Where the first "expert riders, willing to risk death daily" for the Pony Express were recruited.

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

An overlooked memorial honoring the local Washington residents who died in World War I.

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

A monument in Washington D.C. marks the spot from which all other roads were supposed to stem.

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

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

A working steam clock, one of only a few in the world, located in Vancouver's Victorian Gastown.

A chain of bells connect the California Missions and honor the legend of the "King’s Highway."

The stately birthplace of California's statehood.

This eagle-topped spire remembers the military commander who snatched up California for the United States.

This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.

Honoring the famed folktale author, this California museum looks like it belongs in the Black Forest.

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

The set location for a 1987 cult classic draws international film buffs to the middle of the Mojave Desert.

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

Inside this museum, the history of the Walt Disney Family empire is on full display.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

A still functioning vaudeville carousel that has operated for over a century boasts a colorful menagerie and past.

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

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.