Oldest building in California still in use.

This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

An extraordinary final resting place full of oversized art, amazing statues, and dead celebrities.

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

A music-filled, booze-soaked oasis in the desert.

An offbeat angle on the ocean viewed through an antiquated lens.

An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.

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

The largest dune field in the Mojave offers a chance of hearing the 'singing sands.'

Where there's quartz, there must be gold. Thus is the story of the mines of Julian, and the titillating times of the Gold Rush.

This little blue house pokes out over the campus of UC San Diego, seven stories high.

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

This opulent hotel has been visited by Spider-Man, Charlie's Angels, and the Ghostbusters.

A giant donut stands as a popular symbol of Los Angeles iconography.

A world-class observatory in the California desert.

A fake town founded by Western movie stars is now becoming a hip desert community.

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

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

Rodin's famous depiction of Dante's 'Inferno', amidst a sculpture garden of many of his other works.

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.

This star-studded Old Hollywood restaurant is where fettuccine Alfredo made its United States debut.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.