A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

A second generation sun-powered marvel lights up the night.

View the California coastline (and the home of Barbara Streisand) inch by inch with stunning, government-sanctioned aerial photography.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

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

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

One of the world's tallest Ferris wheels takes visitors high above Las Vegas in a spinning party room.

This unlicensed collection of fast-food memorabilia sits on the site of the first ever McDonald's restaurant.

Come for the flowers, stay for the bats!

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

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

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

There are lots of hands and feet stamped in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, but Mel left behind something extra.

This controversial museum includes such detested exhibits as a chocolate suicide bomber and fecal-smelling digestion machine.

New Zealand's epic shrine to all things puzzling.

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

A magical place that lets you play in and explore the world of Studio Ghibli.