Machinery left over from California's once thriving mercury industry now attracts artists and explorers.

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

The antique barns in Cameron are not painted with your grandfather's Mail Pouch Tobacco murals.

A dramatic, 360-degree recreation of Pickett's Charge in the Civil War.

The last holdout of a pre-Civil War rebel who took the matter of slavery into his own hands.

This abandoned horse racing track was an exercise in hubris from its inception.

The remnants of a failed socialist commune can still be found just off a California highway.

Built by one man in the '20s, this site is now a museum representing the Great Basin cultures.

Each year these high desert hills are absolutely covered with poppy flowers in a surreal show of nature.

Ninety feet off the valley floor is an ancient dwelling put under protection of the U.S. government by Teddy Roosevelt.

A stoic rock cairn is all that remains to remember one of the more brutal instances of frontier treachery in American history.

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

This hilltop park offers magnificent views and a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece.

Stroll the grounds built by murder, suicide, and dirty oil money at one of Hollywood's most filmed mansions.

Once the product of an inexplicable gold strike, this ghost town is now home to one man and his love of classic machines.

This collection of Wild West movie memorabilia also claims to hold some secrets of the Lost Dutchman's mine.

A remote crossroads honoring a fallen talent.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

A self-built castle made by a mysterious man.

A stellar example of Art & Crafts architecture, and a movie set to boot.

Finale of "William Tell Overture" can be heard as drivers pass over grooves in the road.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.