This candy shop has been serving up sweets to the Louisville area since the 1850s.

This 19th century mansion façade adorned with immigrant patriotism is a symbol of Louisville’s history.

Junkbots and mud babies are the masterpieces in this fantastically sci-fi art museum.

The remains of a deserted steamboat sit rusting beside an old ferry pier and an abandoned train platform.

Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.

A pier that used to act as a busy ferry dock is now a decaying favorite of local fisherman and urban artists.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

A 90-acre park on former landfill that hosts an annual kite festival.

This subtle Berkeley paving stone actually marks off a lawless tube of air that extends into space.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

An vast warehouse of everyday treasures in Berkeley, CA.

Handmade treasures from around the world.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

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

This mysterious series of teeny guerrilla installations sheds a whimsical light on street art in Oakland.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

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

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

A modern day curiosity cabinet.

The only museum of sake in the United States is nestled in an unlikely California college town.

A bizarre house filled with an astounding array of collections.

The basement bowling alley of this St. Paul dive bar is decorated with thousands of dollar bills.

One of Chicago's last seafood smokehouses perfects a dying breed of fishcraft.