It's not your typical library, memorial, or book store.

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

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

Of all the origin stories for weed's secret code, this one likely has the goods.

At night, a grove of towering redwood trees growing through the pavement block out all light from the so-called “Dark Park” of Madrone Avenue.

The world’s first stop-motion film was created on the racetrack outside this building.

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

This unique formation appears as though an asteroid landed on the forest.

Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.

An artist-run shop filled with art inspired by and made from nature.

This odd little museum holds exhibits on everything from blacksmith equipment to hair jewelry.

A vast city of the dead, where the deceased outnumber the living by more than a million.

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.

The grand, column-fronted, sculpture-adorned home of the ambitious digital library.

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

Internationally-recognized arts center housed in a century-old former military barracks.

This infamous prison has a store where you can buy goods crafted by incarcerated people.

Across Ring Mountain is a vast collection of Native American petroglyphs unique to the region.

Frank Lloyd Wright died a year before construction on his largest public project even began.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

Monumental sculptures of Patrick Amiot, constructed from debris, detritus, and determination.

340 bicycles, 65 feet high.

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

California's own majestic geyser is powered by a subterranean volcano.