One of Hollywood’s favorite government buildings.

"The Star Factory" cranked out Hollywood stars like nobody's business.

Colorado Boulevard’s historic bookstore, operating since the bustling city of Pasadena was merely some orange groves and a few ostrich farms.

Pasadena’s Stonehenge.

Bug-devouring flora are the stars of a special wing of the glass conservatory.

A relic from a forgotten bakery chain still spins atop a diner.

This bizarre hotel on historic Route 66 has been plagued by rumors of paranormal activity.

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

A unique local art exhibit that has continued to grow since 1989.

The disdain for this dysfunctional dam is reflected in a giant pair of scissors painted on the concrete face.

Explore more than 130,000 new and used books in the "world's largest outdoor bookstore."

Rusty industrial city full of oxidized distillation towers.

French prisoners carved these boats from the bones of their meat rations.

Rusty pieces of metal jutting out of a breakwater are all that's visible of the 12,500-ton ocean liner that capsized just off the beach.

An outdoor display of military missiles developed at Point Mugu Naval Base.

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

Like a kitschy mirage in the Mojave, this eatery serves up classic 50s-style diner meals and a dinosaur sculpture garden.

In one of the hottest parts of the Mojave Desert, shallow bedrock forces the typically dry Mojave River to the surface in this canyon, providing a vital oasis for humans and wildlife.

Finally the worlds of UFO enthusiasts and beef jerky lovers have come together in this roadside shop.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.

This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.

The liveliest ghost town in the state.

The "3rd largest" city in California is an empty mirage of suburbia in the middle of nowhere.