Outposts of this restaurant chain were shaped like jaunty chapeaus.

This traditional garden in the San Fernando Valley doubled for Star Fleet Academy, and is irrigated entirely by wastewater.

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.

Magical-looking cottages that inspired one of the most famous animated films ever.

This glamorous old building is said to have inspired the Tower of Terror.

A ghost town at the airport is now a refuge for blue butterflies.

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

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

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

This opulent Pueblo Deco movie palace melds Art Deco and Native American motifs.

A sculpture made of 10 Cadillacs as a monument to the "Golden Age" of the American automobile.

The so-called "Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles" is on a one mutant mission to keep L.A. weird.

This vintage car parts store is also a museum devoted to a squat little gem of automotive history.

This lonesome Monterey cypress has survived centuries of wind, salt, and at least one attempt at arson.

Inspiration struck on this seat outside the Griffith Park merry-go-round.

Try the frozen treat that inspired Arrested Development's famous banana stand.

Someone really, really wanted to save this fast-food icon from demolition.

A very tiny church, bisected by a now-dead oak tree and marooned in the middle of a shopping center parking lot.

A classic American barn that was the home of a classic American television star.

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

The ruins of the movie ranch owned by actor and stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan.

California's oldest wind harp represents a historic piece of America's Danish history.

Sitting in the arguable birthplace of the Wild West, this museum holds the largest collection of bronco busting bric-a-brac in the world.

Ninety feet off the valley floor is an ancient dwelling put under protection of the U.S. government by Teddy Roosevelt.