Ecosystems

This municipal playground was co-created by the father of one of the most playful characters ever.

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.

A decommissioned Naval base now rents itself out for people who want to blow stuff up.

The stately birthplace of California's statehood.

An abandoned munitions factory with a shot tower continues to wage war on the surrounding environment.

A small but industrious mining operation that allows visitors to touch precious gems while they are still in the rock.

One of China's last communal villages wears its ideals on its sleeve.

A unique seaside cave where Aleister Crowley faked his own death.

Former 1954 Del Mar Train Station now serves signature cocktails and delightful culinary treats, and still operates as a Metro stop.

Figures of unknown origin carved into the surfaces of underground caves.

Visit on a Sunday morning to see some killer tricks.

This lush area was the site of extensive enemy bombing during WWII.

The small cave that housed Tennessee's "first citizen."

The first full-scale tunnel built in America is short but scenic.

The intricate stonework of Machu Picchu serves as a testament to Incan engineers.

Considered the birthplace of the Copper Age and Bronze Age, the river is tinted red from 5,000 years of mining.

Island where motor vehicles are banned -- home to the only carless highway in the United States.

Discover for yourself what Herb Caen referred to as "the best kept secret in the Bay Area."