belindarayner's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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San Luis Obispo, California

'The Iron Road Pioneers'

A simple statue outside a California Amtrak station honors the overlooked contributions of the "silent spikes."
San Luis Obispo, California

The Bells of El Camino Real

A chain of bells connect the California Missions and honor the legend of the "King’s Highway."
San Luis Obispo, California

Motel Inn

The world's first motel is now an administrative building for an apple farm.
Shandon, California

James Dean Memorial Junction

A remote crossroads honoring a fallen talent.
Kingsburg, California

Swedish Coffee Pot Tower

A water tower shaped like a giant coffee pot looms over a small Swedish village in Central California.
Moss Landing, California

Elkhorn Slough

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.
San Luis Obispo, California

San Luis Obispo's Bubblegum Alley

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.
Pismo Beach, California

Monarch Butterfly Grove

Thousands of migrating monarchs overwinter clustered amongst the eucalyptus trees.
San Simeon, California

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.
Morro Bay, California

Morro Rock

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.
San Luis Obispo, California

Poly Canyon - Experimental Structures Lab

A deserted hodgepodge of experimental structures designed by nearby university students.
Cambria, California

Nitt Witt Ridge

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.
Gilroy, California

Gilroy Gardens

Home to the "Circus" trees created by Axel Erlandson.
San Simeon, California

Hearst Castle

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.
San Francisco, California

Exploratorium

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.
Sequoia National Park, California

General Sherman

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).
San Luis Obispo, California

Madonna Inn

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.
Los Angeles, California

The Last Bookstore

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.