A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

A second generation sun-powered marvel lights up the night.

Race through the maze, get your name on the sign.

The only royal palace on U.S. soil has been a territorial capitol, a military headquarters, and a prison for a queen.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

Once the largest winery in the world, this castle-like building now sits abandoned on the San Pablo/San Francisco Bay shore.

Abandoned landscape once home to "the world's largest winery."

Where a staggering 747 ships were constructed during World War II.

9,000 square feet of vintage and modern mechanical toys, dioramas & sideshow curiosities.

The only museum of sake in the United States is nestled in an unlikely California college town.

The century-old bell and clock tower at UC Berkeley is the third-tallest in the world, and has fossils.

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

This mountaintop beacon is only lit three times a year but shines like some kind of all-seeing eye.

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

The headquarters of a secretive order is also a beautifully-designed park.

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

A museum dedicated exclusively to aircraft used in the military.

A tribute to Ponce de Leon's supposed quest for eternal youth.

Interactive modern and vintage submarine equipment, World War II relics, and submarine attire.

Conflicting markers on its floor tell a tale of two city centers in San Antonio.

Legend has it the commander of the defenders drew a fateful line in the dirt with his sword just before the final battle.

Modern technology and live displays tell the story of the Pacific during WWII for the Internet generation.

A graceful natural rock formation stands astride the point where the Gulf of California meets the Pacific Ocean.

In a city crazy for seashells this museum educates and amazes visitors using the wonder of cast-off exoskeletons.