Honoring the famed folktale author, this California museum looks like it belongs in the Black Forest.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

Oldest building in California still in use.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

Barely visible foundations remain where Stow Lake’s “observatory” once welcomed visitors.

Alleyway plaque commemorating the death of a fictional character in The Maltese Falcon, not far from the author's home.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

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

An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.

A hidden world of exotic succulents and cacti.

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

A giant donut stands as a popular symbol of Los Angeles iconography.

A world-class observatory in the California desert.

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

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

An optical illusion found amid a logged redwood forest.

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

This turn of the century masterpiece has a mysterious goaty interloper.

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

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

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

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

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