California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

This glamorous old building is said to have inspired the Tower of Terror.

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

A "gravitational anomaly" located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

One of the most elaborate displays of Jellyfish is on display at the aquarium.

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

An amazing collection of fantastic reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and insects.

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

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.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

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

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

A classic advertising icon immortalized in regal bronze.