Places alisonhballard Wants to Go

A crumbling wizard is one of the final reminders of a roadside Middle Earth.

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

Contemporary art inspired by natural history and science drawing on ancient techniques in a modern world.

Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

Along a California highway is a kind of Jurassic Park made of metal.

Where the line between entertainment and aerospace blurs.

Though tiki culture has gone in and out of fashion, the Tonga Hut has always been flying the flag in Los Angeles.

A giant donut stands as a popular symbol of Los Angeles iconography.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

An increasingly eccentric apartment building, topped with winged beasties.

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

The ruins of the castle that chemicals built.

Hidden above a drug store on a nondescript corner of Lincoln Heights is a private clubhouse for intrepid explorers.

The stones that traveled from Spain to eventually become a holy place for San Francisco's nature worshippers.

Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

An optical illusion found amid a logged redwood forest.

Mexican food and folk art.

This quirky roadside attraction dives into the many theories surrounding North America's most infamous hairy cryptid.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

This turn of the century masterpiece has a mysterious goaty interloper.

A ruined hotel with an unlucky history and an eerie present.