The mall's looks were inspired by the cowboy extras who used to meet up—and cause real trouble—at this Hollywood hub.

The last of a gourmet supermarket chain, this store helped spark California's Food Revolution.

The neighborhood of Eagle Rock is named after a gigantic boulder with a shadowy surprise.

This strangely vacant Western amusement seems to be an empty tribute to residents of Lucerne Valley.

Where NASA's satellites and rovers phone home.

Santa Monica's oldest restaurant, decorated with set pieces from the Mutiny on the Bounty.

A ring of creosote bushes that are estimated to be 11,700 years old.

This magnificent mausoleum is as much a work of art as it is a historic resting place.

The sea once considered an ecological wasteland is now called "crown jewel of avian biodiversity" by scientists.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.

A massive hydrovolcanic explosion left a half-mile wide crater in Death Valley.

The Mighty Wurlitzer organ continues to belt out the tunes at downtown El Segundo's historic home for silent and classic movies.

Housed in a memorial lighthouse, this museum relays the history of surfing, beginning with the antics of royal Hawaiian teenagers.

The world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory continues to report on the stars.

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

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

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

Fans of the spicy bright-red sauce can tour where it's made.

Marta Becket's hand-painted theater in the desert.

A herd of 150 bison live on California's Santa Catalina Island and are at the heart of an ongoing debate between environmental protection and economic expansion.

These structures were inspired by both Native American shelters as well as, strangely, an ice cream shop.

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

The oldest lighthouse on America's west coast no longer needs keepers, yet they maintain the site anyhow.