Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.

A sparse, solitary sequoia still stands as a living tribute to the famous conservationist who planted it—but it's dying.

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.

The only standing town in the United States that early Chinese Americans built for themselves.

This odd California folly seems like it was almost designed to accumulate urban legends.

A life-sized mammoth sculpture marks the spot where the remains of a Columbian mammoth were discovered in 2005.

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

This giant shopping mall still holds signs of its automotive past.

One of the largest Marian shrines on the West Coast stands rather unexpectedly in Silicon Valley.

A 1920s speakeasy that had rum runners racing up and down the shores of California.

Once one of the largest rooms full of books in the world, this bookstore basement is still a treat for bibliophiles.

The Cambridge pub where Francis Crick announced that he and James Watson had discovered the DNA double-helix.

Local legend says Isaac Newton built this footbridge without any screws, bolts, or nails.

Named after a lodging site that existed nearby, a bridge has existed at this location since 1455.

This tree was grafted from the actual tree that led Isaac Newton to ponder the theory of gravity.

This picturesque horseshoe weir was first built in the 1600s to prevent flooding in the town of Bath.

A seaside town with no sea in sight.

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

A graceful natural rock formation stands astride the point where the Gulf of California meets the Pacific Ocean.

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.