A herd of 150 bison live on California's Santa Catalina Island and are at the heart of an ongoing debate between environmental protection and economic expansion.

Chewing gum tycoon's memorial lies perched over wife's botanical gardens on Santa Catalina Island.

The overgrown ruins of a once thriving World War I-era copper mine.

The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

Originally the home of chewing gum mogul William Wrigely Jr, it is now the official offices of the Tournament of Roses.

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

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

The long, arduous journey of the stones of the Abbey of New Clairvaux.

A cozy bookstore is tucked within an old gold mine shaft beneath the cafe and ice cream shop.

A small sculpture garden that provides a microcosmic representation of California.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

The last orange grove of the San Fernando Valley is owned and protected by CSU Northridge.

A brooding mansion of clinker brick stands out among the Victorian houses of Pacific Heights.

This odd California folly seems like it was almost designed to accumulate urban legends.

A quirky collection of figurines backdropped by city views is hidden next to a popular restaurant in the Hollywood hills.

One of the few remaining carousels built by master amusement park carver Charles I.D. Looff.

This lesser known Hearst estate is a fairytale village built from the stolen bones of historic European buildings.

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

Dozens of feral felines rule a segment of Hollywood's only graveyard.

This corn maze so big you may want to pack a lunch, and possibly a flaregun.

Russian history in San Francisco.

Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.

A glittering South Asian anomaly in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb.