A bigger-than-life pun that has become a beacon of altruism.

A cobblestone alley with an interesting past.

Former 1954 Del Mar Train Station now serves signature cocktails and delightful culinary treats, and still operates as a Metro stop.

An Airy Would-Be Solution to a Housing Shortage.

Whiskey lovers, this is your happy place.

This blowhole is supposedly caused by a trapped monster.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

This 19th century train workshop is a treasure trove of railroad history.

A working miniature city designed to teach kids about safety and presumably city planning.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

This one-of-a-kind convent boasts a kaleidoscopic exterior of stars and double-headed eagles.

No telescopes, no power, no gift shop: The Observatory of Chichen Itza, one of the world's oldest observatories, takes astronomy back to basics.

Three sinkholes filled with warm, crystal-clear water reached by a horse-driven cart on an old train track through the jungle.

A magical sinkhole on the Yucatán Peninsula is adorned with mini waterfalls and hanging vines.

The seamy, underground secrets of Portland's criminal past.

The world's smallest park was dedicated in 1948 as the only colony for leprechauns west of Ireland.

The magic's in the hole!

Gigantic private toy museum featuring among finest collections of antique mechanical banks in existence.

Their motto is, "We've been bonkers for hats even longer than you have!"

Private collection of art inspired by cabinets of curiosity.

Statues of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy the dog in the park where their adventures "really happened."

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

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

Antiques by the Bay.