Once a flowing stream and where the USS Monitor, the world's first ironclad, was built and launched.

This small interfaith chapel lies not far from the rim of the Grand Canyon.

A monument to the one-armed geologist who led the first documented expeditions through the Grand Canyon.

Every equinox this Maya pyramid puts on a spooky ancient light show.

Commemorating the spot where the famous scientist fed his pigeons.

A commemorative plaque hides a door that leads down to the New York Public Library's underground book bunker.

Discover for yourself what Herb Caen referred to as "the best kept secret in the Bay Area."

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

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

Two rocks in a perpetual kiss and one of "the most romantic spot in America."

Eat a tasty meal in the house where John Steinbeck was born.

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

Elephant seals and sea lions have turned the abandoned buildings on this island into their endangered love shack.

One of the oldest adobe structures in Northern California.

The first high-tech company in the valley that actually worked with silicon devices.

This quaint archive of the silent era preserves and pays homage to a seminal moment in film history.

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

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

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

The oldest lighthouse on America's west coast no longer needs keepers, yet they maintain the site anyhow.

This lighthouse has been guiding shipping into the Golden Gate since before the American Civil War.

There is no trying to fall in love with this Star Wars fountain, you just do or do not.

Get lost in this haunting fairytale art walk through a man-made eucalyptus grove.

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.