This controversial depiction of the "Founder of California" looks as though it was sculpted from mashed potatoes.

Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

This small shack near the entrance to Sequoia National Park has been in almost continuous operation for the last century.

The world’s first stop-motion film was created on the racetrack outside this building.

These were the largest wind chimes in the world when artist Tom Van Sant created them for a California mall in 1967.

Home to a forest of whimsical pygmy Coast live oak.

This 19th century hydroelectric powerhouse was the first of its kind.

This lonesome Monterey cypress has survived centuries of wind, salt, and at least one attempt at arson.

Sports history, made in the Arroyo Seco.

The second-largest giant sequoia in the world.

Rising out of miles of farmland, these buttes are sometimes called the world's smallest mountain range.

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

A miniature train theme park, free to the public, laying at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Guarded by the Angel of Grief, the Stanford family tomb attracts an odd mix of halloween revelry and somber contemplation.

Hiding amid the largest camellia collection in the country lies a charming children's maze, donated by a secret admirer.

The remnants of an early automobile route across shifting sand dunes can still be found in the deserts of Southern California.

The Internet Age began with a transmission from this biker bar.

This concrete ship has had four careers - World War I tanker, floating amusement park, fishing pier, and artificial reef.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

The flow from this waterfall sometimes comes out of springs below its rim.

Depicting scenes of everyday life - and specific individuals - in Great Depression era San Francisco.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

A massive hydrovolcanic explosion left a half-mile wide crater in Death Valley.

This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.