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

Visible below the waves are memorials to the city's Gold Rush dead.

Stripes of flowers bloom each spring in a 50 acre rainbow of color.

The one-time watch house for incoming ships at the Golden Gate now stands abandoned and hidden in trees.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

Giant, natural amphitheaters made of delicate geological formations called "hoodoos."

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

Strange red rock formations that have been attributed to a higher power for hundreds of years.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

The magic's in the hole!

The private clubhouse for the members of the Academy of Magical Arts.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

A beautiful geyser under environmental threat.

Olfactory delights in San Francisco's Botanical Gardens.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

Home to items never before seen by the public.

Its buzzing collection honors vibrator history.

Four glass boxes hover over 1,000 feet in the air to give visitors an unparalleled view of Chicago.

Paranormal experiences in this hotel's room 217 led Stephen King to write "The Shining."

The ancient dwellings of the Puebloans, located in the cliffs of majestic mesas.

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.

These remote Florida islands have a history of sea turtles and sunken treasures, and one of the world's largest coastal brick fortresses.