The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

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

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

San Francisco's first World's Fair, dedicated to the wonders of California.

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.

The oldest burial ground in the city, final resting place of city founders, Ohlone natives and murderers alike.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

Another of California's unused Cold War missile defense complexes has become a graffiti gallery.

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

Radioactivity still cause for concern at this urban explorer's paradise.

The world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory continues to report on the stars.

This controversial depiction of the "Founder of California" looks as though it was sculpted from mashed potatoes.

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

Four miles of pipelines form the model of still-functioning retro-tech efficiency.

From the Difference Engine to the Cray-1, all under one roof.

One of the largest free-standing structures ever built, this dirigible hangar is now simply a giant skeleton.

A giant can of fruit cocktail is all that remains of what was once the world's largest cannery.

San Francisco Bay's ghost town.

This giant shopping mall still holds signs of its automotive past.

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

A giant chess set, minus the psychedelic drug trip.

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

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.