This desert oddity hides in plain sight thanks to a cartographic error and a desert explorer with a punny sense of humor.

An abandoned Cold War missile radar site.

This beautiful ridge-top trail is dotted by tiny homes apparently built by a group of itinerant fairies.

An offbeat angle on the ocean viewed through an antiquated lens.

Room 32 of the Alta Cienega Motel has grown into a shrine to the Lizard King.

From sax to spuds, get 'em all at this landmark music establishment.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

Happy harbor seals frolic and snooze on this warm, sandy stretch of coast.

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.

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

The memorial to the victims of the Jonestown Massacre carries the names of 918 lost, including one name people wish wasn't there.

An antique store houses the last operational diner from the defunct department store chain.

A vast city of the dead, where the deceased outnumber the living by more than a million.

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

Early prototype for Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim.

Get up close to emus and ostriches, or buy their tasty meat.

“It's the quality” (but probably also the drive-through donut tunnel) that has attracted diners since 1968.

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

A walk down memory lane in the heart of one of San Francisco's most notorious neighborhoods.

Handmade treasures from around the world.

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

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

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

San Francisco's oldest operating hotel, with a Victorian atmosphere and a "haunted" fourth floor.