Places Christopher Johnston Wants to Go

Over one million bird-related artifacts await.

Graffiti-covered ruins that were once part of a farm owned by a mental hospital.

This historic California cemetery holds the bodies of veterans of both the Civil War and the Donner Party.

A sculpture dedicated to Napa Valley's oldest mineral water company.

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

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

A veteran Disney animator turned his gift for storytelling to a museum devoted to his love of a California city.

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

The sea once considered an ecological wasteland is now called "crown jewel of avian biodiversity" by scientists.

Erroneously called the world's tallest flagpole, this landmark is devoted to "good neighborliness."

Huge otherworldly domed rocks on the shore of a deadly lake.

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

The "3rd largest" city in California is an empty mirage of suburbia in the middle of nowhere.

Abandoned hotel with adjacent lake and golf course.

A glittering South Asian anomaly in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb.

Pay your respects to departed pets, both celebrity and otherwise.

The restored estate of a wealthy rancher was once at the heart of an unprecedented legal victory.

A constantly changing trove of screen-used costumes, props, and designer wardrobe from Hollywood sets

Home to a massive collection curated by the Burbank Historical Society, this museum examines every aspect of life in the city known for aviation and the film industry.

This statue celebrating early Hollywood is largely forgotten, while its twin replica at Walt Disney World has become an icon.

This distinctive blue and white jet fighter is a symbol of the area’s relationship with aviation.

An abandoned early 20th-century gold mine in a spectacular setting overlooking Bridgeport Valley and the Sierra Nevada.

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

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.