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

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

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

The blinking light atop the iconic landmark has been sending secret messages for decades.

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

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.

There are lots of hands and feet stamped in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, but Mel left behind something extra.

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

The headquarters of a secretive order is also a beautifully-designed park.

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

The most beautiful Taco Bell in the world even has surfboard parking.

A vast city of the dead, where the deceased outnumber the living by more than a million.

Hollywood's oldest hotel is the site of the first Academy Awards, the birthplace of Marilyn Monroe's career, and the home of Montgomery Clift's ghost.

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

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

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

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

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.

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

Home to the "Circus" trees created by Axel Erlandson.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

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

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