Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

Tiki luxury on Nob Hill.

Its buzzing collection honors vibrator history.

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

A nondescript building that's been functioning as a speakeasy for nearly a century and a half.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.

This old-school café is famous for serving coffee, chilaquiles, and the Cuban Revolution.

The Mexican painter Diego Rivera created this unusual museum to display his collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts.

Cool down and fill up after visiting Teotihuacán at this bar and restaurant in a deep, underground cave.

Diego Rivera's massive tiled fountain and failed infrastructure project.

At this 1940s-era neighborhood favorite, you can still drink a cherry phosphate.

Funded by John D. Rockefeller, this is one of the earliest, and most beautiful, shopping arcades in America.

This sprawling bookstore spans four floors and has more than a million books in stock.

One man's attempt to create an artistic wonder on a run-down block in Detroit.

Locals place their offerings on this nightmarish gnarled tree so the witches won't summon another storm.

This shop for all your super spy needs hides an educational secret.

The Magic House provides a beautiful and creative environment for curious youngsters to get their knowledge on.

This is not your typical jungle gym.