11 Most Awesome Roadside Attractions in California

The Essential Stops on a Golden State Roadtrip

Nothing beats a California road trip. Those who’ve logged thousands of miles zigzagging from the foggy redwoods along Avenue of the Giants to the sun-baked stretches of Route 66 know the best moments happen when you actually hit the brakes.

California’s roads are lined with the bizarre passion projects of eccentric dreamers that make for the best “you won’t believe what I saw” stories. Here are 12 we highly recommend you add to your “I saw this crazy spot” list.

The Mystery Spot

Found in 1939 and opened to the public in 1940, it’s a small circular area about 150 feet across where gravity seems to forget how it works. It was California’s first “gravity-defying” attraction and became California Historical Landmark #1055 in 2014.

You can walk on walls, watch water flow uphill, and stand at crazy angles without falling over. Don’t forget to grab one of those famous black and yellow Mystery Spot bumper stickers that road trippers love to collect.

• Route: Off Highway 17, 465 Mystery Spot Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95065 

Salvation Mountain

This giant colorful hill rises out of the desert like something from a dream. It stands 50 feet tall and carries one simple message: “God Is Love”.

Leonard Knight built this amazing folk art in Imperial County, near a squatter community called Slab City and not far from the Salton Sea.

Knight built it from adobe bricks, old tires, windows, car parts, and covered everything with around half a million gallons of paint.

You can walk through the painted rooms inside the mountain, check out the “Sea of Galilee” feature, and visit the small museum made from stuff Knight found. The bright colors against the desert backdrop make for amazing photos.

• Route: Off Highway 111, 603 Beal Road, Niland, CA 92257 

Cabazon Dinosaurs

You can’t miss these huge dinosaurs towering over Interstate 10 near Palm Springs. Claude Bell, who worked as an artist for theme parks, started building them in 1964 to draw customers to his restaurant, the Wheel Inn.

Bell used materials salvaged from the Interstate 10 construction, creating dinosaur “ribs” from steel girders wrapped with wire to shape them.

The 150-foot-long Brontosaurus (named Dinny) took eleven years to finish, while the 65-foot-tall T-rex (Mr. Rex) was completed in 1986.

Go inside Dinny’s belly to visit the gift shop, climb up into Mr. Rex’s head for a cool view, and check out over 50 more dinosaur statues in the garden .

• Route: Off Interstate 10, 50770 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, CA 92230 

Winchester Mystery House

This crazy mansion in San Jose was built non-stop for 38 years with no real plan. Sarah Winchester, who inherited millions from the Winchester rifle company, started building in 1884 after a medium told her she needed to make a house for the ghosts of people killed by Winchester rifles.

The result is a 160-room mess with staircases that lead nowhere, doors that open to solid walls, and windows that look into other rooms instead of outside. Make sure to see the séance room where Sarah talked to ghosts, stairs with tiny steps, and the famous “door to nowhere” that opens to a straight drop from the second floor.

• Route: Off I-280, 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128 

Forestiere Underground Gardens

Sicilian immigrant Baldassare Forestiere spent 40 years digging an amazing underground world by hand. He created this network of rooms, tunnels, and gardens to escape the brutal heat of California’s Central Valley.

The complex spans 10 acres underground and features fruit trees, grapevines, and architecture inspired by ancient Rome. Forestiere worked without formal plans, just his vision and farming knowledge. He designed skylights and underground planters that still grow fruit today.

Marvel at the underground aquarium, check out his summer bedroom with its clever skylight, and see fruit trees growing below ground that still produce edible fruit.

• Route: Off Highway 99, 5021 W Shaw Ave, Fresno, CA 93722 

Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree

In the redwoods of Northern California stands a 315-foot tall, 2,000-year-old tree with a hole cut right through its trunk. The Chandelier Tree in Leggett gets its name from its enormous branches balanced on either side of the trunk about 100 feet up, resembling a giant candelabra.

In 1937, Charlie Underwood cut a tunnel through this massive redwood to create an attraction for travelers on the Redwood Highway.

Today, you can drive your car through the six-foot-wide and seven-foot-tall opening in the trunk. The Underwood family has owned and operated this 200-acre redwood grove since 1922.

While you’re there, walk the trails through the virgin redwood forest, enjoy a picnic by the duck pond, and visit the gift shop that offers historic films about the tree. During summer months, up to 500 cars drive through the tree each day.

• Route: Off Highway 101, 67402 Drive Through Tree Road, Leggett, CA 95585 

World’s Largest Thermometer

This giant 134-foot tall thermometer in Baker actually works. It was built in 1991 by local businessman Willis Herron to mark the highest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. (134°F at nearby Death Valley in 1913).

The massive structure contains 5,000 light bulbs that show the current temperature. It’s a perfect landmark in Baker, which calls itself the “Gateway to Death Valley.”

You can see this thermometer for miles across the desert, making it a true roadside icon. The gift shop at the base sells all kinds of thermometer souvenirs. The digital display lights up at night and is visible from far away.

• Route: Off I-15, 72157 Baker Blvd, Baker, CA 92309 

Nitt Witt Ridge

This funky house in Cambria is often called the “Poor Man’s Hearst Castle.” Just down the road from the super fancy Hearst Castle, garbage collector Arthur “Art” Harold Beal spent 51 years building his own masterpiece from trash and found objects.

The house has walls made from beer cans, abalone shells, car parts, and junk Beal collected on his garbage routes. Look for picture frames made from toilet seats, walls built with beer cans stuck in cement, and ocean view terraces made entirely from salvaged materials.

• Route: Off Highway 1, 881 Hillcrest Dr, Cambria, CA 93428 

Watts Towers

From 1921 to 1954, Italian immigrant Simon Rodia spent 33 years building 17 connected towers reaching up to 99 feet high, all without machines, scaffolding, or blueprints.

Rodia made the towers from steel rods and pipes wrapped with wire mesh and covered with mortar. Then he decorated them with broken glass, shells, pottery, and tiles he collected.

He worked alone on weekends and after his shift as a construction worker, climbing the towers with a window-washer’s belt and bucket.

You’ll see Rodia’s handprints and the imprints of tools he used on the main tower. The gazebo with detailed mosaic work and the bird baths covered with colorful found objects are also must-sees.

• Route: Off I-105, 1765 E 107th St, Los Angeles, CA 90002 

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch

This amazing forest of glass and metal sits in the Mojave Desert along historic Route 66. Elmer Long started creating his bottle trees in 2000, inspired by his father’s massive bottle collection. Sadly, Elmer passed away in 2019, but his son Elliot continues to look after the property.

The two-acre site features over 200 metal “trees” made from upright pipes with glass bottles attached to welded branches. As sunlight passes through the colored bottles, the whole place becomes a kaleidoscope of light and color.

Mixed among the bottle trees you’ll find old typewriters, street signs, sewing machines, traffic signals, and all kinds of vintage objects. When the sun hits the bottles just right, they create a wind chime-like melody in the breeze.

• Route: Historic Route 66, 24266 National Trails Hwy, Oro Grande, CA 92368 

Pea Soup Andersen’s Windmill Restaurant

This iconic roadside stop has been feeding hungry travelers since 1924. While the original Buellton location closed in January 2024, the Santa Nella restaurant along Interstate 5 is still going strong.

You can’t miss the giant windmill rising above the highway – it’s been a landmark for generations of California road trippers.

The restaurant is famous for its all-you-can-eat pea soup, known as the “Traveller’s Special”. They serve around 500-600 gallons of their signature green soup every day.

The recipe dates back to the 1920s when Danish immigrant Anton Andersen and his French wife Juliette opened their first restaurant.

Inside, you’ll find old-world Danish charm and cartoon mascots Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee (with their famous pea-splitting mallet). Don’t miss the photo opportunity with the cutout where you can put your face in their characters. Before you leave, check out the bakery and gift shop for road trip treats .

• Route: Off Interstate 5, 12411 S Highway 33, Santa Nella, CA 95322