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

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

A poignant memorial to a young boy whose death spurred a dramatic increase in organ donations in Italy—dubbed the "Nicholas Effect."

Massive prehistoric mammals used these stones as oversized scratching posts.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

An amazing collection of fantastic reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and insects.

Get up close to emus and ostriches, or buy their tasty meat.

This blowhole is supposedly caused by a trapped monster.

This industrial area was the dumping ground for massive amounts of trash, some of which washes up as tiny bits of sea glass.

This former luxury resort in Kaua'i is now an abandoned relic.

An eccentric folk art landmark made out of discarded bottles by an inspired "grandma."

This municipal playground was co-created by the father of one of the most playful characters ever.

The oldest continuously operating church in California.

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

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

This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

There is no trying to fall in love with this Star Wars fountain, you just do or do not.

Pillars made of 700 pieces of luggage climb to the ceiling of Sacramento Airport's baggage claim.

The mysterious round rocks of Schooner Gulch.

Celebrating the transformation of trash into objects of beauty.