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All the United States California San Diego

The Atlas Obscura Guide To San Diego

45 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in San Diego, California

Updated February 13, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in San Diego

Tunnel & Cave Store historical plaque

San Diego, California

Sunny Jim Cave Store

Behind this beachfront shop lies a spectacular, colorful sea cave with an equally colorful past.
Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

San Diego, California

Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

An inconspicuous footbridge beloved by San Diego locals.
San Diego Museum of Man

San Diego, California

San Diego Museum of Us

An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.

San Diego, California

Lucha Libre Taco Shop

Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling) themed taco shop.
Whaley House

San Diego, California

Whaley House

San Diego's most historic and haunted home.
Harper’s Topiary Garden

San Diego, California

Harper's Topiary Garden

A couple turned their front yard into an artistic masterpiece.
1895 Looff Carousel

San Diego, California

1895 Looff Carousel

One of the few remaining carousels built by master amusement park carver Charles I.D. Looff.
Hotel del Coronado.

San Diego, California

Hotel del Coronado

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.
See All 45 Things To Do in San Diego

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in San Diego

San Diego, California

Lucha Libre Taco Shop

Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling) themed taco shop.

San Diego, California

Fathom Bistro, Bait, and Tackle

Get fishing gear and craft beer at this restaurant on the pier.
Yo quiero Taco Bell.

San Diego, California

Miniature Taco Bell

Admire a Lilliputian replica of the fast food outlet.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

9 Surprisingly Ancient Marvels in Modern California

Long before California was home to tech campuses, freeways, and palm trees, Native inhabitants etched huge designs into the landscape. Even before that, at roughly the same time that the Pyramids of Giza were under construction, a tree that still survives today began taking root. And even farther into the past, glaciers and mammoths created enduring monuments to antiquity. Across the state, the distant past is still within easy reach.

View Itinerary
The Blythe Intaglios are as mysterious as they are massive.

Explore San Diego, California

Museums 6
Architecture 6
Art 5
Music 4
Haunted 4
Architectural Oddities 4
Statues 4
Parks 4

San Diego Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. SEANETTA
    4
  2. jondi letnap
    3
  3. Gregory T Janetka
    2
  4. alyx
    2
  5. Rachel
    2
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to San Diego.

Places Edited

  1. blimpcaptain
    24
  2. ccesare
    19
  3. Avoiding Regret
    17
  4. SEANETTA
    12
  5. jondi letnap
    12

Places Visited

  1. j3taylor
    40
  2. hernameisreo
    37
  3. cincjr27
    35
  4. bertcrabbe
    35
  5. limikoleit
    35
Join the Ranks!
Visit a place in San Diego.

Recent San Diego Activity

  • chiqomar

    wants to go to Space Invaders

  • chiqomar

    wants to go to Unconditional Surrender

  • chiqomar

    wants to go to Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge

  • kattubato

    has been to Whaley House

  • kattubato

    has been to El Campo Santo Cemetery

Stories About San Diego

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
August 1, 2024
The materials to create the coyote (left) are commonly used for building stop motion puppets; a raccoon (right) looks lifelike after Binard mounts the hide on the form.

You Can Take Home Dead Animals From This California Library

Check out camel skulls, starfish, or a lion’s pelt, just to know what it feels like.
by Sarah Milligan
November 29, 2023
Each cave’s beautiful decoration can tell us something about the world that came before us.

How to Decode a Cave

Below California’s surface lies a series of caves that can teach us a lot about our natural world—and its history.
Sponsored by Visit California

Podcast: The Rainmaker

Was Charles Hatfield a scientist or a con man?
by The Podcast Team
February 7, 2023

Podcast: Friendship Park

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
August 11, 2022

Podcast: Sunny Jim Cave

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
November 22, 2021
The whimsical cypress in better days.

The Cypress That May Have Inspired Dr. Seuss's 'The Lorax' Has Toppled Down

Now there's nothing left of its whimsical crown.
by Evan Nicole Brown
June 17, 2019
The ones on radar weren’t packed quite so tightly, but there were a lot more of them.

A Ladybug Swarm Over California Was Huge Enough to Show Up on Radar

Aphids beware.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
June 7, 2019

Lists Featuring San Diego

San Diego Museum of Man
Harper’s Topiary Garden
Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

9 Spots for Unexpected Family Fun Across San Diego

Sponsored by San Diego Tourism
9

Including San Diego Museum of Us, Harper's Topiary Garden, and Mushroom Beach House

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