Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Bargain Stone stands in the churchyard.
Bargain Stone
The Ernst Thälmann Monument
Ernst Thälmann Monument
One of the BHS murals tells the origin story of Stockport.
The BHS Murals in Stockport
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Ōmori Nori Vending Machine
Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been slinging these sandwiches since 1929.
Parkway Bakery and Tavern
Parkside Plum Juice
Dishes at Aksorn are grounded in deep historical research.
Aksorn
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture
Petrified Forest National Park.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Yucca Valley Bob's Crystal Cave
Bob's Crystal Cave is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Bob's Crystal Cave

A meditative space out of a fantasy story.

Yucca Valley, California

Added By
Aaron Netsky
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Inside Bob’s Crystal Cave.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
The entrance to Bob’s Crystal Cave.   Caroline Ryder/Used With Permission
Beauty for beauty’s sake.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
The Swap Meet in action.   Samir S. Patel (Atlas Obscura User)
A portrait of Bob inside the Crystal Cave.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
Some fish even live inside the Crystal Cave.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
The door to Bob’s Crystal Cave.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
Bob’s “Web Site,” a.k.a. Joy of Life Chapel.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
The Sky Village Swap Meet.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
Bob Carr in the Crystal Cave.   Samir S. Patel/Atlas Obscura
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Sky Village Swap Meet, formerly a drive-in movie theater, is an outdoor marketplace where many a treasure can be found. Perhaps the most stunning treasure is the Crystal Cave, a meditative space made of foam, running water, passion, and thousands of crystals. 

Created in 2004 by Bob Carr, the Swap Meet's late owner, the Crystal Cave is decorated by everything from amethyst and rose quartz to seashells and porcelain. The walls are coated with insulation foam, giving it a cave-like texture. A lovely running water feature was added later.

The Crystal Cave was almost a very short-lived project. Carr destroyed it along with most of the Swap Meet in 2008 when it looked like the City of Yucca Valley was going to claim the whole piece of land under eminent domain.

Local sentiment prevented the seizure, but the cave itself remained a ruin until 2010, when two Danish art students helped Carr recreate and expand it. They helped get the project featured by High Desert Test Sites, a group that highlights art installations in the desert.

Anyone who stops by to see the cave can look in the windows, but if you were lucky enough to have visited there when Carr was present, he might have let you in to meditate alone for a while. A plaque quotes Carr’s desire to make his creation so beautiful that no one would be able “get up the nerve to bulldoze it for any reason.” 

Sadly, Bob Carr died in January 2019. His wife Elizabeth says, "He died as he lived—on his own terms and with dignity and grace." 

Related Tags

Caves Flea Market Art Rocks Rock Formations Fantasy Locations Ecosystems Geology

Community Contributors

Added By

AaronNetsky

Edited By

Erin Johnson, Samir S Patel, breaingram, matthewtaub

  • Erin Johnson
  • Samir S Patel
  • breaingram
  • matthewtaub

Published

June 28, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.skyvillageswapmeet.com
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4TRcd-mpi4
  • https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/bobs-crystal-cave
  • http://highdeserttestsites.com/projects/crystal-cave-project
  • https://wn.com/bob's_crystal_cave
  • http://www.avoidingregret.com/2016/04/photo-essay-high-deserts-crystal-cave.html
Bob's Crystal Cave
7028 Theatre Rd
Yucca Valley, California
United States
34.125569, -116.416596
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Desert Christ Park

Yucca Valley, California

miles away

Institute of Mentalphysics

Joshua Tree, California

miles away

Rhythms of Life

Yucca Mesa, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Yucca Valley

Yucca Valley

California

Places 2

Nearby Places

Desert Christ Park

Yucca Valley, California

miles away

Institute of Mentalphysics

Joshua Tree, California

miles away

Rhythms of Life

Yucca Mesa, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Yucca Valley

Yucca Valley

California

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

10 Extraordinary Places That Celebrate 10 Years of Atlas Obscura

List

By Dylan Thuras and Josh Foer

A Tribute to Bob Carr, Self-Taught Artist, Philosopher, and Atlas Obscura Inspiration

outsider art

By Dylan Thuras

Related Places

  • Mine, Japan

    Akiyoshido Cave

    Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.

  • Caves

    Tamajón, Spain

    Enchanted City of Tamajón

    Whimsical sculptures and caves chiseled by nature over the millennia.

  • Rowtor Rocks.

    Derbyshire, England

    Rowtor Rocks

    This mysterious hilltop collection of Druid carvings isn't quite what it seems.

  • Bhimbetka Rock Shelters

    Raisen, India

    Bhimbetka Rock Shelters

    A giant repository of accidentally discovered cave paintings up to 30,000 years old.

  • The view from Pahiyangala cave.

    Gavaragiriya, Sri Lanka

    Fa-Hien Lena (Pahiyangala Cave)

    The remains of a 37,000-year-old prehistoric society were discovered in this mammoth cave, one of the largest in Asia.

  • Nature’s flying buttresses, lined up as far as the eye can see

    Ribadeo, Spain

    Playa de las Catedrales

    Natural stone arches form a walkable "cathedral" at low tide, then disappear entirely when the water returns.

  • Window arch in the City of Rocks.

    Almo, Idaho

    City of Rocks

    This U.S. natural reserve is an ancient spiritual place and rock climber’s paradise.

  • Lake Powell, Utah

    Cathedral in the Desert

    The damming of the Colorado River buried an iconic geologic formation before record-breaking drought brought it back.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.