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

Join the circus for a few lessons to learn clowning, acrobatics, and Chinese contortion.

First LEED-certified gas station in the United States.

An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.

While exploring the desert, you can stop by the home of a fictional heretic from a parallel universe.

The illuminating collection of L.A. street lights is run by the city and only opens one day per month.

Russian history in San Francisco.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

An abandoned, unfinished mansion on grounds strewn with lava rocks.

California's own majestic geyser is powered by a subterranean volcano.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

An eccentric folk art landmark made out of discarded bottles by an inspired "grandma."

Where there's quartz, there must be gold. Thus is the story of the mines of Julian, and the titillating times of the Gold Rush.

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

Adolph Sutro's little-known, geographically inaccurate, deprecated monument.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

Art from the latest counter-culture; kids who dye their hair blue and believe the future will be a post-apocalyptic water world.

An old California photo stand has been turned into a shrine to the cozy art of crochet.

Once a place of peaceful repose, this sanitarium now faces an uncertain future.

Longtime headquarters of controversial boys' club for the world's wealthiest and most powerful.

Discover for yourself what Herb Caen referred to as "the best kept secret in the Bay Area."