A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

The hundreds of movies and television shows shot in this high desert town are commemorated in a unique museum.

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

The neighborhood of Eagle Rock is named after a gigantic boulder with a shadowy surprise.

The mall's looks were inspired by the cowboy extras who used to meet up—and cause real trouble—at this Hollywood hub.

Formerly Fire Station No. 27, the museum is a hidden gem in the heart of Hollywood.

Wild West history in Hollywood style.

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

A three-story, three-dimensional hobo clown in a tutu welcomes CVS shoppers.

The space-age building is home to one of the few remaining rotating restaurants in America, and the only one that inspired a 1980s sitcom.

Hollywood's oldest hotel is the site of the first Academy Awards, the birthplace of Marilyn Monroe's career, and the home of Montgomery Clift's ghost.

A visionary, futuristic sculpture in Los Angeles that never met its extraterrestrial potential.

The final resting place of a space program monolith.

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

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

High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.

An exotic wildlife habitat right off The Strip.