One of the last remaining movie theatres in the country that features a rear-projection system.

A century-old factory reborn as an artist-run live-work building.

This massive World War II calculator hearkens back to the days when "computer" was a job title.

One of America's most historic homes also holds a startling literary legacy.

The aviator lived here from 1924 until she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by airplane in 1928.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.

This residential door allows San Francisco muggles a glimpse at the wizarding world.

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

One of the oldest used bookstores in the U.S. has been selling antiquarian treasures since 1825.

This partially buried wreck is one of the most complete of its kind but is only revealed when the sea allows.

A bike being "eaten" by a tree is the real Vashon legend behind popular children's book, "Red Ranger Came Calling."

Locals transformed this Canadian evergreen into a secret hangout with spectacular views of Vancouver's skyline.

The largest body of water in Massachusetts annihilated four small towns just to slake Boston's thirst.

This aromatherapy shop and mini-museum cofounded by the Sigur Rós frontman documents Icelandic history through scents.