Places embeekrais Wants to Go

Stroll the grounds built by murder, suicide, and dirty oil money at one of Hollywood's most filmed mansions.

San Francisco Bay's ghost town.

L.A.'s oldest operating bowling alley is a beautifully restored homage to its speakeasy days.

The abandoned personal amusement park of the King of Pop.

A beloved carnival gets a modern makeover in Los Angeles.

This print shop boasts one of the largest pinball arcades in San Francisco.

This stunning sea creature-shaped home blends into the landscape like a fantasy villa.

These millipedes glow not out of attraction, but as a not-too-subtle warning.

This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.

Costumed elves and mountain bikers co-exist peacefully at this abandoned Christmas-themed adventure park.

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

Acres of natural wonders left behind by a socialite-turned-gardener.

The largest drain hole in the world.

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

The ghost town that ended up on Ebay.

The quiet canyon has a tumultuous history involving a doomsday cult.

Hidden above a drug store on a nondescript corner of Lincoln Heights is a private clubhouse for intrepid explorers.

World War II-era Nazi compound nestled in the Santa Monica hills.

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.

One of the last free public hot springs is decorated with hippie art.

This unlicensed collection of fast-food memorabilia sits on the site of the first ever McDonald's restaurant.

A multimedia experience that chronicles the atrocities of racism.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.