Architecture
13 places · Colonial, maritime & historic
Sonoma, CA
Sonoma Plaza
Sonoma Plaza is the largest plaza in California and the historic heart of the city, dating to 1835. The plaza is surrounded by historic stone buildings including the Sonoma Barracks and Mission San Francisco Solano. Mature trees, a duck pond, and the distinctive City Hall create a classic small-town scene.
Petaluma, CA
Petaluma Historic Downtown
Petaluma's downtown features one of the best-preserved collections of iron-front commercial buildings in California, dating from the 1880s. The Petaluma River runs through the center of town, with a turning basin that reflects the historic waterfront buildings. The area has been used as a filming location for American Graffiti and other productions.
Napa, CA
Domaine Carneros Winery
Domaine Carneros features a château-style building modeled after the 18th-century Château de la Marquetterie in Champagne, France. The winery sits atop a knoll overlooking the Carneros wine region with sweeping views of surrounding vineyards. The grand staircase and formal gardens provide a European architectural subject in a California landscape.
San Mateo, CA
Filoli Historic House and Garden
A 654-acre estate featuring a 36,000-square-foot Georgian Revival mansion and 16 acres of formal English Renaissance gardens. The gardens include a sunken garden, walled garden, and a formal allée lined with Irish yew trees. Seasonal plantings rotate throughout the year, with peak bloom in spring and early summer.
Sausalito, CA
Point Bonita Lighthouse
A historic lighthouse built in 1855 situated at the tip of Point Bonita, accessed via a half-mile trail that includes a hand-cut rock tunnel and a suspension bridge. The lighthouse marks the narrowest part of the entrance to San Francisco Bay. The surrounding cliffs drop steeply into the Pacific with views of the Farallon Islands on clear days.
Richmond, CA
Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park
A National Historical Park preserving the history of Richmond's Kaiser Shipyards and the World War II home front. The Craneway Pavilion and remnants of the shipyard infrastructure line the waterfront. The Rosie the Riveter Memorial along the Marina Bay shoreline features an art installation with steel and landscaping.
Oakland, CA
Preservation Park
A cluster of 16 restored Victorian-era houses arranged around a landscaped garden plaza in downtown Oakland. The homes date from the 1870s to 1910s and were relocated from various Oakland neighborhoods to save them from demolition. The manicured grounds include period-appropriate gas lamp-style lighting.
Oakland, CA
Oakland Cathedral of Christ the Light
A modern cathedral completed in 2008 designed by Craig Hartman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, featuring a 109-foot glass and wood veil structure. The interior is illuminated by natural light filtering through the translucent skin of aluminum louvers and glass panels. The building replaced the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales, which was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Mountain View, CA
Googleplex
The corporate headquarters of Google features colorful outdoor sculptures, oversized Android figures, and distinctive modern architecture across the campus. The public areas along Charleston Road and Amphitheatre Parkway showcase the campus's playful design aesthetic. The Bay View campus building designed by BIG and Heatherwick features a distinctive dragon-scale solar roof.
San Jose, CA
Apple Park Visitor Center
The publicly accessible visitor center adjacent to Apple's headquarters features a rooftop terrace with views of the ring-shaped main building designed by Foster + Partners. The building's minimalist glass and stone architecture reflects Apple's design philosophy. An augmented reality experience on the terrace provides a virtual view of the full campus.
Healdsburg, CA
Healdsburg Plaza
Healdsburg Plaza is a tree-lined town square at the center of this wine country town, surrounded by tasting rooms, restaurants, and boutiques. Mature redwood trees and a central gazebo anchor the park, which hosts seasonal farmers markets and community gatherings. The surrounding buildings feature a mix of Victorian and early 20th-century commercial architecture.
Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
California's oldest surviving amusement park, operating since 1907, features the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster and the Looff Carousel, both National Historic Landmarks. The boardwalk's neon signs and vintage rides create vibrant compositions against the beach and ocean backdrop. The pier and wharf adjacent to the boardwalk extend viewpoints over Monterey Bay.
Point Reyes Station, CA
Point Reyes Lighthouse
Built in 1870, Point Reyes Lighthouse sits at the windiest and foggiest point on the Pacific Coast, 300 steps down from the cliff top. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1975 and is now a museum and whale watching station. During winter, gray whales migrate close to shore, and the surrounding cliffs host colonies of common murres.