Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

In this century-old literary safehouse, print is alive and well.

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Dive bar built out of the remains of a whaling ship.

An enormous artwork that colorfully celebrates over 150 years of US military achievements.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

Collective dedicated to restoring steam engines.

Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.

Where a staggering 747 ships were constructed during World War II.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

An abandoned Cold War missile radar site.

Cold War intelligence agents monitored communist embassies from an attic in a former pigeon coop.

This futuristically sylvan church is a glass-enclosed marvel of modern architecture.

This modest post office sits on the site of H.H. Holmes' famous murder castle.

The final resting place of up to 6,000 Confederate soldiers, the largest mass grave in the Western Hemisphere.

What's left of the ruins of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, or World's Fair, also known as the White City.

A hollow cement depiction of time's inexorable effect on the human body.

This unauthorized stone mermaid was secretly carved out of public stone before being permanently preserved.

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

The site of the first couple's first kiss is commemorated by the most adorable presidential monument ever.

For six months of the year, three giant mirrors direct a pool of sunshine onto this otherwise occluded town.

This structure among the trees was the result of divine inspiration.