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

Sports history, made in the Arroyo Seco.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

Open since 1938, this diner has kept its fountain, malt machine, and all the gum that greasers left beneath its counter.

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

One of the few remaining carousels built by master amusement park carver Charles I.D. Looff.

This unlicensed collection of fast-food memorabilia sits on the site of the first ever McDonald's restaurant.

The beautiful 1920 Pantages Theatre remains hidden just underneath the LA Downtown Jewelry Exchange.

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

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.

Hidden in one of the skyscrapers on Bunker Hill, this museum features an 1895 stagecoach and peers into California’s gold-lined history.

Hidden beyond a kitschy giant beetle is this remarkably sprawling collection of preserved insects.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

A small, peaceful sculpture garden with a grim memorial to a disaster that took place a few blocks away.

The hidden jewel of Disneyland: a members only playground for the Disney elite.

This public library and its impressive collection of academic books have not changed since the 17th century.

A nursery specializing in strange and beautiful succulents and cacti.

A century and a half of research in the sciences and natural history, still going strong.

Prone to disastrous fires, the city of San Francisco has the Guardian, a fireboat gifted by residents, to watch over them from the bay.

A modest reminder of treacherous waters at the Golden Gate.

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.

This private residence was the template for one of the most beloved television homes of all time.