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

A giant statue perched on dumpsters watches over the freeway.

In 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin briefly ran their fledgling company from this Silicon Valley garage.

The world’s first stop-motion film was created on the racetrack outside this building.

A sudden forest of traditional Papua New Guinean art works is hidden in a corner of Stanford University.

Rodin's famous depiction of Dante's 'Inferno', amidst a sculpture garden of many of his other works.

Guarded by the Angel of Grief, the Stanford family tomb attracts an odd mix of halloween revelry and somber contemplation.

A hidden world of exotic succulents and cacti.

This redwood is a historic landmark, a town’s namesake, and the dancing sideline symbol of Stanford University.

A humble garage, world-famous for being the epicenter of a technology revolution.

This small monument to the great inventor contains a time capsule and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

This odd California folly seems like it was almost designed to accumulate urban legends.

The first high-tech company in the valley that actually worked with silicon devices.

A gathering of green robots at the Googleplex.

800 apricot trees honor Silicon Valley's agricultural history.

A giant can of fruit cocktail is all that remains of what was once the world's largest cannery.

A pair of pure white felines guard the entrance to a spot of California real estate established as an artist's haven.

Elephant seals and sea lions have turned the abandoned buildings on this island into their endangered love shack.

Here, visitors can swing with the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

Housed in a memorial lighthouse, this museum relays the history of surfing, beginning with the antics of royal Hawaiian teenagers.

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.

The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.

The most beautiful Taco Bell in the world even has surfboard parking.

A strange house built only at night, with rumored mystic inspiration.