Law-protected wreckage serves as a peculiar memorial for an almost forgotten World War II tragedy.

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

This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

Appropriation-friendly collection of books, periodicals, and more.

This lesser known Hearst estate is a fairytale village built from the stolen bones of historic European buildings.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

A temple devoted to inner esoteric mysteries located in a California commercial strip.

A B&B on a Victorian lighthouse station in San Francisco Bay.

A dwindling menagerie of anthropomorphic oil derrick animals still dot the barren California landscape.

This (occupied) house is 10 feet wide and full of spite.

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

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

The most isolated mailbox in America lets desert travelers record their passing.

Swarms of butterflies cannot compare to the awe inspired by the publicly-funded nakedness once displayed in this sunken garden.

A "haunted" landmark on the coast of Southern California.

An extraordinary final resting place full of oversized art, amazing statues, and dead celebrities.

A working model of the entire San Francisco Bay and much of the Sacramento River Delta, complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.

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

A glittering South Asian anomaly in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb.

Gold Rush ship-turned-hotel buried underneath San Francisco's financial district.

Early prototype for Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim.

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.

An ultra-modern vista that has been featured in so many films the house is a celebrity in its own right.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.