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

Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

The liveliest ghost town in the state.

Once strictly off-limits, this lower level housing curious and priceless vehicles of the Petersen Automotive Museum is now open to the public.

This turn of the century masterpiece has a mysterious goaty interloper.

A couple turned their front yard into an artistic masterpiece.

Ingenious bakery opens up the first Cupcake ATM at their flagship location in Beverly Hills.

A regular looking rock with an unbelievable history.

Located on 420 acres in the high desert, this spiritual center is dedicated to the "science of the future."

The quiet canyon has a tumultuous history involving a doomsday cult.

Commonly referred to as the most photographed Victorian home in the United States.

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.

This shop and studio is dedicated to the art of the book, from letterpress to bookbinding.

The L.A. Zoo has a secret garden of rare bootleg cycads, a palm specimen dating back 280 million years.

The neighborhood shop is a sort of tiny cactus museum full of exotic specimens you can take home.

This private residence was the template for one of the most beloved television homes of all time.

Costumed elves and mountain bikers co-exist peacefully at this abandoned Christmas-themed adventure park.

A Swedenborgian glass church surrounded by redwoods sits perched atop a massive landslide area.

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.

An inconspicuous footbridge beloved by San Diego locals.

Post office plaque commemorates local resistance to a cult invasion.

This great stone guardian of the forest is a relic from the land's volatile volcanic past.

A botanic garden full of trees twisted into fantastic shapes and positions.

World's largest porcine hairball sits in a collection maintained by Benedictine monks.