Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.

Where a staggering 747 ships were constructed during World War II.

An "anarchical" no man's land, complete with garbage sculptures and a hobo-run "Landfillian Library."

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

A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.

The only museum of sake in the United States is nestled in an unlikely California college town.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

This mysterious series of teeny guerrilla installations sheds a whimsical light on street art in Oakland.

A 1914 beaux arts auditorium that sat shuttered for 20 years, restored and reopened in 2026

An vast warehouse of everyday treasures in Berkeley, CA.

A 90-acre park on former landfill that hosts an annual kite festival.

The newsstand that never closes its doors—well, almost never.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

Dive bar built out of the remains of a whaling ship.

Antiques by the Bay.

A pier that used to act as a busy ferry dock is now a decaying favorite of local fisherman and urban artists.

A working model of the entire San Francisco Bay and much of the Sacramento River Delta, complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

A vast city of the dead, where the deceased outnumber the living by more than a million.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

Internationally-recognized arts center housed in a century-old former military barracks.

An enormous artwork that colorfully celebrates over 150 years of US military achievements.

Deco Modern sculptures of the people of the Pacific, cast for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.