Roadside oddities34.9213° N, 115.0674° W
Goffs, CA
A restored 1914 schoolhouse anchors a desert cultural center preserving mining, railroad and Route 66 history near the Nevada and Arizona borders.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
Roadside oddities in California
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Roadside oddities123
Suggest a stopGiant objects, odd monuments and things built for no clear reason.
- Roadside oddities40.0134° N, 123.7914° W
Piercy, CA
A huge old-growth redwood anchors a traditional roadside stop where travelers can stand beside one of the North Coast's most photographed surviving giants.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities34.2795° N, 118.7047° W
Simi Valley, CA
Tressa Prisbrey built shrines, houses, walkways and gardens from thousands of discarded bottles and found objects beginning in the 1950s. Access is by scheduled preservation events and tours.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities37.7327° N, 122.4685° W
San Francisco, CA
A private house has been transformed into a maze of themed rooms, hidden passages and immersive installations accessible only through timed experiences.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities34.1184° N, 118.3004° W
Los Angeles, CA
A large historic Tesla coil produces dramatic high-voltage electrical discharges during scheduled demonstrations inside the observatory.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities32.7413° N, 117.1760° W
San Diego, CA
A private front-yard hedge has been clipped into dozens of animals and geometric figures. View from the public sidewalk and respect the residence.
- Access
- Roadside, no entry
- Roadside oddities35.6852° N, 121.1666° W
San Simeon, CA
William Randolph Hearst's hilltop estate combines European art, ancient objects, theatrical interiors and extravagant pools in a surreal Central Coast setting.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities35.0442° N, 115.3972° W
Essex, CA
A trail drops through a narrow volcanic canyon using fixed metal rings, surrounded by cliffs riddled with holes formed in welded tuff.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities37.6611° N, 118.8275° W
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Scalding springs and shifting blue pools emerge beside an icy Sierra stream; the water is dangerously hot and swimming is prohibited.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities40.4169° N, 123.9675° W
Redcrest, CA
This roughly thousand-year-old redwood survived lightning, fire, flood and an attempted logging cut, with scars and high-water marks still visible from the roadside stop.
- Access
- Roadside, no entry
- Roadside oddities37.6880° N, 119.0058° W
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Two water-filled explosion craters mark a relatively recent volcanic event along the Mono-Inyo chain and are reached by a short forest trail.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities33.1241° N, 117.0794° W
Escondido, CA
A classic fiberglass Muffler Man with a mustache has stood outside an Escondido auto business since the late 1960s.
- Access
- Roadside, no entry
- Roadside oddities35.0121° N, 115.6532° W
Kelso, CA
A restored Spanish Colonial Revival railroad depot stands almost alone in the Mojave Preserve, interpreting the vanished rail community that once surrounded it.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities40.8044° N, 122.3043° W
Lakehead, CA
A boat ride, bus climb and guided underground tour lead to large limestone chambers high above Shasta Lake.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities34.0932° N, 118.2070° W
Los Angeles, CA
Writer Charles Lummis built much of this stone house by hand over decades, filling it with an eccentric blend of Arts and Crafts and Southwestern influences.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities35.2670° N, 120.6752° W
San Luis Obispo, CA
The famously maximalist hotel uses themed rooms, rock walls, pink dining spaces and an elaborate men's waterfall urinal to turn lodging into roadside spectacle.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities34.1069° N, 117.6511° W
Upland, CA
One of twelve identical 1920s pioneer-woman monuments placed across the country stands beside historic Route 66 in Upland.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities33.0190° N, 117.2825° W
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA
The bronze surfer statue became famous locally because residents repeatedly dress, modify and parody it with temporary installations.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities37.6522° N, 119.0181° W
Mammoth Lakes, CA
A deep fissure in volcanic rock near Mammoth Mountain is commonly called an earthquake fault, though geologists interpret it as a tension crack related to volcanic activity.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities38.1512° N, 120.4781° W
Murphys, CA
Discovered during the Gold Rush era, the show cave descends through multiple limestone chambers filled with stalactites, flowstone and other formations.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities36.6151° N, 117.1131° W
Death Valley, CA
Large accessible dunes rise directly from the valley floor near Stovepipe Wells, creating one of the park's most surreal landscapes.
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Roadside oddities34.9384° N, 115.5123° W
Essex, CA
Guided tours enter limestone caverns inside Providence Mountains State Recreation Area; reservations, road conditions and seasonal schedules matter.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities38.0690° N, 120.4660° W
Vallecito, CA
A huge vertical chamber produces the low resonance that gave the cave its name, with guided stair tours and more adventurous underground options.
- Access
- Seasonal or ticketed
- Roadside oddities36.6136° N, 118.1257° W
Lone Pine, CA
A naturally weathered granite arch frames Mount Whitney and the Sierra, reached on a short loop through the bizarre boulder landscape of the Alabama Hills.
- Access
- Open to visitors