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

Home to the "Circus" trees created by Axel Erlandson.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

San Francisco Bay's ghost town.

This glamorous old building is said to have inspired the Tower of Terror.

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

Its buzzing collection honors vibrator history.

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

This distinctive Crescent City tradition dates back to the days of horse-drawn carriages.

Formerly known as National D-Day Museum, this collection commemorates the battles of Normandy and WWII.

Imagine playing a version of Legends of the Hidden Temple, but with a distinctly Southern Gothic flare.

In 2010, Nicolas Cage purchased two plots in this cemetery using one to construct this strange pyramid mausoleum.

The only rotating bar in New Orleans has been slowly spinning since 1949.

The final resting place of New Orleans' most famous voodoo priestess.

This contorting sculpture is the tallest in San Francisco.

This grinning pup statue is all that's left of what was once a ubiquitous Bay Area diner chain.

A century and a half of research in the sciences and natural history, still going strong.

San Francisco’s century-old Christmas Tree.

These subterranean storage areas hold emergency water reserves.

This 19th-century church is now a popular roller rink.

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

San Francisco's oldest operating hotel, with a Victorian atmosphere and a "haunted" fourth floor.

There are lots of hands and feet stamped in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, but Mel left behind something extra.