Places Calmmseas Wants to Go

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

This lovely, if imposing, piece of Canadian gothic is possibly the most photographed hotel in the world.

The walls of America's oldest masonry fort famously "swallowed" cannonballs.

This monument on Breed's Hill proves that one of the most famous battles of the Revolutionary War is misnamed.

Statue in Salem of the woman who starred as the witch Samantha in the sitcom "Bewitched."

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

An improbable creek near Death Valley, not far from the oldest surviving Euro-American structure in the Mojave Desert.

The only mine for rare earth elements in the United States has been intermittently active since the 1950s.

Bodie's 20th-century rival was a paragon of respectability and calm—but the mines eventually ran dry.

A remote field of nearly pristine sand dunes in the heart of the Mojave Desert.

Large metal sculptures spread throughout an open landscape.

Hidden away among the quiet streets of Beverly Hills, this small park is a haven for walkers and wildlife.

An improbable set of attractive limestone caverns forms the centerpiece of Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, in the heart of the Mojave Desert.

Go deep on these fascinating fish, and get a bonus lesson on the importance of marine conservation.

A historic train ride from California to Mexico.

For decades, the largest tungsten producer in the U.S. was located in a spectacular setting in the high Sierra Nevada, with some of the workings over 11,000 feet.

With beautiful views and every detail perfectly considered, one of the geniuses of modern architecture built himself the perfect home.

In September 1974, a small group of athletes completed the first modern triathlon event in San Diego's Mission Bay.

A 10,000-square-foot museum of operating model trains.

A mine in the Sierra Nevada that produced nothing but barren quartz.

This vast and otherworldly landscape is one of the largest dune complexes in North America.

A striking geological formation in Southern California.

A little-known, but surprisingly large waterfall on the Little Truckee River in the northern Sierra Nevada.

Kayak out to a floating restroom.