Point Fermin Lighthouse (Only 20 miles from LAX!)

Wait, what? A 500-pound Fresnel Lens went missing for 65 years? The Point Fermin Lighthouse's original fourth-order Fresnel lens was removed in 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The lens remained lost for decades until it was eventually found and returned to the lighthouse in 2006. It's stunning, and whether you're a lighthouse nerd or not, seeing a Fresnel lens up close will give you a "clear" understanding of how its beehive prism structure works and why it was used in lighthouses. Also, did I mention the views are breathtaking?