It's been said that standing on Redding's Sundial Bridge is like being suspended between heaven and earth.

The Sacramento River streams past below, with the bridge soaring, gleaming white, into the sky. Designed by Spaniard Santiago Calatrava, the 700-foot-long suspension bridge has become California's second most famous bridge, and there are no cars to muck it up. Begin your visit to Turtle Bay Exploration Park  on the south side of the river at the visitor center. Walk through Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp, cool off in the mist-sprayed butterfly house, and visit the museum that contains some of Calatrava's initial sketches for the bridge (some scribbled on placemats from a Los Angeles restaurant).