The diverse and sometimes odd cultural heritage of the Golden State is collected, examined, and displayed in this proud museum.

Everything you always wanted to know about borates is here.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

A second generation sun-powered marvel lights up the night.

An expansive book store, art gallery, and curio shop with wares ranging from tarot cards to novelty socks.

A historic fort commemorating the United States' naval history.

One of the first skyscrapers in Santa Monica, and a famous getaway for the Hollywood elite of then and now.

Large but largely ignored, these 42 life-size Liberty Bell replicas were a peculiar, unexplained feature on the facade of a Macy's department store.

This "synagogue" is not what it seems to be.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

The remnants of a failed socialist commune can still be found just off a California highway.

Like a kitschy mirage in the Mojave, this eatery serves up classic 50s-style diner meals and a dinosaur sculpture garden.

This diner's a kitschy dreamland for anyone whose heart is stuck in the 1980s.

This quirky UFO-shaped curiosity is often mistaken for the airport’s control tower.

An Old West film set seen in countless TV shows and movies is open for the public to explore.

Marta Becket's hand-painted theater in the desert.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

A herd of 150 bison live on California's Santa Catalina Island and are at the heart of an ongoing debate between environmental protection and economic expansion.

A museum, art project, and institution that demands we look at the world around us in a strange new way.

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

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

This sun-scorched lakebed contains samples of half the natural elements known to humankind.

Legendary frontman of the Doors looms in this giant mural by famed Venice muralist, Rip Cronk.

The cluster of boulders near Fort Irwin is covered in military insignia.