An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

This concrete ship has had four careers - World War I tanker, floating amusement park, fishing pier, and artificial reef.

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

Law-protected wreckage serves as a peculiar memorial for an almost forgotten World War II tragedy.

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

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

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

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

A still functioning vaudeville carousel that has operated for over a century boasts a colorful menagerie and past.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

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

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

Tiki luxury on Nob Hill.

There is no trying to fall in love with this Star Wars fountain, you just do or do not.

A large grotto built in the 16th century amidst Florence's famous Boboli gardens.

Legend says these colorful, invasive residents are the descendants of birds released by Jimi Hendrix.

A statue marks the exact spot where The Boy Who Never Grows Up made his first literary appearance.

The Cambridge pub where Francis Crick announced that he and James Watson had discovered the DNA double-helix.

Local legend says Isaac Newton built this footbridge without any screws, bolts, or nails.