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

This private residence was the template for one of the most beloved television homes of all time.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

One of America’s oldest and spookiest hotels, thanks to the residency of ghosts, dead presidents, and Alfred Hitchcock.

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

These subterranean storage areas hold emergency water reserves.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

60 feet of towering steel balances gracefully.

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.

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

This hidden jockey “walk of fame” celebrates the winning riders of the Kentucky Derby.

The Midwestern United States' tribute to Michelangelo is a foam statue sprayed with gaudy gold paint.

The oldest operating Mississippi River–style steamboat still navigates the Ohio River.

The largest cemetery in Louisville is the final resting place of Col. Sanders and Muhammad Ali.

The only building in Louisville (hopefully) that contains two ancient holy skeletons.

The grave of the iconic Kentucky Fried Chicken mascot features a bust of the man behind the goatee.

This unassuming cheese empire in rural Oregon churns out more than 150,000 pounds of cheese each day.

The sounds of the world's largest fully functioning pipe organ dazzle shoppers at a Philadelphia Macy's.

A giant open-air sculpture made of over 200 full-sized boats.

A wall of chewing gum moonlights as collective art.

A 100-year-old purveyor of curiosities, curios, and kitsch featuring mummies, shrunken heads, and a Fiji Mermaid.

The granddaddy of all tourist traps, built on ice water, jackalopes, and a giant dinosaur.

A fitting attraction for the corn capital of the world.