Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

The miraculous hydrant that saved the Mission District in 1906.

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

America's oldest Italian restaurant is a San Francisco institution.

The haunting ruins of Jack London's dream house.

A popular tourist cave with a dark past.

This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.

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

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.

A crumbling wizard is one of the final reminders of a roadside Middle Earth.

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

The oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States is a nostalgic jewel.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

Since 1973, this block has been home to the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco.

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

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

Nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling Financial District stands a unique homage to the Mayan and Beaux Arts.

A storybook European village in Berkeley.

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

This shop and studio is dedicated to the art of the book, from letterpress to bookbinding.

The oldest burial ground in the city, final resting place of city founders, Ohlone natives and murderers alike.

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.