Swarms of butterflies cannot compare to the awe inspired by the publicly-funded nakedness once displayed in this sunken garden.

The beautiful behemoth is one of the largest trees of its kind in the United States.

With its peeling paint and faded sign, this theater-turned-recycling plant is a nostalgic relic of 1950s Americana.

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

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

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

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

This cannon dating to 1755 has stood guard at this suburban intersection since 1915.

The last early 20th-century schoolhouse in Fairfax County has galvanized the community and engendered a spirit of service among residents.

The only surviving 19th-century water-powered mill found in the Washington, D.C. area.

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

This statue intended for children to enjoy became a minor political spat.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

A massive, majestic mammal watches over pedestrians from his perch atop a former B.P.O.E. lodge.

This church is known as "The Home Church of George Washington and George Mason."

Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

The former home of the man whose radical ideas changed the nation.

A modern frieze of ancient Grecian mythological figures playing a national pastime.

This tree was grafted from the actual tree that led Isaac Newton to ponder the theory of gravity.

This giant slab of driftwood marks the beginning of the Winnemucca to the Sea Highway.

The tradition of open-air secondhand and antiquarian bookselling in Paris dates back to the Renaissance.

The Great Fire of London and the regulation of one-way streets both started in this alley.

The most historic church in Fairfax County played a role in the creation of the American Red Cross.

Paris' linguistic guide to the international language of, yes, love.