His discovery kicked off the Gold Rush. One of the hands on this commemorative statue points to the spot where he found the precious metal.

This massive redwood tree has stood in Northern California for nearly 2,000 years.

A hidden gem, named after a San Franciscan icon, offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.

A historic train ride from California to Mexico.

See four top-secret US spy aircraft of the Cold War era, including the legendary SR-71 Blackbird and the A-12 Oxcart.

A collection of anti-communist sculptures stands watch in the Mojave Desert.

After the nearby mercury mine shut down, this town was abandoned and declared a Superfund site.

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

A hidden courtyard houses early 20th-century plaster masterpieces.

This lighthouse has been guiding shipping into the Golden Gate since before the American Civil War.

This lonesome Monterey cypress has survived centuries of wind, salt, and at least one attempt at arson.

The same family lived in this Victorian house for nearly 100 years without altering the building.

This unique architectural wonder is also tied to one of the 20th-century's most renowned writers.

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

Tucked away inside this concrete building is a church and its grand display of brutalist architecture.

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.

An unassuming music museum recounts the rags to riches story of a dramatic Portuguese genre.

Hidden beneath a beautiful overlook you’ll find the history of the city depicted in comic strip format next to a pay toilet.

This tile-work piece featuring a chicken riding in carriage is both a remarkable artistic creation and a social commentary of politics and culture in 17th-century Portugal.

In the Monastery of São Vicente resides a gallery devoted to a breathtaking collection of seashells.

Portugal's National Pantheon has a history of curses, collapses and financial problems.

This tiny island is home to the world's largest colony of Northern gannets.

The one-time stronghold of the noble Douglas family, now home to ghost sightings and nesting birds.