 |
California Tourist AttractionsGuide to roadside oddities and other weird, strange & unusual attractions in California.
There are lots of California tourist attractions that are strange and weird. Lots! It’s such a lonnnnnnnnng state! There’s mountains and deserts and beach and… Well, let’s just say there’s lots of room for weird. And since I live Southern California, most of the tourist attractions there are going to be in their own separate section. So, let's start in...
 scattered throughout the park.
And what would be more fitting for an ex-logging train, anyway?
Photo courtesy Yosemite Film Take the one hour trip over tracks once used for logging trains at the turn of the century. Or for a more adventurous California tourist attraction, take the Moonlight Special. It includes a BBQ dinner and a possible hold-up by masked horsemen in search of valuables! The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad is at 56001 Hwy 41, Fish Camp, California. Phone: (559) 683-7273
Nope, it wasn’t a log cut into lumber,either. It’s a huge redwood log that was hollowed out. It took 2 men eight months to do it, too. And that was in 1946. So was it meant to be one of those roadside oddities used to lure travelers in back in the days of two-lane highways? Well, maybe. However, the guy who came up with the idea added wheels, intending to take it cross-country. That didn’t work out so well and after a few different homes, this unique California tourist attraction now rests in Garberville.
Photo courtesy One-Log House.
And guess what!!!
There’s a smashed penny machine there! Yes!!! The perfect tacky tourist trap souvenir! The One-Log House is at 704 U.S. Highway 101, Garberville, California. Phone: (707) 247-3717
The world’s first solar-powered carousel is a great hit with kids visiting the Solar Living Institute. There are 10 creatures including a saddled salmon, a wild boar, and other animals of the region. It’s a Dentzel carousel. Yep. There’s a Dentzel still making carousels! Note: Riders have to be 125 pounds or less.
Ride the world’s first solar-powered carousel at the Solar Living Institute, 13771 South Highway 101, Hopland, California.
Well, not exactly forever. But pretty gosh darn far!
57 steps up to the hurricane deck of a 70-foot tall tower atop a hill is a pretty good view of the Imperial Valley below. And just outside the tower is Boulder Park. There’s huge granite snakes, lizards, other animals and a human skull chiseled out of the boulders.
Photo courtesy gbcnet.com.
To visit this kitschy California tourist attraction, exit I-8 at the In-Ko-Pah exit, about 4 miles east of Jacumba.
Lots of pink. Pink pink and more pink. The Madonna Inn is known for its pink décor. And its 109 themed rooms all decorated differently. Elaborate, eccentric, garish and kitschy. They’re all words that perfectly describe these unusual lodgings in San Luis Obispo, California. And in true weird tourist attraction tradition, they have a smashed penny machine. Two of them, actually. One in the lobby and one downstairs in a private party area. Get a penny from each – they’re both very Madonna Inn-ish!
Directions: Take Highway 101 to the Madonna Road exit, just south of San Luis Obispo. The Madonna Inn is at 100 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo, California. Phone Toll Free: 800-543-9666 Read what other travelers have to say about this weird California tourist attraction. What else is there to see in San Luis Obispo? Here's more attractions including Bubble Gum Alley, a must on the weird tourist attraction list. And of course - you need to EAT... (TripAdvisor's top 7 restaurants in San Luis Obispo.)
Maybe that wouldn’t be the correct term. Still, it's a definite California tourist attraction that's a bit offbeat. If you’ve never stayed overnight at a horse sanctuary or gone on a pack trip to see wild horses, then offbeat would be the correct terminology! Right?
In the spring and summer, the Wild Horse Sanctuary offers 2- and 3-weekend pack trips at their wild horse sanctuary. There are nearly 200 wild horses and burros running free at the sanctuary. What a unique opportunity to see wild horses in a natural environment! The Wild Horse Sanctuary is in Shingletown, Shasta County, California. Phone: (530) 335-2241
That’s what a gallery–style garden is all about.
Pile up a bunch of bales of hay and create a maze of screen doors within the area. Throw in some Johnny Cash.
Photos courtesy Cornerstone Gardens.
Not going to tell you anymore…you’re going to have to experience this weird California tourist attraction for yourself! Here’s a tip though: Lay under the tree covered with the blue Christmas balls and look at the sky through it. The sky looks purple, not blue! The Cornerstone Gardens is at 23570 Hwy. 121, Sonoma, California. Phone: (707) 933-3010
There used to be all sorts of cool roadside oddities along old Route 66. Many have been destroyed. Some have been refurbished and some, like Hula Ville, have been moved to new homes. Hula Ville started when Miles Mahan bought 2 ½ acres in the desert in the 1950s. It was right beside Route 66. And it was a dumping ground for wine bottles. Instead of carting them all away, the retired carnival worker decided to stick them on nails pounded in fence posts. He named it his "Cactus Garden". From there, he scavenged a nine-foot sign of a dancing hula girl. He set her up on his property and Hula Ville was born! Over the years, travelers along Route 66 brought all sorts of stuff to add to his weird tourist attraction. When the owner entered a rest home in 1995, that was the end of Hula Ville in Hesperia. It quickly deteriorated and if it hadn’t been for the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville, Hula Ville probably would’ve disintegrated completely. They brought most of the major Hula Ville artifacts to display at their museum.
The picture to the left shows a small portion of the model, with the famous Hula Girl sign in the background.
See what’s left of Hula Ville at the California Route 66 Museum, 16825 D St (Route 66), Victorville, CA. Phone: (760) 951-0436
Ready to see more weird tourist attractions in
Southern California?
Recommended reading for those in search of weird California tourist attractions: Offbeat Overnights: A Guide to the Most Unusual Places to Stay in California Southern California Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, & Other Offbeat Stuff Northern California Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff
From California Tourist Attractions to State Search
|
