Inky sludge oozes to the surface of this beach thanks to a rare natural tar seep.

This quirky UFO-shaped curiosity is often mistaken for the airport’s control tower.

Collective dedicated to restoring steam engines.

Hidden in the Santa Ynez Mountains off Highway 154, this tiny restaurant once served as a stagecoach stop.

Guns that have been defending San Francisco since 1904.

Like a kitschy mirage in the Mojave, this eatery serves up classic 50s-style diner meals and a dinosaur sculpture garden.

The first AIDS memorial chapel in San Francisco and one of only a few in the U.S.

NASA's leading space science lab started by a co-founder with deep ties to the occult.

The first life claimed by this record-breaking peak wasn't lost to exposure or a fall, but rather lightning.

Whiskey lovers, this is your happy place.

The blinking light atop the iconic landmark has been sending secret messages for decades.

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

This quaint archive of the silent era preserves and pays homage to a seminal moment in film history.

It's not your typical library, memorial, or book store.

A watering hole where the options for seating include a bar, patio, or subterranean cave.

The only visible piece of San Francisco's most famous shipwreck.

Machinery left over from California's once thriving mercury industry now attracts artists and explorers.

The only thing stranger than stumbling onto these philosophical musings is the story of the homesteader who created them.

Nose around a unique collection of more than 300 natural aromas used to craft fragrances.

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

Haunting and beautiful trees, doomed to die.

Historic house-museum dedicated to the revolutionary gay graphic artist Tom of Finland.

Version of the French Riviera destroyed by the sea.

Hopeless romantics will swoon over the sweet story behind this bright and colorful home.