A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.

This Elizabethan hedge maze is one of only six in North America.

A high point in Vancouver kitsch.

This conservatory allows a little bit of the tropics to thrive in the middle of a major Canadian city.

The collection of signage remembers the midcentury pushback against the new neon light.

This quirky piece of naval artillery has been deafening Canadians for over a century.

An easily overlooked stretch of ornate window fronts and gaslight lamps that could be right from the pages of Dickens.

A charming 17th-century alley is lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops.

Alleyway plaque commemorating the death of a fictional character in The Maltese Falcon, not far from the author's home.

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.

A restored 1920s cascade stairway provides one of the best views of Oakland's Lake Merritt.

Follow the original medieval paths that wind through this intriguing section of the city.

A huge collection of rocks, gems, and crystals.

An oddities shop packed with twisted treasures inspired by Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe.

The mysterious round rocks of Schooner Gulch.

Celebrating the transformation of trash into objects of beauty.

California's own majestic geyser is powered by a subterranean volcano.

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

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

340 bicycles, 65 feet high.

An eccentric home stands out in an otherwise average neighborhood with mosaics, mini topiaries, and kinetic sculpture.

This museum boasts the ninth-largest collection of insects in North America.

This museum looks at the history of one of America's most famous prisons and most beloved albums.