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

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

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

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

"Looks so real, it's scary!"

These delicate buggers are some of the rarest fossils that have bubbled up from the Tar Pits.

A prohibition-style speakeasy takes up residence in the last Victorian residence in Hollywood.

Venue for strange sideshow displays and musical acts.

Giant Redwood-themed cafeteria operates under the golden rule, "Dine Free Unless Delighted."

This cave was hidden for thousands of years, storing the worldly goods of ancient Native Americans.

Beneath a Virginia City bar is the entrance to an abandoned gold mine.

A gothic palace of endless stalagmites and pseudoscorpions waits within one of the world's most beautiful caves.

A mining town once rife with murderous disputes over its copious treasures now creates income as a popular spot for photo shoots.

This former lieutenant governor's home is brimming with curiosities.

This incredible collection of vintage pinball machines can be played at 25 cents a pop.

Odd outsider art installations surround a Gold Rush-era ghost town.

James Turrell's total color immersion art installation, hidden on the top floor of a luxury handbag shop.

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.

This faux-seedy Japanese arcade is made up to look like a maze of alleys straight out of a cyberpunk dystopia.

A medieval village holds a very modern hotel.

This magical space partly designed by Antoni Gaudi is one of the best examples of romantic gardening in the Mediterranean.

Dramatic sea stacks adorn the coast of this small village on the Adriatic coast.

This hidden Art Nouveau courtyard is an opulent feast for the eyes.

Architectureal fantasy quarter of Rome.