A surreal, Gaudi-inspired play space near an Anaheim community center.

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

Oldest building in California still in use.

A "haunted" landmark on the coast of Southern California.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

The hidden jewel of Disneyland: a members only playground for the Disney elite.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

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

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

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

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

The world's largest mountain carving could fit all of Mount Rushmore inside it many times over.

The first declared National Monument in the United States.

America's "second most important bell" is a contentious spoil of the Civil War.

"the sweltering inhabitants of Charleston and New Orleans, of Madras and Bombay and Calcutta, drink at my well . . . The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges."

The American Revolution was galvanized into serious action due to the tragic clash with British soldiers that occurred at this location.

A 60-room castle constructed by a horse-racing heir.

This Rhode Island mansion was a stand-in for the exteriors of Collinwood in the original "Dark Shadows" series.

An Iowa town celebrates its heritage with the tallest working Dutch windmill in North America.

A breathtaking array of ancient Pueblo structures and artifacts counterintuitively preserved by neglect.

The ancient dwellings of the Puebloans, located in the cliffs of majestic mesas.