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

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

North America's largest accredited model railroad museum.

This little museum has an exhibit devoted to the elusive forest denizens.

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

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

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

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

Happy harbor seals frolic and snooze on this warm, sandy stretch of coast.

A music-filled, booze-soaked oasis in the desert.

“It's the quality” (but probably also the drive-through donut tunnel) that has attracted diners since 1968.

Celebrating the transformation of trash into objects of beauty.

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

360-degree virtual reality chamber physically immerses scientists into their data.

A beloved carnival gets a modern makeover in Los Angeles.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

The largest dune field in the Mojave offers a chance of hearing the 'singing sands.'

The illuminating collection of L.A. street lights is run by the city and only opens one day per month.

Discover for yourself what Herb Caen referred to as "the best kept secret in the Bay Area."

A deserted hodgepodge of experimental structures designed by nearby university students.

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

The unedited photograph called "Bliss" has graced the screens of over a billion computers.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

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