The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.

From Japan to Italy, this California park explores the world's cultures through their gardens.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

These millipedes glow not out of attraction, but as a not-too-subtle warning.

A popular winter vacation destination for migrating monarch butterflies.

This museum boasts the ninth-largest collection of insects in North America.

Left untouched since a double murder-suicide in the 1960s, Los Feliz murder mansion remains a neighborhood mystery.

Haunting and beautiful trees, doomed to die.

The remains of the first punk club in L.A.

A faux European lane smack dab in downtown L.A.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

About 80% of all U.S. avocados are descendants of Rudolph Hass's glorious tree.

A giant desert bird that once swung music fans at Coachella now has a home in a nearby traffic circle.

Wheels of chrome by the thousands adorn this California Historical Landmark.

A meditative space out of a fantasy story.

A plaque outside the San Jose airport commemorates the insect's arrival to the West Coast.

A quirky collection of figurines backdropped by city views is hidden next to a popular restaurant in the Hollywood hills.

The oldest orange tree in California spawned a generation of citrus farmers.

The quiet canyon has a tumultuous history involving a doomsday cult.

A "Titanic" superfan changed his name to Jack and set up this strange shrine to the blockbuster, complete with Korean food and Tarot readings.

The illuminating collection of L.A. street lights is run by the city and only opens one day per month.

The dramatic upward-curving roof is one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture that still stands today.

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.