Places lepainperdu Wants to Go

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

This cabin from the 1850s is one of the first structures built by Chinese immigrants in California.

The oldest continuously operating church in California.

Traditional, pre-Hispanic food is served alongside classic favorites in this family-owned Mexican restaurant.

This museum honors the farming past of the “Salad Bowl of the World.”

This mission, established in 1771, is the most remote of California’s Franciscan missions.

This little gem of Spanish Colonial architecture has been abandoned since the 1950s.

Inky sludge oozes to the surface of this beach thanks to a rare natural tar seep.

High in the trees or suspended between cables, these surreal structures are the works of a unique Japanese architect.

A wondrous place to watch a special flower bloom.

Two geoglyphs that are truly unique to North America.

Thousands of glyphs created by an unknown culture decorate the rock formations of this canyon.

This whimsical fountain pays tribute to Toronto's four-legged friends.

Equipment used to mine silver and lead has been preserved in this almost-ghost town in northern Nye County.

The only thing still moving in this town is the eponymous hot spring.

An eatery for UFO seekers on the Extraterrestrial Highway.

One of the few remaining indigenous petroglyph sites in Nevada.

The largest man-made crater in the U.S. marks the spot where we once tested mining with nukes.

A facility built in 1992 for an underground nuclear test remains in place today.

At the base of the Spring Mountains, a unique nursery packed with desert plants.

This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

A pair of large white marble lions guard this stretch of the Mojave Desert, and it is utterly mysterious how they got there.

Curious onlookers have suspected this strange structure is a secret government base.

The "largest bathroom stall in the world" offers a unique pit-stop experience.