Places tangentgirl Wants to Go

The creator of the carousel's bingo-pinball hybrid survives in California's oldest gaming establishment.

A historic hotel that made a cameo in Hitchcock's classic film has no intention of letting guests forget its fame.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.

America's most famous piece of self-built architecture.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

Its buzzing collection honors vibrator history.

The only theatre in the world constructed specifically for sound movement.

The old Niles Canyon Aqueduct in the San Francisco Bay Area is a bemusing and secret trail through nature for wayward travelers.

In this century-old literary safehouse, print is alive and well.

Ancient human, animal, and geometric figures drawn in the earth.

Panorama exhibition hall in old silent theater with a beautiful backyard garden.

Small museum packed with artifacts recovered by the man rumored to be the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones.

One man's homage to the sun continues to grow like a glass fractal.

Historic marionette theater features thousands of handmade puppets and free cups of ice cream.

Home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million bats.

Explore the largest pure gypsum deposit in the world, and go dune sledding while you're at it.

Twenty-seven massive radio antennas on the high plains of New Mexico search for life on other planets.

Bring your own cardboard to the slippery slopes of concrete hidden in a neighborhood park.

An underground mansion with fruit-bearing trees and grapes growing beneath the surface of central California.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

An eclectic trailer park retreat in the middle of the California desert.

An outdoor sculpture park of giant pink robots and post-apocalyptic Christmas scenes.

Acres of natural wonders left behind by a socialite-turned-gardener.