Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

Once the largest windmill outside of Holland, with enormous 114 foot sails.

Join the circus for a few lessons to learn clowning, acrobatics, and Chinese contortion.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

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

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

The giant pair of sexy legs sticking out the window of this costume store have become its main draw.

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.

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

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

Olfactory delights in San Francisco's Botanical Gardens.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

Get lost in this haunting fairytale art walk through a man-made eucalyptus grove.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

The bizarre visions of H.R. Giger, tucked away in a Swiss medieval city.

Tucked in the back of this amazing antique store is an important piece of medical history.

Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge.

Touching mementoes from those who didn't make it back from World War I still hang in one of New York's oldest bars.

Avoid gangster interaction while window-shopping.