Where the rich wintered in Pasadena.

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

One of Hollywood’s favorite government buildings.

A massive hydrovolcanic explosion left a half-mile wide crater in Death Valley.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

Hiding amid the largest camellia collection in the country lies a charming children's maze, donated by a secret admirer.

This quirky UFO-shaped curiosity is often mistaken for the airport’s control tower.

One of the best collections of antique printing machinery in the world.

A stellar example of Art & Crafts architecture, and a movie set to boot.

The world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory continues to report on the stars.

Former 1954 Del Mar Train Station now serves signature cocktails and delightful culinary treats, and still operates as a Metro stop.

The Hopi-style structure was built by the man who discovered Desert Hot Springs' famous mineral water.

An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

While exploring the desert, you can stop by the home of a fictional heretic from a parallel universe.

Along a California highway is a kind of Jurassic Park made of metal.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

Ten 25-foot-tall, beehive-shaped kilns, abandoned in Death Valley.

A bigger-than-life pun that has become a beacon of altruism.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

A modern day curiosity cabinet.

A Swedenborgian glass church surrounded by redwoods sits perched atop a massive landslide area.

Historic funicular railway, believed to be the shortest railroad in the world.

Each year these high desert hills are absolutely covered with poppy flowers in a surreal show of nature.