The Route 66 institution that inspired Taco Bell also served as an important headquarters for Mexican-American social movements.

This unlicensed collection of fast-food memorabilia sits on the site of the first ever McDonald's restaurant.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

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

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

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

Hopeless romantics will swoon over the sweet story behind this bright and colorful home.

A "gravitational anomaly" located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.

Haunting and beautiful trees, doomed to die.

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

Coastal dunes, site of buried Egyptian movie set and former utopian colony.

Get up close to emus and ostriches, or buy their tasty meat.

Honoring the famed folktale author, this California museum looks like it belongs in the Black Forest.