

A library and museum dedicated to typography.

A 140-year-old castle with underground caves hidden in San Francisco.

The only museum of sake in the United States is nestled in an unlikely California college town.

Nose around a unique collection of more than 300 natural aromas used to craft perfume fragrances.

An vast warehouse of everyday treasures in Berkeley, CA.

A large instrument played by the wind.

"You don't need a rocket scientist to build a steam engine, but we've got one." -Museum docent on the credentials of a restoration volunteer.

A little-known occurrence of fossil wood in northern Washoe County, Nevada, near the Black Rock Desert.

A fire lookout atop a glacial pinnacle is reached by climbing three vertiginous flights of stairs.

The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.

This mother-daughter run curiosities shop is a beautifully odd mix of taxidermy and exotic plants.

From the Difference Engine to the Cray-1, all under one roof.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

The longest burning light bulb in the world.

Junkbots and mud babies are the masterpieces in this fantastically sci-fi art museum.

Napa's oldest building is now a Mexican restaurant.

The largest drain hole in the world.

A huge collection of rocks, gems, and crystals.

On the summer solstice each year, shadows align with a 14,000 square foot painting to reveal a secret message.

Each summer, the migratory bats living beneath the bypass form "batnadoes" at dusk.

The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California."