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.

A large instrument played by the wind.

Every color in the rainbow awaits.

This floating garden in the sky is straight out of a fairy tale, but the real thing is nothing short of magical.

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.

Gaudí's famously flamboyant architectural style is on full display in this sprawling park and garden.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

One of Japan's most famous sights, the bridge was originally built in 1673.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

A kaleidoscopic warehouse-maze of handmade neon signs.

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

A rococo retro-futurist future-rustic vernacular between yesterday’s tomorrow and the future that never was.

The tallest outdoor elevator in Europe rockets passengers on a dizzyingly precarious ride to the top of a mountain.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese Shrine.

Lavish royal estate punctuated with heated greenhouses.

A phenomenal assembly of pueblos in New Mexico is the most complete example of ancient ruins north of the border.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

Isolated atop this Balinese sea crag is a lovely Hindu temple that is said to be guarded by sea snakes.

The drama of nature in full effect in this Nevada State Park.

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

A world-class observatory in the California desert.

A bigger-than-life pun that has become a beacon of altruism.

Ancient human, animal, and geometric figures drawn in the earth.

A grotto-like lodge decorated with gilded mosaics, rocks and a noisy waterfall was the setting for the most sumptuous pleasure house of 1900s Europe.