One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

Version of the French Riviera destroyed by the sea.

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

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.

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

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

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

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

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

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

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

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

Haunting and beautiful trees, doomed to die.

This concrete ship has had four careers - World War I tanker, floating amusement park, fishing pier, and artificial reef.