In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

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

This infamous prison has a store where you can buy goods crafted by incarcerated people.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

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

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

A remote crossroads honoring a fallen talent.

A chain of bells connect the California Missions and honor the legend of the "King’s Highway."

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

Honoring the famed folktale author, this California museum looks like it belongs in the Black Forest.

Historic funicular railway, believed to be the shortest railroad in the world.

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

This weird abode has inspired everything from the "House On Haunted Hil" to a robot hunter's pad.

World-famous, Pink's still manages to keep its prized cult fetish status.

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

This glamorous old building is said to have inspired the Tower of Terror.

This star-studded Old Hollywood restaurant is where fettuccine Alfredo made its United States debut.

A look into the Church of Scientology's deeply unfavorable view of psychiatry.

Sports history, made in the Arroyo Seco.

This California estate was either haunted by ghosts or the Marx brothers.

Mexican food and folk art.

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