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

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

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

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

A popular tourist cave with a dark past.

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

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

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.

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

A giant chess set, minus the psychedelic drug trip.

A historic hotel in an old California railroad town with a rowdy reputation.

Two mammoth statues inspired by equally tall tales lure tourists to this roadside attraction.

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

The American Home, Re-imagined.

This quirky UFO-shaped curiosity is often mistaken for the airport’s control tower.

This controversial depiction of the "Founder of California" looks as though it was sculpted from mashed potatoes.

A roaring, awe-inspiring double cascade of icy water flows through woodland Oregon like something out of a Tolkien novel.

These old stone ruins in the Oregon wilderness were once bathrooms and are steeped in legends of murder.