Wander through desolate oil fields littered with rigs.

This mission, established in 1771, is the most remote of California’s Franciscan missions.

Ride on a fully-restored Nike nuclear-tipped missile elevator from the Cold War.

The helicopter that "Tricky Dick" absconded from the White House in on his last day in office.

Home to an apple tree that can produce 25 different varieties of fruit.

The longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River.

This lighthouse has been guiding shipping into the Golden Gate since before the American Civil War.

The restored estate of a wealthy rancher was once at the heart of an unprecedented legal victory.

A fine mixture of the old and the new topped with an art deco neon spire.

The three biggest silent film stars once shot iconic scenes here.

This controversial depiction of the "Founder of California" looks as though it was sculpted from mashed potatoes.

Thousands of crosses and markers for soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan blanket a California hillside.

A secluded hilltop monument marks the final resting place of Lucy, Presidio Park's beloved white deer.

The only standing town in the United States that early Chinese Americans built for themselves.

In one of the hottest parts of the Mojave Desert, shallow bedrock forces the typically dry Mojave River to the surface in this canyon, providing a vital oasis for humans and wildlife.

A Looff creation in Santa Monica best described as “a California-Byzantine-Moorish-style fantasy.”

Internationally-recognized arts center housed in a century-old former military barracks.

Hidden inside a gift shop that doubles as a museum, this gargantuan yo-yo can only be operated by crane.

The world’s largest concentrated solar plant generates as many problems as megawatts.

The newsstand that never closes its doors—well, almost never.

After serving in World War II and picking up Apollo astronauts, this aircraft carrier has been turned into a museum overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Hidden in a hotel parking lot is a strange historical plaque erected by an obscure fraternal society.

One of the last remaining Carpenter Gothic churches is situated on a wildflower conservatory overlooking the bay.

A 1914 beaux arts auditorium that sat shuttered for 20 years, restored and reopened in 2026