The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

A playing field for a popular French past time can be found tucked away in a quiet corner of Golden Gate Park.

The legendary statue-hating superintendent of Golden Gate Park is honored with... a statue.

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

This private residence was the template for one of the most beloved television homes of all time.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.

Get lost in this haunting fairytale art walk through a man-made eucalyptus grove.

There is no trying to fall in love with this Star Wars fountain, you just do or do not.

This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.

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

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

The giant pair of sexy legs sticking out the window of this costume store have become its main draw.

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.

A tiny theater hidden in an alley plays a constant stream of short silent films for anyone willing to peer through the peephole.

A pair of slides and a tree-lined stair corridor have been an urban oasis for nearly 40 years.

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

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.