The stately birthplace of California's statehood.

This eagle-topped spire remembers the military commander who snatched up California for the United States.

This remarkably simple jail went over a century without an escape.

An old whaling station now serves to give the public a look at the commercial whaling industry, no longer a part of Monterey's economy.

The first safe in this California town had to hold all the gold.

The oldest U.S. Government building in California, and it's State Historic Landmark #1.

The oldest continuously operating church in California.

This municipal playground was co-created by the father of one of the most playful characters ever.

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

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

A chain of bells connect the California Missions and honor the legend of the "King’s Highway."

Thousands of turbines whir at the origin of North American wind power.

A remote crossroads honoring a fallen talent.

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

Under the right circumstances, this waterfall in Yosemite briefly turns a luminescent fiery orange.

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

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

A B-17 bomber stands as a memorial to the residents of Tulare County who served in World War II.

An underground mansion with fruit-bearing trees and grapes growing beneath the surface of central California.