A unique spiral staircase that doesn't quite make it up to the top floor.

A series of vibrant murals celebrate the culture and community of Oakland.

The first mural ever dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party.

California's longest-running tourist attraction is a stump.

The only standing town in the United States that early Chinese Americans built for themselves.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

This painted marvel is San Francisco's 400-foot ode to urban biking.

The neighborhood church casts a breast-shaped shadow that locals have come to call the “two o’clock titty.”

This museum explores the history of the book, from scrolls to mass-produced objects through tools, stories, and massive cast-iron binding machinery (some of it operational).

Antiques by the Bay.

An abandoned convention space that has been left to the homeless and the radical.

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.

A library and museum dedicated to typography.

This shop and studio is dedicated to the art of the book, from letterpress to bookbinding.

This large collection of tiny things revels in the art of fine machinery well made.

What began as an illegal art installation has become a symbol for unity, ocean awareness, and coastline preservation.

Built for an exposition in 1915, these horticultural displays have stood the test of time.

A magnificent, reportedly haunted mansion built for a composer by Spiritualists.

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

North America's largest accredited model railroad museum.

International delicatessen has been owned and operated by the same family for more than 110 years.

A Roman-inspired temple once controlled half of San Francisco's waters.

Check out a shovel along with your Shakespeare.

Every Sunday, this Thai temple in Berkeley serves a backyard brunch.