These were the largest wind chimes in the world when artist Tom Van Sant created them for a California mall in 1967.

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.

This unique formation appears as though an asteroid landed on the forest.

Home of the "Father of Forestry."

After the nearby mercury mine shut down, this town was abandoned and declared a Superfund site.

Check out a shovel along with your Shakespeare.

The tallest bridge in California was constructed for a project that was eventually cancelled.

These colossal desert barcodes have been fine-tuning spy satellites for decades.

It took years to decode its mysterious messages.

The world’s largest concentrated solar plant generates as many problems as megawatts.

The oldest structure in a beachside California city was built to serve eight students.

One of only five observatories in the world built to measure the Earth's wobble.

A working model of a pressure-driven, high-speed rail whizzes around a private vineyard.

For almost 100 years, this site of peace and spirituality has existed on the California coast.

The oldest home in Huntington Beach, the farmhouse is a monument to the region's pioneer past.

After serving in World War II and picking up Apollo astronauts, this aircraft carrier has been turned into a museum overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

The echoes of a railroad town that solemnly mark the end of the line.

The second-largest giant sequoia in the world.

This park is home to well over 100 handmade birdhouses.

At night, a grove of towering redwood trees growing through the pavement block out all light from the so-called “Dark Park” of Madrone Avenue.

This unique bed and breakfast was first constructed during the 1800s by a Russian immigrant family.

The first mural ever dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party.

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.

A 1914 beaux arts auditorium that sat shuttered for 20 years, restored and reopened in 2026