Places lithophor Wants to Go

Home of what was the largest hydraulic mine in the world, producing gold and the first diamonds in the U.S.

An abandoned 1930s gas station turned bustling neighborhood park.

A giant desert bird that once swung music fans at Coachella now has a home in a nearby traffic circle.

A fleet of automotive automatons sleep in this otherwise unremarkable urban garage.

A stranded woman lived alone on this remote island for 18 years, inspiring the great children's novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins."

One of the only known surviving coconut palm trees in the entire state.

Over one million bird-related artifacts await.

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

A three-story, three-dimensional hobo clown in a tutu welcomes CVS shoppers.

This Pringle-shaped ledge makes for the perfect photo op.

Honoring the famed folktale author, this California museum looks like it belongs in the Black Forest.

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

This sculpture garden in Death Valley makes you feel like you've slipped into some alternate reality.

Huge otherworldly domed rocks on the shore of a deadly lake.

Over 300 taxidermied animals in a Californian restaurant make for a taxidermist's dream and an animal lover's nightmare.

This historic tower in the California desert promises visitors a "vortex of good vibes".

This abandoned boat was left in place thanks to its rotting beauty.

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.

A music-filled, booze-soaked oasis in the desert.

This lesser known Hearst estate is a fairytale village built from the stolen bones of historic European buildings.

The world's largest wooden trestle stretches across this desert canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

This (occupied) house is 10 feet wide and full of spite.