This museum devoted to the gothic author holds such interesting ephemera as his socks and walking stick.

A sacred site for Native Americans surveyed by George Washington and owned by both King George III and Thomas Jefferson.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

Two mammoth statues inspired by equally tall tales lure tourists to this roadside attraction.

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

Legendary frontman of the Doors looms in this giant mural by famed Venice muralist, Rip Cronk.

A famous alternative culture epicenter and where Joplin serenaded young hippies.

Pay your respects to a folk-punk legend.

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

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

Commonly referred to as the most photographed Victorian home in the United States.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

Non-profit time travel mart sells goods you would need for a trip through the fourth dimension.

This statue of the "father of television" stands prominently in the United States Capitol.

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.

This unique museum cafeteria showcases the history and regional diversity of African American cuisine.

The grand marble structure next to the White House is Andrew Carnegie's temple to Pan-American diplomacy.

One critic described it as "middle Mussolini, early Ramses, and late Neiman-Marcus." Another called it an architectural "natural disaster."

Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.

A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.