Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

One of the last remnants of the city's Chinese nightclub scene is now a dive bar selling killer mai tais.

A quiet nook at the top of a little-known hilltop park named after California's first poet laureate.

The largest whiskey stash on the West Coast survived the 1906 fires--but not without heroic effort.

A Barbary Coast watering hole built into a Gold Rush shipwreck.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

A whimsical antique shop with a strong air of mystery, filled with items from ages, and what feels like worlds, past.

International delicatessen has been owned and operated by the same family for more than 110 years.

Social saloon from a scrapped trans-Pacific 19th century steamer.

This small oasis of flora and art was created in remembrance of a local auto business owner.

A gap in the concrete has been transformed into a miniature playground for the mind.

This restaurant offers the original California cuisine.

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

1920's mining camp and environmental education center is serving to protect the surrounding forest, one of the last of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

Journey through a bit of nostalgia inside this classic record and video store.

A public fountain that spouts "health water" from a nearby spring.

This hotel has hardly changed in over a century, like a time capsule of old Oregon.

This abandoned motel doesn't welcome guests anymore, but decay and a creepy atmosphere still call it home.

Trails through lava-carved tube-caves display sparkling bacteria and a rich history.

This lesser known Hearst estate is a fairytale village built from the stolen bones of historic European buildings.

This little museum has an exhibit devoted to the elusive forest denizens.

A Tibetan Temple and Buddhist organization just off the beaten path in Northern California.

This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.

A meditative space out of a fantasy story.