Behold the uncanny sight of the Golden Arches—rendered in black.

The last remaining houses of a bygone world immortalized by John Steinbeck in his novel “Cannery Row.”

The stately birthplace of California's statehood.

This antique shop specializes in the history of print and design.

The only place in the world where vehicles for an obsolete form of transportation are still built.

A still functioning vaudeville carousel that has operated for over a century boasts a colorful menagerie and past.

The taxidermied remains of the "last wild grizzly bear in California" and of the symbol of the state of California.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

An archive and museum with a mind-boggling collection of Shakespeare-related objects.

At night, this glittering musical tunnel draws skaters and photographers.

Housed in a memorial lighthouse, this museum relays the history of surfing, beginning with the antics of royal Hawaiian teenagers.

Enormous crabs, bioluminescent jellies, and other amazing creatures from the ocean’s depths—some of which are in an aquarium for the first time ever.

Here, visitors can swing with the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

This abandoned boat was left in place thanks to its rotting beauty.

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.

The most beautiful Taco Bell in the world even has surfboard parking.

Ride on a fully-restored Nike nuclear-tipped missile elevator from the Cold War.

Internationally-recognized arts center housed in a century-old former military barracks.

An abandoned boat that's been stranded mysteriously for decades.

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

A wealth of seafaring history displayed on the California coast.