Centuries of crashing waves carved out this small hole in the rock, which lights up at certain parts of the year.

It's not your typical library, memorial, or book store.

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

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

California's oldest wind harp represents a historic piece of America's Danish history.

A remote crossroads honoring a fallen talent.

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

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

Machinery left over from California's once thriving mercury industry now attracts artists and explorers.

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

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

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

A deserted hodgepodge of experimental structures designed by nearby university students.

Home to a forest of whimsical pygmy Coast live oak.

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

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

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

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

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

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

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

This turn of the century masterpiece has a mysterious goaty interloper.