A beloved carnival gets a modern makeover in Los Angeles.

A collection of haunted objects and macabre oddities under one roof.

An 1870s ranch for pioneers, rodeo stars, and divorcees was abandoned and left for dead, until the city reopened it for exploration.

A pier that used to act as a busy ferry dock is now a decaying favorite of local fisherman and urban artists.

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

A fashion designer's dazzling world of Japanese collectibles is hidden in a warehouse downtown.

The creator of the carousel's bingo-pinball hybrid survives in California's oldest gaming establishment.

Perhaps the most unique of any Frank Gehry design for one simple reason: Gehry himself actually lives here.

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

One of the best collections of antique printing machinery in the world.

Hand-crafted tributes to a stray cat named "Room 8" now cover this LA elementary school.

An old-timey medicine shop that once served Chinese laborers during the Gold Rush is still open for business to this day.

Suburban observatory was personal lab of the father of modern astrophysics.

The sea once considered an ecological wasteland is now called "crown jewel of avian biodiversity" by scientists.

This desert oddity hides in plain sight thanks to a cartographic error and a desert explorer with a punny sense of humor.

North America's largest accredited model railroad museum.

This historic tower in the California desert promises visitors a "vortex of good vibes".

A UFO scrapyard in the California desert.

On a quiet suburban street stands a peculiarly decorated house covered in mosaics.

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

A monthly street "service" of handmade puppets and live original puppets, whose devotees profess has the power to change lives.

This collector's home is a constant work in progress.

The world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory continues to report on the stars.

Hidden among the multi-million dollar mansions in the Santa Cruz hills is a sanctuary for troubled birds.