Once America’s most beautiful army base, this abandoned military fort on the coast of Monterey Bay has been left to the elements.

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

A pair of pure white felines guard the entrance to a spot of California real estate established as an artist's haven.

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

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

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

A sudden forest of traditional Papua New Guinean art works is hidden in a corner of Stanford University.

Rodin's famous depiction of Dante's 'Inferno', amidst a sculpture garden of many of his other works.

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

A classically inspired temple in Redwood City.

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

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

Housed in a memorial lighthouse, this museum relays the history of surfing, beginning with the antics of royal Hawaiian teenagers.

This concrete ship has had four careers - World War I tanker, floating amusement park, fishing pier, and artificial reef.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

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

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

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

Watch the newest land on the planet form before your eyes.

A beach made of semi-precious green sand on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

The southernmost point in the United States is a beautiful place to look at but a deadly place to wade in.

These ancient sacred grounds granted amnesty to those who managed to reach them.

These picturesque Hawaiian falls are home to a rare species of fish that uses a special sucker to climb up cliffs.