Roadside Attractions in California

Worth the detour in California

Shrine Drive-Thru Tree

Myers Flat, California

Drive right through a living redwood giant at this classic, family-owned roadside attraction. Split naturally by fire and wind centuries ago, this ancient tree also features a drive-on log and whimsical children's playhouses carved from redwood logs. It is one of only three drive-through redwoods in the world.

Klamath Tour-Thru Tree

Klamath, California

Drive your car right through the trunk of a living giant redwood tree. Carved in 1976, this privately owned landmark offers a classic, nostalgic road trip experience. It is one of the very few remaining drive-through trees in the world.

Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree

Leggett, California

This massive 315-foot coast redwood features a carved tunnel wide enough for most standard cars to drive right through. Carved in the 1930s, it remains a quintessential California road trip milestone. The surrounding grove also offers peaceful picnic spots and a vintage gift shop.

Bodie State Historic Park

Bridgeport, California

Frozen in a state of "arrested decay," Bodie is one of the most authentic and well-preserved ghost towns in the American West. In the late 1870s, it was a booming gold-mining town of nearly 10,000 residents notorious for its lawlessness, saloon fights, and red-light district. Today, visitors can wander deserted dirt streets and peer through dusty windows at stocked store shelves, school desks, and fully furnished homes left exactly as they were when the last residents departed.

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Joshua Tree, California

Spread across 10 acres of the Mojave Desert, this open-air museum showcases monumental assemblage sculptures made entirely from discarded materials. It is a surreal, thought-provoking wonderland where weathered junk is transformed into poetic art. Best of all, it is free to wander at your own pace.

Nitt Witt Ridge

Cambria, CA

This whimsical "poor man's Hearst Castle" is a terraced folk art estate hand-built over fifty years using recycled trash, beer cans, and concrete. Created by artist Art Beal, it offers a fascinatingly chaotic contrast to its opulent neighbor up the coast.

Browse by town in California

The busiest towns here are San Diego (11), La Jolla (5), Carlsbad (3). Every listing has photos, opening hours, admission and directions, and the directory grows whenever somebody searches for a stop that isn't in it yet.