The 25 Best Roadside Attractions in California
Ranked by Roadtrippi users — the people who've actually been there. Updated June 2026. Roadtrippi catalogs 1765 roadside attractions in California.
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1. Paul Walker Crash Site
Valencia, CA
Fast and Furious film star Paul Walker (1973-2013) died when the Porsche in which he was a passenger careened (going 90 in a 45 mph zone) through a lamppost and two trees, bursting into flames. A nearby curve is said to have a rep for after-hours car stunt "drifting."
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2. Mare Island Eagle
Vallejo, CA
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3. Clifton's Republic: Fake Forest
Los Angeles, CA
Faux-nature decor was envisioned in the 1930s, with a waterfall and stuffed wildlife. Discovered behind a wall: "World's Oldest Continuously Active Neon." Closed 2021, reopened 2024.
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4. Dennis the Menace Statue (Gone)
Monterey, CA
Commissioned by Monterey resident and cartoonist Hank Ketcham. The original 1988 statue was stolen in Oct. 2006. A replacement was ordered, and anchored in menace-proof concrete. Then it was stolen -- sliced off at the foot with a grinder -- in Aug. 2022. The Menace was found in
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5. Mystery Tombstone
Colma, CA
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6. Beach Bordello, Gargoyle-Encrusted
Venice, CA
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7. Al Jolson's Flashy Tomb
Culver City, CA
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8. Moon Rock and Space Stuff
Oakland, CA
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9. West Coast Minute Man
Milpitas, CA
Milpitas citizens revolted when the imperial city of San Jose tried to annex them in the 1950s. Concord-style Revolutionary War Minute Man on the city seal became a 16-ft. tall sculpture dedicated in 2015.
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10. Lone Pine Film History Museum
Lone Pine, CA
Museum chronicles Hollywood's go-to mountainous desert backdrop, seen in movies from "Gunga Din" to "Tremors" to "Iron Man." A surprising trove of Hollywood relics.
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11. Pterodactyl on the Cliffs (Gone)
Ocean Beach, CA
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12. Sundial Glass Bridge
Redding, CA
Walk on glass, see the water race between your feet, but you are not wet! The sundial aspect of the design is not an accurate gnomon, so don't try to tell time with it.
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13. First Surfers Plaque, Museum with Shark Bite Board
Santa Cruz, CA
First Surfers plaque is bolted to outside of the world's first -- and smallest -- surfing museum, a one-room lighthouse, with historic boards hung from the ceiling, including a board with a large chunk bitten off by a hungry shark in 1991.
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14. Sierra Nevada Logging Museum
Arnold, CA
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15. Champion Cow Graves
Ferndale, CA
Three local cows buried side-by-side with their own tombstones were national milk- and butterfat-champions in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s.
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16. Craftsmanship Museum: Tiny Machines
Carlsbad, CA
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17. Lantrip's Ashtray Museum: Trays of LBJ and Reagan (Closed)
Oroville, CA
Over 10,000 trays, collected by town postmaster Dean Lantrip. LBJ's official Vice-President of the United States ashtray is one highlight. Currently closed; looking for a new location.
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18. Steinbeck's Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum (Closed)
CA
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19. Upside Down House
Lee Vining, CA
Tourist attraction (1956-1968), created by Nellie Bly OBryan, inspired by children's books. Saved in 2000 and moved here. More like a weathered shed than a house, but it is upside down, along with the explanatory historical plaque.
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20. Where Emperor Norton Lived
San Francisco, CA
E Clampus Vitus marker at the former site of Eureka Lodgings, where Emperor Norton (of the United States, Protector of Mexico) lived for 17 years. The 1870 U.S. Census listed his occupation as "Emperor."
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21. Tree Circus Remnants
Scotts Valley, CA
Axel Erlandson's "Tree Circus," opened in 1947, later renamed "The Lost World." 29 trees were transplanted in the 1980s to Gilroy, CA. A couple of trees remain around this strip of businesses.
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22. The Big Stump
Arnold, CA
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23. First Rocket To Land In One Piece
Hawthorne, CA
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24. Doggie Diner Head
Port Costa, CA
In 2017 a Doggie Diner Head was found in an orchard and rescued by Ron McKeever, owner of the Port Costa Mercantile, who had it repaired and now displays it indoors.
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25. Flood Warning Motorcycle Cops
Santa Paula, CA
When the new St. Francis Dam collapsed around midnight March 12, 1928, 12 billion gallons of water were unleashed down a valley, killing hundreds in Santa Paula and Fillmore. Artist Eric Richards depicts two police officers on motorcycles who spread word of the approaching flood.
Browse all 1765 attractions in California on Roadtrippi.