This eatery transports diners to a place that no longer exists: East Germany.

The old Niles Canyon Aqueduct in the San Francisco Bay Area is a bemusing and secret trail through nature for wayward travelers.

Founded in 1873 to support the needs of the gold mines flourishing nearby, this is the last water-powered foundry in the United States.

The first mural ever dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party.

A unique museum where guests can rent and operate a locomotive.

A picturesque example of brute-force engineering conquering nature.

California's oldest existing theater building hosted an impressive cast of celebrities, including hosting Mark Twain's first lecture.

Two pillars set 10 paces apart commemorate the "last notable American duel."

From buttons to beads, flounces to fripperies, this textile museum and shop honors the history of needlework.

Hidden in a hotel parking lot is a strange historical plaque erected by an obscure fraternal society.

One of the largest Buddhist communities in the West sits on the site of an old hospital.

A porcelain company's former dumping ground, completely covered in pieces of collectible ceramics.

The modest home of the very immodest dancer who cost a king his crown.

Everything you always wanted to know about borates is here.

A 19th-century cabin built into a hollowed-out Sequoia tree.

A mountain range on an active U.S. Navy base hides thousands of mysterious prehistoric rock carvings.

A ring of creosote bushes that are estimated to be 11,700 years old.

For roadside fast food, pull over at the giant orange.

The beauty and the beast of hydraulic mining is on full display at this California Historic State Park.

This Japanese treats shop may have been the first business to mass-produce fortune cookies in the United States.

A classically inspired temple in Redwood City.

An ominous concrete cube cuts a dystopian silhouette atop this California mountain.

A herd of 150 bison live on California's Santa Catalina Island and are at the heart of an ongoing debate between environmental protection and economic expansion.

An old-timey medicine shop that once served Chinese laborers during the Gold Rush is still open for business to this day.