Places Calmmseas Wants to Go

Where there's quartz, there must be gold. Thus is the story of the mines of Julian, and the titillating times of the Gold Rush.

A lawless town deep in Death Valley was famous for its riches and death rate turned YouTube famous.

Amazing meticulous gardens of personal wood carvings, Hydrangea, Canna, and many other flowers.

North America's largest accredited model railroad museum.

Neoclassical Revival mansion and set of horror cult classic Phantasm.

This ramshackle ghost town is comprised of mining-era buildings collected from around the region.

The sun acts as a key that only fits this giant keyhole twice a year.

The world's largest wooden trestle stretches across this desert canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

A hidden world of exotic succulents and cacti.

The Hopi-style structure was built by the man who discovered Desert Hot Springs' famous mineral water.

The dramatic upward-curving roof is one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture that still stands today.

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.

While exploring the desert, you can stop by the home of a fictional heretic from a parallel universe.

A Cold War site complete with rusty structures, hiking trails, and beautiful views.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

California's own majestic geyser is powered by a subterranean volcano.

No one’s quite sure why there's a metal megaphone bolted on two rocks in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

A hard-to-reach oasis in a desolate corner of Death Valley National Park.

This little valley along Highway 1 is engulfed by thousands of lilies during the spring season.

A fake town founded by Western movie stars is now becoming a hip desert community.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

The haunting ruins of Jack London's dream house.

The remains of a 12th-century chapter house in Golden Gate Park.