This little valley along Highway 1 is engulfed by thousands of lilies during the spring season.

This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.

Before it was abandoned and left to rust alongside the road, this riverboat starred in a John Wayne movie.

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.

The "3rd largest" city in California is an empty mirage of suburbia in the middle of nowhere.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

A walk down memory lane in the heart of one of San Francisco's most notorious neighborhoods.

At this California chicken ranch, four bucks will get you 18 eggs and a chorus of dancing animatronic poultry.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

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

One of the few remaining carousels built by master amusement park carver Charles I.D. Looff.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

“It's the quality” (but probably also the drive-through donut tunnel) that has attracted diners since 1968.

A crumbling wizard is one of the final reminders of a roadside Middle Earth.

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

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 Pringle-shaped ledge makes for the perfect photo op.

A cozy bookstore is tucked within an old gold mine shaft beneath the cafe and ice cream shop.

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

An old California photo stand has been turned into a shrine to the cozy art of crochet.

A large instrument played by the wind.

A carousel trades in its classic horses and calliope for endangered species, native flora and fauna, and a modern soundtrack.

Built by the inventor of the radio, this abandoned hotel has housed early radio employees, military men, and a dangerous cult.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.