A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

The haunting ruins of Jack London's dream house.

A world-class observatory in the California desert.

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.

The restored and active Victorian-era final resting place of San Francisco.

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

Megachurch turned Catholic church comprised of 10,000 glass panes.

World's oldest operating science fiction and fantasy club, once home to Ray Bradbury and L. Ron Hubbard.

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

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.

Small museum packed with artifacts recovered by the man rumored to be the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones.

One man's vast collection of artifacts and ephemera from matchbooks and postcards to vintage neon signs and cars.

Abandoned bridge hidden deep in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Tiki luxury on Nob Hill.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

Historic marionette theater features thousands of handmade puppets and free cups of ice cream.

Historic funicular railway, believed to be the shortest railroad in the world.

A Swedenborgian glass church surrounded by redwoods sits perched atop a massive landslide area.

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.

The private clubhouse for the members of the Academy of Magical Arts.