A pair of mutilated bronze octopuses slump at the base of the monument honoring California's admission to the U.S.

The classic lawn figurine now claims this wooded area as home.

Hidden in the Santa Ynez Mountains off Highway 154, this tiny restaurant once served as a stagecoach stop.

J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and other "Inklings" met at the Oxford pub to discuss the now legendary fantasy stories they were writing.

This magical museum celebrates the life and work of a seminal children's book writer (and occasional spy).

A gargantuan crystal kingdom.

A brewery warehouse which doubles as a circus bigtop.

A beautiful 62-acre Catholic shrine and botanical garden.

One of the world's tallest, oldest, and most disgusting chocolate cascades.

Treehouse motel and treehouse-building school.

The massive cave church of Cairo's Zabbaleen community is one of the largest Christian churches in the Middle East.

Nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling Financial District stands a unique homage to the Mayan and Beaux Arts.

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.

Acres of natural wonders left behind by a socialite-turned-gardener.

Ottoman-era houses lovingly preserved.

Behind the pink curtain, Au Bonheur du Jour, an art gallery of erotic archives.

With a history of slaughter, feast, and famine, remnants of the pork industry decorate this area--even its church.

A mechanized clock where a man fights off a dragon, crab, and rooster.

France's national museum of scientific and industrial instruments.

The oldest stone house in Paris was built by its most famous alchemist.

The celebrated eyesore created by starry-eyed sweethearts.

A museum on the history of Paris, including a set of Napoleon's toiletries, Proust's room, and relics of the Revolution.

Notorious artist squat renovated into legal studios.