The first newspaper printed by an expeditionary force was published in this colonial mansion.

A single light illuminates one man's overshadowed contributions to street lamp history.

Three and a half miles of cliffs, rocky beaches, Gilded Age mansions and 40 Steps to nowhere in particular.

The oldest still-operating tavern in the United States was once owned by a pirate.

A watering hole where the options for seating include a bar, patio, or subterranean cave.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A breathtaking 19th-century trail overlooks Lake Tahoe.

California's most comprehensive horticultural library.

San Francisco’s century-old Christmas Tree.

A brooding mansion of clinker brick stands out among the Victorian houses of Pacific Heights.

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

This 19th-century church is now a popular roller rink.

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

Tiki luxury on Nob Hill.

This museum explores the history of the book, from scrolls to mass-produced objects through tools, stories, and massive cast-iron binding machinery (some of it operational).

The tea room that pushed the boundaries of adorable straight into...we can't find the words.

This surreptitious shop is only open five hours per week.

This nearly 200-year-old restaurant's history includes an exiled French prince, JFK, and a very hungry Daniel Webster.

One of the oldest used bookstores in the U.S. has been selling antiquarian treasures since 1825.