This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

A large instrument played by the wind.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

Dive bar built out of the remains of a whaling ship.

Handmade treasures from around the world.

A storybook European village in Berkeley.

Nose around a unique collection of more than 300 natural aromas used to craft perfume fragrances.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

A store that sells all manner of bones, insects, and animal curiosities.

A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.

A pair of slides and a tree-lined stair corridor have been an urban oasis for nearly 40 years.

A tiny theater hidden in an alley plays a constant stream of short silent films for anyone willing to peer through the peephole.

A museum befitting the city responsible for supplying the majority of the world's LSD.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.

Bring your own cardboard to the slippery slopes of concrete hidden in a neighborhood park.

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

These subterranean storage areas hold emergency water reserves.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

This partially buried wreck is one of the most complete of its kind but is only revealed when the sea allows.

This 19th-century church is now a popular roller rink.