The words of the neighborhood's most famous poets adorn four concrete walls.

The beauty and the beast of hydraulic mining is on full display at this California Historic State Park.

Suburban observatory was personal lab of the father of modern astrophysics.

Oakland's beautiful monumental cemetery.

The sea once considered an ecological wasteland is now called "crown jewel of avian biodiversity" by scientists.

The oldest lighthouse on America's west coast no longer needs keepers, yet they maintain the site anyhow.

A classically inspired temple in Redwood City.

The beloved dining spot stands at the cross-section of Hollywood and the Old West.

The remnants of a failed socialist commune can still be found just off a California highway.

At this deceptively beautiful beach, nothing is what it seems.

The artwork that Italians felt California didn't deserve.

Originally the home of chewing gum mogul William Wrigely Jr, it is now the official offices of the Tournament of Roses.

A stranded woman lived alone on this remote island for 18 years, inspiring the great children's novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins."

One of the largest trees of its kind in California.

The Giant Lemon of Lemon Grove.

A statue commemorate Tommie Smith and John Carlos's brave protest at the 1968 Olympics, a watershed moment for civil rights.

A pier that used to act as a busy ferry dock is now a decaying favorite of local fisherman and urban artists.

A herd of 150 bison live on California's Santa Catalina Island and are at the heart of an ongoing debate between environmental protection and economic expansion.

A mountain range on an active U.S. Navy base hides thousands of mysterious prehistoric rock carvings.

Created in 1972, the famous sculptor's intricately detailed monument to San Francisco is overflowing with city landmarks.

A giant knight, sex education, date shakes, and Jesus coexist happily in this Coachella Valley desert oasis.

These lush groves of fan palms rise up like oases out of southern California's Colorado Desert.

A Roman-inspired temple once controlled half of San Francisco's waters.

This mountaintop beacon is only lit three times a year but shines like some kind of all-seeing eye.