Places matx40068 Wants to Go

Acres of natural wonders left behind by a socialite-turned-gardener.

Hand-crafted tributes to a stray cat named "Room 8" now cover this LA elementary school.

A carousel trades in its classic horses and calliope for endangered species, native flora and fauna, and a modern soundtrack.

One of the world's largest collections of rare and magnificent bird specimens.

A quirky collection of figurines backdropped by city views is hidden next to a popular restaurant in the Hollywood hills.

This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.

The L.A. Zoo has a secret garden of rare bootleg cycads, a palm specimen dating back 280 million years.

Dozens of feral felines rule a segment of Hollywood's only graveyard.

World's oldest operating science fiction and fantasy club, once home to Ray Bradbury and L. Ron Hubbard.

This brightly made over hotel hides decades of suicide, serial killers, and mysterious deaths.

A ghost town at the airport is now a refuge for blue butterflies.

These delicate buggers are some of the rarest fossils that have bubbled up from the Tar Pits.

World's largest collection of serial killer artwork and other macabre exhibits.

An Aladdin's cave of old Silicon Valley tech.

Elephant seals and sea lions have turned the abandoned buildings on this island into their endangered love shack.

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

Home to the "Circus" trees created by Axel Erlandson.

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.

A strange house built only at night, with rumored mystic inspiration.

Named for a self-taught botanist who cataloged hundreds of native plants, this garden continues her work of preserving California plant life.

This little valley along Highway 1 is engulfed by thousands of lilies during the spring season.

A tree grown from astronaut seeds which were exposed to cosmic rays.

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.