A Norwegian-born sculptor created these soaring guardian angels at the entrance to Hoover Dam.

An exotic wildlife habitat right off The Strip.

One of the world's tallest Ferris wheels takes visitors high above Las Vegas in a spinning party room.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

This lighthouse has been guiding shipping into the Golden Gate since before the American Civil War.

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

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.

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

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

The neighborhood church casts a breast-shaped shadow that locals have come to call the “two o’clock titty.”

27-room home built with the fortune of a sugar magnate.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

This tall and trim architectural oddity is one of the skinniest buildings in San Francisco.

This residential door allows San Francisco muggles a glimpse at the wizarding world.

One of the most elaborate displays of Jellyfish is on display at the aquarium.

Enormous crabs, bioluminescent jellies, and other amazing creatures from the ocean’s depths—some of which are in an aquarium for the first time ever.

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

This lonesome Monterey cypress has survived centuries of wind, salt, and at least one attempt at arson.

Haunting and beautiful trees, doomed to die.

This cabin from the 1850s is one of the first structures built by Chinese immigrants in California.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.