This mother-daughter run curiosities shop is a beautifully odd mix of taxidermy and exotic plants.

An eccentric home stands out in an otherwise average neighborhood with mosaics, mini topiaries, and kinetic sculpture.

Dentist's hated concrete colossi are now beloved icons of the community.

Eclectic collection of dark and macabre antiques.

His discovery kicked off the Gold Rush. One of the hands on this commemorative statue points to the spot where he found the precious metal.

This 19th century hydroelectric powerhouse was the first of its kind.

This former boomtown "island" is now submerged below Folsom Lake.

This diner's a kitschy dreamland for anyone whose heart is stuck in the 1980s.

A statue commemorating the heroic life of a Viking postman who was the Godfather of California skiing.

The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.

Bits and pieces from the ill-fated Donner Party's winter cabins.

This settlement on the original Transcontinental Railroad began by harvesting timber, but transitioned to a forgotten 19th-century industry: harvesting ice.

Despite being a perfectly pleasant place to be, Loyalton can't seem to attract any visitors.

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

This historic estate on the east shore of Lake Tahoe was home to an eccentric millionaire (and his pet elephant, Mingo).

Eastern zen meets Western grit in these four little trees growing out of a rock on Lake Tahoe’s Nevada shore.

A Wild West saloon that helped define a generation of psychedelic rock.

Back in the day everyone who was anyone played this historic western theater.

Beneath a Virginia City bar is the entrance to an abandoned gold mine.

These once-beautiful historic graveyards are set against the barren Virginia City hills.

A former mining hospital is now a vibrant artistic hub.

The oldest hotel in Nevada.

An abandoned cyanide mill is now a haunting magnet for graffiti and illegal parties.

Ruins of the original wooden flume that carried water to Virginia City are still visible high on the Virginia Range.