Everyone knows about the Hollywood Sign. Everyone has been to the Santa Monica Pier. And while there is nothing wrong with the classics, Southern California has a way of hiding some of its most extraordinary places in plain sight, quietly waiting for the curious traveler willing to look a little closer. These five landmarks don’t show up on every tourist itinerary, but they absolutely should.
SUNKEN CITY, SAN PEDRO
Technically off-limits for decades before the city of Los Angeles opened it to the public, Sunken City is one of the most surreal and visually arresting places in all of Southern California. In the 1920s, a section of Point Fermin slowly began sliding into the Pacific Ocean, taking streets, sidewalks, and homes with it. What remains today is a hauntingly beautiful stretch of broken asphalt, tilted concrete, and open ocean views that feel like something out of a dream. Artists and photographers have long made pilgrimages here, and once you see it, you will understand why. It is strange, it is stunning, and it is completely unlike anything else in the region.
SALVATION MOUNTAIN, BORREGO SPRINGS
Salvation Mountain is located in the lower desert of Southern California in Imperial County just about an hour and a half from Palm Springs. Salvation Mountain is a hand-built, paint-covered hill created over decades by Leonard Knight, who began the project in the 1980s as an act of devotion and never really stopped. Vivid reds, yellows, and blues spill across the landscape in a explosion of color and scripture that has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. It was declared a national treasure by Congress in 1994, and yet it remains largely unknown to anyone who doesn’t make a deliberate trip to find it. Make the trip.
THE INTEGRATRON, LANDERS
Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, about two hours from Los Angeles, sits a white domed structure with no metal fasteners, no nails, and a story that involves UFOs, a retired Lockheed engineer, and a group of extraterrestrials from Venus. The Integratron was built by George Van Tassel in the 1950s based on instructions he claimed to have received during an alien encounter, and its acoustics are so remarkable that visitors today come for something called a sound bath, lying beneath the dome while crystal bowls are played overhead. Whether you believe the origin story or not, the experience is genuinely unlike anything else you will find in Southern California. Bring an open mind and comfortable clothes.
WATTS TOWERS, L.A.
The Watts Towers are among Los Angeles’ most remarkable works of public art: a dazzling, hand-built monument of steel, mortar, tile, glass, shells, and imagination. Rising from a modest residential lot in Watts, the 17 interconnected sculptures remain a powerful symbol of individual vision and community resilience. Known formally as the Watts Towers of Simon Rodia, this extraordinary assemblage was created by Italian immigrant Sabato “Simon” Rodia, who began the project in 1921. Over roughly three decades, Rodia worked largely alone, transforming salvaged materials: broken pottery, colored glass, seashells, rocks, and everyday objects into soaring spires, mosaic walls, a gazebo, and sculptural forms he called Nuestro Pueblo, or “Our Town.” After Rodia left Watts in 1955, the site faced possible demolition. Local advocates, artists, engineers, and community members rallied to preserve it, recognizing its cultural and artistic importance. Today, the Watts Towers are a National Historic Landmark, a California State Historic Monument, and a Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Monument. More than an architectural curiosity, they stand as an enduring testament to resourcefulness, perseverance, and the creative spirit of Watts.
MOSAIC TILE HOUSE, VeNICE
Tucked into a residential street in Venice, the Mosaic Tile House is the life’s work of artists Cheri Pann and Gonzalo Duran, who have spent more than thirty years covering every inch of their home and garden in hand-cut ceramic tile. The result is a riotous, dazzling, deeply personal work of art that happens to also be someone’s house. Tours are available by appointment, and the experience is part art installation, part neighborhood secret, and entirely unforgettable.
Southern California rewards the curious. Get off the freeway, take the detour, and see what this place is really made of.
