MerkelWerks's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Sebastopol, California

California Carnivores

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Tor House and Hawk Tower

One poet's handmade, anachronistic home.
Dixon, California

Cool Patch Pumpkins Corn Maze

This corn maze so big you may want to pack a lunch, and possibly a flaregun.
Monterey, California

Dennis the Menace Playground

This municipal playground was co-created by the father of one of the most playful characters ever.
Monterey, California

Colton Hall Museum

The stately birthplace of California's statehood.
Monterey, California

Monterey's Moon Tree

A tree grown from astronaut seeds which were exposed to cosmic rays.
Monterey, California

Monterey's Old Whaling Station

An old whaling station now serves to give the public a look at the commercial whaling industry, no longer a part of Monterey's economy.
Monterey, California

Monterey's Custom House

The oldest U.S. Government building in California, and it's State Historic Landmark #1.
Pacific Grove, California

Point Pinos Lighthouse

The oldest lighthouse on America's west coast no longer needs keepers, yet they maintain the site anyhow.
Vacaville, California

Consolidated Rock & Minerals: The Rock Shop

A huge collection of rocks, gems, and crystals.
Gilroy, California

Gilroy Gardens

Home to the "Circus" trees created by Axel Erlandson.
Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Housed in a memorial lighthouse, this museum relays the history of surfing, beginning with the antics of royal Hawaiian teenagers.
Santa Cruz, California

Court of Mysteries

A strange house built only at night, with rumored mystic inspiration.
Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz Mystery Spot

A "gravitational anomaly" located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.
San Jose, California

Santana Row Chess Plaza

A giant chess set, minus the psychedelic drug trip.
Palo Alto, California

The Frenchman's Tower

This odd California folly seems like it was almost designed to accumulate urban legends.
Stanford, California

Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden

A sudden forest of traditional Papua New Guinean art works is hidden in a corner of Stanford University.
Palo Alto, California

Arizona Cactus Garden

A hidden world of exotic succulents and cacti.
Fremont, California

Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

This quaint archive of the silent era preserves and pays homage to a seminal moment in film history.
Vallejo, California

Mare Island

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.
Crockett, California

Bailey Art Museum

Junkbots and mud babies are the masterpieces in this fantastically sci-fi art museum.
Hillsborough, California

The Flintstone House

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.
Richmond, California

East Brother Light Station Bed & Breakfast

A B&B on a Victorian lighthouse station in San Francisco Bay.
Berkeley, California

Fairy Post Office

Travelers exchange letters with woodland creatures at this mini post office.