All the United States California

The Atlas Obscura Guide To California

1,503 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in California

Updated May 16, 2025

From coastal road trips to wild natural adventures, from desert to mountains, from Hollywood to redwoods, the Golden State has it all. No trip there would be complete without some hidden wonder you werenʼt expecting, and weʼre going to help you find it.

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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Agoura Hills
  2. Alameda
  3. Albany
  4. Altadena
  5. Amboy
  6. Anaheim
  7. Aptos
  8. Arcadia
  9. Auburn
  10. Avalon
  11. Baker
  12. Barstow
  13. Belvedere Tiburon
  14. Benicia
  15. Berkeley
  16. Beverly Hills
  17. Big Sur
  18. Bishop
  19. Blythe
  20. Bodfish
  21. Borrego Springs
  22. Bridgeport
  23. Burbank
  24. Calabasas
  25. California City
  26. Calipatria
  27. Calistoga
  28. Camarillo
  29. Cambria
  30. Carlsbad
  31. Carmel By The Sea
  32. Carpinteria
  33. Carson
  34. Castroville
  35. Colma
  36. Crescent City
  37. Crestline
  38. Crockett
  39. Culver City
  40. Daly City
  41. Davis
  42. Edwards Air Force Base
  43. El Segundo
  44. Encinitas
  45. Escondido
  46. Eureka
  47. Folsom
  48. Fort Bragg
  49. Fremont
  50. Fresno
  51. Garden Grove
  52. Glendale
  53. Goleta
  54. Grass Valley
  55. Hacienda Heights
  56. Hawthorne
  57. Healdsburg
  58. Hillsborough
  59. Hume
  60. Huntington Beach
  61. Indio
  62. Inverness
  63. Inyo County
  64. Irvine
  65. Jenner
  66. Joshua Tree
  67. Klamath
  68. La Cañada Flintridge
  69. Laguna Beach
  70. La Jolla
  71. Lancaster
  72. Landers
  73. Lee Vining
  74. Lemon Grove
  75. Livermore
  76. Lone Pine
  77. Long Beach
  78. Los Angeles
  79. Los Gatos
  80. Loyalton
  81. Lucerne Valley
  82. Malibu
  83. Mecca
  84. Menlo Park
  85. Mill Valley
  86. Modesto
  87. Mono County
  88. Monterey
  89. Morro Bay
  90. Mountain View
  91. Napa
  92. Nevada City
  93. Newberry Springs
  94. Newport Beach
  95. Norden
  96. Oakland
  97. Ocotillo
  98. Ojai
  99. Oroville
  100. Oxnard
  101. Pacifica
  102. Pacific Grove
  103. Paicines
  104. Palm Desert
  105. Palm Springs
  106. Palo Alto
  107. Pasadena
  108. Pescadero
  109. Pioneertown
  110. Placerville
  111. Pomona
  112. Port Costa
  113. Rancho Palos Verdes
  114. Redwood City
  115. Richmond
  116. Riverside
  117. Rosemead
  118. Sacramento
  119. Salinas
  120. San Bernardino
  121. San Bernardino County
  122. San Diego
  123. San Francisco
  124. San Jose
  125. San Juan Capistrano
  126. San Luis Obispo
  127. San Rafael
  128. San Simeon
  129. Santa Barbara
  130. Santa Clara
  131. Santa Clarita
  132. Santa Cruz
  133. Santa Margarita
  134. Santa Monica
  135. Santa Rosa
  136. Sausalito
  137. Sebastopol
  138. Silverado
  139. Simi Valley
  140. Solvang
  141. Sonoma
  142. Sonora
  143. South Pasadena
  144. South San Francisco
  145. Stanford
  146. Stockton
  147. Sunnyvale
  148. Tecopa
  149. Tehachapi
  150. Three Rivers
  151. Topanga
  152. Torrance
  153. Truckee
  154. Tulelake
  155. Tustin
  156. Twentynine Palms
  157. Ukiah
  158. Vallejo
  159. Ventura
  160. West Hollywood
  161. West Sacramento
  162. Winterhaven
  163. Winters
  164. Woodside
  165. Yermo
  166. Yosemite National Park
  167. Yucca Valley

Unusual Attractions in California

See All 1,503 Things To Do in California

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in California

See all 104 Places to Eat in California
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

The Explorer’s Guide to Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree may be known for attracting crowds of social influencers and visitors unfamiliar with national park etiquette. Yet despite the reputation, it remains at its core a mystical place. Its ancient landscape is dotted with fuzzy cacti, sculptural rock formations, and the namesake Joshua trees—which aren’t trees at all, but a species of yucca that can live for centuries in the Mojave Desert. The otherworldly setting has drawn generations of soul-seekers, avant-garde artists, and others who march to the beat of their own drums. Today, you can embark on an unconventional adventure, encountering everything from a spiritual center dedicated to the “science of the future” to a geodesic dome purportedly inspired by extraterrestrials. Plan your next adventure with our Explorer’s Guide to the Parks.

View Itinerary

Explore California

Architecture 180
Architectural Oddities 122
Museums 110
Art 100
Collections 97
Plants 94
Homes 90
Statues 82

California Leaderboard

Recent California Activity

Stories About California

Food-shaped vehicles have been around for at least a century.

On the Road in a Giant Almond

Nothing captures the attention like big food on wheels.
by Anne Ewbank
Northern elephant seals hunt nearly nonstop for more than half the year, with each seal making tens of thousands of dives in search of food.

Are There Plenty of Fish in the Sea? Ask an Elephant Seal.

In California, deep-diving marine mammals help scientists count how many fish live in the ocean's twilight zone.
by Atlas Obscura
The Coffee Center aims to demystify the craft of coffee.

How a UC Davis Research Center Is Changing the World of Coffee

That’s that UC espresso.
by Anne Ewbank
The square-shaped, blood-filled toe tips of a wandering salamander (Aneides vagrans) help them navigate their treetop habitat.

Blood-Powered Toes Give ‘Skydiving’ Salamanders a Boost

These amphibians evolved unique strategies to move around the canopies of the world's tallest trees.
by Michelle Cassidy
The lights of Los Angeles shine behind this mountain lion, photographed with a motion sensor camera. These big cats share the scrubby landscape with wealthy suburbs.

How Will California’s Wildfires Affect Wildlife?

From fleeing mountain lions to scorched soil, the aftermath of intense fires shows an ecosystem transformed.
by Atlas Obscura
Firefighters and natural resource specialists wrap the base of General Sherman, the largest tree in the world by volume, with fire-resistant material.

In the National Parks, Fire Crews Do More Than Fight Fires

Protecting sensitive habitats and cultural resources from the smoke and flames is part of the job too.
by Partner Story
The Malki Museum’s annual Agave Roast Native Food Tasting keeps the culinary tradition alive.

The Indigenous Communities Preserving the Ancient Art of Roasting Agave

Now more famous as a distilling ingredient, agave has been a traditional food in Southern California for millennia.
by Sarah Lohman
Mastodons once roamed over much of North America. One of them died near the future site of San Diego, causing a scientific controversy 130,000 years later.

The Wild Tale of the Cerutti Mastodon, a Fossil That Could Rewrite the Human Story

The Cerutti Mastodon, found near San Diego, shows signs of being butchered 130,000 years ago—but by who? Or what?
by Gemma Tarlach

Lists Featuring California

The Capitol Records building.
The newly named alleyway.
Cahuenga Building
Museum of Death

The 11 Best Places to Visit Near the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Curious Travelers

11

Including Capitol Records Building Morse Code, Chaplin Keaton Lloyd Alley, and Cahuenga Building

The shiniest beach you’ll ever see.
Venice of America Canals

California Dream: Art Show Inspiration

Sponsored by Visit California
12

Including Glass Beach, Devils Postpile National Monument, and Venice of America Canals

Western Pacific Railroad Museum
F14 Fighter Jet
19th century pump

9 Marvelous Museums in California for the Curious Kid

Sponsored by Visit California
9

Including Western Pacific Railroad Museum, USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum, and Los Angeles Fire Department Museum

Portal of books.
Fairy Post Office
Exterior of Bart’s Books.

30 Curious Corners in California

Sponsored by Visit California
30

Including The Last Bookstore, Secret Tiled Staircase, and Fairy Post Office

Lobby of the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, formerly known as the Ahwahnee.
The ivy covered hotel.
Staircase at Hotel Vertigo
Mid Eastern-themed billiards room

19 Unusual Hotels in California

Remarkable places to stay—or at least visit—in the Golden State.

19

Including The Ahwahnee Hotel, Venice Beach House, and Hotel Vertigo

Original letter of Abraham, the son of Maimonides found in the Cairo genizah.
A sculpture of the Tower of Babel, by Alan Baughman, from the Introductory Room of the Museum of the Alphabet
Boontling word of the week in the tap room of the Anderson Valley Brewing Company.

A Linguistics Lover's Tour of the World

12 places to marvel at the history of human language.

12

Including The Cairo Genizah , The Museum of the Alphabet , and Boontling Language of Boonville

Winter Solstice 2019
The Spiral Jetty
City: under construction - http://raisethestakeseditions.com/basin-and-range/
Double Negative’s north trench

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

Eight places to witness the incredible ambition of the Southwest land art movement.

8

Including Sun Tunnels, The Spiral Jetty, and Complex City

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