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The Atlas Obscura Guide To

Hidden San Francisco

Discover 164 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in San Francisco, California

Unusual Attractions in San Francisco

Community Picks Recently Added

Atlas Obscura Trips

Death Valley After Dark: Astronomy and Photography in the Backcountry

Dec 5—Dec 9, 2018

In the otherworldly landscapes of Death Valley, practice your night photography skills under some of the world's clearest, starriest skies.

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Unique Food & Drink from San Francisco

Explore San Francisco, California

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Recent San Francisco Activity

sathya652 wants to go to Secret Tiled Staircase
sathya652 wants to go to The Wave Organ
tatomagnotta wants to go to Leroy King Carousel
tatomagnotta wants to go to Peephole Cinema
tatomagnotta wants to go to Winfield Street Slides

Stories About San Francisco

A dynamite blasts in front of the damaged City Hall.

Lost Footage Filmed After the 1906 San Francisco Quake Finally Gets a Premiere

The scenes, shown in a silent-film museum, provide a new glimpse of the earthquake's aftermath.
by Christina Ayele Djossa
April 20, 2018
A group of men prepares to butcher sea turtles.

Why Gold Rush Miners Imported Sea Turtles

Starving settlers ushered in a craze and decimated surrounding lands.
by Leslie Nemo
February 13, 2018
You can eat inside the gingerbread, but you can't eat the gingerbread.

Building a Life-Sized Gingerbread House Takes Over 10,000 Cookie Bricks

To be ready by Christmas, you better start baking in August.
by Anne Ewbank
December 14, 2017

Lists Featuring San Francisco

When Stairs and Slides Are Hiding in Plain Sight
They were built in 1979.
The Howe Street stair corridor is the longest in Seattle.

When Stairs and Slides Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Play real-life Chutes and Ladders at these obscure thruways.

9

Including Secret Tiled Staircase, Winfield Street Slides , and Howe Street Stairs

39 Places That Will Warp Your Perspective of Time
Just before the door was shut on the Crypt of Civilization.
Entrance

39 Places That Will Warp Your Perspective of Time

Some of these spots have been around for thousands of years, while others will exist for millennia to come.

39

Including Clock of the Long Now: Prototype 1, Crypt of Civilization, and Longplayer