Places shellyt Wants to Go

The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California."

This former boomtown "island" is now submerged below Folsom Lake.

A tiny survivor of the Donner Party disaster.

If you dial the number in this abandoned office window "Sam Spade’s" secretary will ask you to leave a message.

The only parking meter in the entire town, it is surrounded by 100 free spaces.

California's first suspension bridge.

This graffiti-covered bridge is the quintessential vision of a place for disillusioned youth to escape the complexities of burgeoning adulthood.

The oldest orange tree in California spawned a generation of citrus farmers.

A train tunnel that was made obsolete by the dam it helped create.

At this 1940s-era neighborhood favorite, you can still drink a cherry phosphate.

An eccentric home stands out in an otherwise average neighborhood with mosaics, mini topiaries, and kinetic sculpture.

The capitol city's oldest existing cemetery.

A mesmerizing disco ball-like sculpture along the Sacramento River Walk.

Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

A replica of the first public theater built in California.

Where the first "expert riders, willing to risk death daily" for the Pony Express were recruited.

I Street Bridge is the heaviest swinging center bridge in the United States.

The last of a gourmet supermarket chain, this store helped spark California's Food Revolution.

Before it was abandoned and left to rust alongside the road, this riverboat starred in a John Wayne movie.

A working miniature city designed to teach kids about safety and presumably city planning.

An old-timey medicine shop that once served Chinese laborers during the Gold Rush is still open for business to this day.

The beauty and the beast of hydraulic mining is on full display at this California Historic State Park.

Built to hold Gold Rush wealth, this building has withstood the test of time.

A grave dedicated to the pioneers who settled California.