Russian history in San Francisco.

An old California photo stand has been turned into a shrine to the cozy art of crochet.

Fonts are born and bred here at the oldest letterpress type foundry in the United States.

At this California chicken ranch, four bucks will get you 18 eggs and a chorus of dancing animatronic poultry.

A working model of the entire San Francisco Bay and much of the Sacramento River Delta, complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.

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

This stunning sea creature-shaped home blends into the landscape like a fantasy villa.

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

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

An amazing collection of fantastic reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and insects.

This infamous prison has a store where you can buy goods crafted by incarcerated people.

Alleyway plaque commemorating the death of a fictional character in The Maltese Falcon, not far from the author's home.

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

San Francisco's most expensive hotel suite includes a secret passageway rumored to have been used by JFK.

A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.

A tribute to the life and work of the beloved "Peanuts" cartoonist.

The world's largest wooden trestle stretches across this desert canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

The largest dune field in the Mojave offers a chance of hearing the 'singing sands.'

The remains of a 12th-century chapter house in Golden Gate Park.

This Pringle-shaped ledge makes for the perfect photo op.

An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.

While exploring the desert, you can stop by the home of a fictional heretic from a parallel universe.

What began with a single, 357-pound chunk of the Canyon Diablo meteorite grew to be an impressive collection. 

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.