The Atlas Obscura Guide To California
1,510 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in California
Updated July 7, 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.
Cities
Top Cities
All Cities
- Agoura Hills
- Alameda
- Albany
- Altadena
- Amboy
- Anaheim
- Aptos
- Arcadia
- Auburn
- Avalon
- Baker
- Barstow
- Belvedere Tiburon
- Benicia
- Berkeley
- Beverly Hills
- Big Sur
- Bishop
- Blythe
- Bodfish
- Borrego Springs
- Bridgeport
- Burbank
- Calabasas
- California City
- Calipatria
- Calistoga
- Camarillo
- Cambria
- Carlsbad
- Carmel By The Sea
- Carpinteria
- Carson
- Castroville
- Colma
- Crescent City
- Crestline
- Crockett
- Culver City
- Daly City
- Davis
- Edwards Air Force Base
- El Segundo
- Encinitas
- Escondido
- Eureka
- Folsom
- Fort Bragg
- Fremont
- Fresno
- Garden Grove
- Glendale
- Goleta
- Grass Valley
- Hacienda Heights
- Hawthorne
- Healdsburg
- Hillsborough
- Hume
- Huntington Beach
- Indio
- Inverness
- Inyo County
- Irvine
- Jenner
- Joshua Tree
- Klamath
- La Cañada Flintridge
- Laguna Beach
- La Jolla
- Lancaster
- Landers
- Lee Vining
- Lemon Grove
- Livermore
- Lone Pine
- Long Beach
- Los Angeles
- Los Gatos
- Loyalton
- Lucerne Valley
- Malibu
- Mecca
- Menlo Park
- Mill Valley
- Modesto
- Mono County
- Monterey
- Morro Bay
- Mountain View
- Mount Hamilton
- Napa
- Nevada City
- Newberry Springs
- Newport Beach
- Norden
- Oakland
- Ocotillo
- Ojai
- Oroville
- Oxnard
- Pacifica
- Pacific Grove
- Paicines
- Palm Desert
- Palm Springs
- Palo Alto
- Pasadena
- Pescadero
- Pioneertown
- Placerville
- Pomona
- Port Costa
- Rancho Palos Verdes
- Redwood City
- Richmond
- Riverside
- Rosemead
- Sacramento
- Salinas
- San Bernardino
- San Bernardino County
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- San Juan Capistrano
- San Luis Obispo
- San Rafael
- San Simeon
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Clarita
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Margarita
- Santa Monica
- Santa Rosa
- Sausalito
- Sebastopol
- Silverado
- Simi Valley
- Solvang
- Sonoma
- Sonora
- South Pasadena
- South San Francisco
- Stanford
- Stockton
- Sunnyvale
- Tecopa
- Tehachapi
- Three Rivers
- Topanga
- Torrance
- Truckee
- Tulelake
- Tustin
- Twentynine Palms
- Ukiah
- Vallejo
- Ventura
- West Hollywood
- West Sacramento
- Winterhaven
- Winters
- Woodside
- Yermo
- Yosemite National Park
- Yucca Valley
Atlas Obscura Itineraries
Coastal Trails and Hidden Tales: A Family Trip Exploring Santa Barbara’s Wonders
Nestled by the Santa Ynez Mountains on California’s rugged coastline, Santa Barbara is the perfect destination for a road trip. The historic city has something for everyone: amazing restaurants, a vibrant art scene, and plenty of wilderness for the whole family to explore. In a single day you might indulge your curiosity on a fossil-digging expedition, stroll through fields of native flowers at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and split a wood-fired pizza in the Funk Zone art district. Or head down to the beach, where budding oceanographers can search tide pools for starfish, snails, and anemones, and maybe even spot a whale or a dolphin on the horizon. But whatever you do, be sure to take the scenic route, and take the time to pull over and take in the wonder the American Riviera has to offer.

Unusual Attractions in California
Cool Places to Eat & Drink in California
Plan Your Trip
Unforgettable Experiences Nearby
California Leaderboard
Places Added
Places Edited
Places Visited
Recent California Activity
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has been to World's Largest Working Wooden Yo-Yo
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has been to Abbey of New Clairvaux
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has been to Sundial Bridge
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has been to Weaverville Joss House
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wants to go to The Wave Organ