This traditional garden in the San Fernando Valley doubled for Star Fleet Academy, and is irrigated entirely by wastewater.

Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling) themed taco shop.

The L.A. Zoo has a secret garden of rare bootleg cycads, a palm specimen dating back 280 million years.

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

World's oldest operating science fiction and fantasy club, once home to Ray Bradbury and L. Ron Hubbard.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

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

The site of murders and Satanic cult gatherings.

Small museum packed with artifacts recovered by the man rumored to be the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones.

An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.

A "Titanic" superfan changed his name to Jack and set up this strange shrine to the blockbuster, complete with Korean food and Tarot readings.

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.

Sister store to the Echo Park Time Travel Store.

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

This grand mansion has starred in everything from Bones to Buffy.

A ghost town at the airport is now a refuge for blue butterflies.

Eons old volcanic activity created one of the most stunning rock formations in the United States.

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

A spiritual retreat in the heart of Los Angeles offers stunning gardens and a labyrinth to lose yourself in.

Trails through lava-carved tube-caves display sparkling bacteria and a rich history.

Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.

Carved by a waterfall in a hard-to-reach rock formation, this heart-shaped rock has inspired romantics for decades.

This Los Angeles animation studio is keeping the wonder of stop motion puppetry alive.