A mythical chimera first sculpted in 1936 as a mix of the main animals of Texas livestock.

The colorful, smiling concrete silos of Vancouver.

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

A 1920s speakeasy that had rum runners racing up and down the shores of California.

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

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

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

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

An extraordinary final resting place full of oversized art, amazing statues, and dead celebrities.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

One of the most elaborate displays of Jellyfish is on display at the aquarium.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

One of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest—and favorite—architectural masterpieces was almost lost.

An exquisite grouping of structures made from 10 tons of invasive saplings.

Controversially claiming the title of world's biggest bass drum, UT's Big Bertha was once made radioactive by the Manhattan Project.

A high-octane shrine to the greatest Texans who ever lived.

Locals dubbed it the "Owl Building" because of its bird-like appearance.

The upstairs reading room is packed with millions of rare books, literary manuscripts, and historical treasures.

A view-altering observatory at the University of Texas.

Leaf through over 30,000 artists' sketchbooks in what may be the world's largest collection of doodles

A dark patch of the ceiling at Grand Central Terminal which was not restored is still stained brown by tobacco.