The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

A decommissioned Naval base now rents itself out for people who want to blow stuff up.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

This former stomping grounds of the most eminent astronomers of the early 20th century.

This abandoned boat was left in place thanks to its rotting beauty.

The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.

An "anarchical" no man's land, complete with garbage sculptures and a hobo-run "Landfillian Library."

Nuclear waste dump site now an environmental sanctuary.

The largest dune field in the Mojave offers a chance of hearing the 'singing sands.'

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

A large instrument played by the wind.

A ruined hotel with an unlucky history and an eerie present.

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

The ghost town that ended up on Ebay.

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.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

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

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

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