24 Hidden Gems In California Off The Beaten Track You Must See

Upon planning a visit to California, you might think of popular attractions like Disneyland in Orange County or Universal Studios, or perhaps one of the nine national parks in the state. While these hotspots are certainly worth checking out, there are also a lot of amazing hidden gems in California that are also worth visiting. From riding a vintage steam train to digging for actual gemstones, California holds a wealth of interesting, but lesser-known attractions amid the popular standbys.

If you don’t like joining a group tour while you travel and want to do some exploring on your own, there are a lot of hidden gems in California off the beaten track for people who want to get away from the tourist crowds. In this article, we’ll share the best of them!

Good Times At Davey Waynes, Los Angeles

We’re starting this list of hidden gems in California with Davey Waynes. If you’re looking for some old-school hidden gems in California and your idea of nightlife is attending a 1970s-era house party, you’ll feel right at home at Good Times at Davey Waynes in Los Angeles. This unique party spot near Hollywood Blvd. transports you back to the simpler times of bellbottoms and backyard barbecues. Davey Waynes’ is not just a bar, but an experience.

Housed inside a converted house, you enter through the garage, a ‘70s time capsule of old clothes, records, and knick-knacks. Have a drink in the living room next to the fireplace, or head to the backyard patio where a vintage airstream trailer serves up food and drinks. Open day and night, the bar also hosts local bands and DJs who play era-appropriate music you can dance to.

Enjoying this article? Then you’ll surely love my list of unique things to do in Los Angeles and our list of retro things to do in Los Angeles.

Calico Ghost Town, Calico

A former silver mining hot spot, Calico Ghost Town was abandoned by its residents in the 1880s, making it a perfect fit for this list of hidden gems in California. Now a historical landmark that’s part of the San Bernardino County regional park system, Calico has a number of shops, restaurants, and attractions for visitors to enjoy. Tour an old silver mine, visit the historical museum, or take a ride on the heritage railroad. There are also cabins, bunkhouses, and camping sites if you want to stay overnight in the town. Special events occur throughout the year including an annual town celebration and spooky Halloween festivities.

Looking for some more cool things to do in California? Check our 3-day itinerary to Napa Valley or our guide to taking a Napa Valley day trip.

Kern River Tubing, Kernville

If you’re planning a California road trip and like getting off the beaten track, you just have to stop by the Kern River. The surrounding nature is stunning and there are a lot of great photo spots and from August to October, you can also tube down the river. Rental companies offer inner tube rentals along with a life jacket, an optional helmet, and a one-way shuttle ride.

Most self-guided rides take about two to two-and-a-half hours depending on the water levels and strength of the current. You can also camp right along the river and jump straight in the water if you have your own inner tubes. After all, tubing down the Kern River is the perfect way to cool off on a hot California summer day.

Also, check out:  my list of our ultimate guide to visiting Boise, Idaho.

Bearded Lady’s Mystic Museum, Burbank

Speaking of hidden gems in California, we just have to mention the Bearded Lady’s Mystic Museum in Burbank. If you find yourself in Burbank, California’s quirky Magnolia Park neighborhood, be sure to also pay a visit to the Bearded Lady’s Mystic Museum. Part gothic boutique, part antique oddities store, and part occult museum, you’ll find everything from coffin-shaped backpacks to real-bat-taxidermy for sale. In the back of the store is the museum itself with rotating/permanent exhibits to visitors for a small fee.

Along with items on display like antique Ouija boards, ghost hunting kits, and Egyptian antiquities, the museum has also had Instagram-friendly photo-ops from spooky TV shows and movies like “The Chilling, Adventures of Sabrina” and “The Shining.”

OceanView Mine, Pala

In Pala, CA you can visit an active gemstone mine that’s open to the public. While visits to the mine itself are hard to come by, you can tour the area in a jeep. The real incentive to visit OceanView Mine in California, however, is to dig for actual “hidden gems,” such as tourmaline, kunzites, morganites, and quartz. For around $75, you get access to a huge pile of material straight from the mine, which you can sift through with provided screens, buckets, and water. After that short briefing, with instructions on how to properly sort through the material, you get four hours to dig for treasure; all of which you get to take home.

Enjoying this article? Then, you’ll surely love my guide to weird things to do in Portland.

Musee Mecanique, San Francisco

Finally, we round up this list of hidden gems in California with Musee Mecanique. Nestled in the back of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, one hour away from Sacramento, Musee Mecanique, one of the largest privately-owned collections of antique coin-operated game machines in the world. Aside from walking among the machines and taking a trip down memory lane, or simply gawking at what used to constitute entertainment, all the machines are in working condition. Most games cost between 25-50 cents each and include things like pinball, peep shows, and also animated displays. Best of all, admission is free!

If this sounds interesting, you should also check out these unique things to do in San Francisco and our list of cool things to do in Sacramento.

Whitmore Pool and Rock Tub, Mammoth Lakes

Tucked away in the majestic Sierra Nevada, far from the madding crowd of California’s sun-soaked beaches and star-studded streets, lies Whitmore Pool and Rock Tub where the water is always warm (about 98.6°F, to be precise), and the views are perpetually Instagram-worthy. By day, the hot springs offer breathtaking views of the Sierra Nevada. But by night, they offer something even more spectacular: a front-row seat to the Milky Way.

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Bishop

Pine Forest near Bishop stands out like a venerable sage at a party of youthful saplings. The forest is home to some of the oldest living organisms on Earth, the Bristlecone Pines, which have been around since the Pharaohs thought pyramids were the next big thing in real estate. The oldest tree in the forest is the Methuselah, being 4,800 years old (making it already ancient at the time Rome was founded).

Bodie Ghost Town, Bodie Hills

Nestled in the Bodie Hills of California lies Bodie Ghost Town, a relic of the Wild West that’s managed to avoid becoming a footnote in a history textbook. Bodie is like the Cadillac of ghost towns, so well-preserved you’d half expect a tumbleweed to roll down Main Street and into a saloon where spirits (both kinds) linger. The town is an Instagrammer’s paradise, with over 100 standing structures that serve as eerie reminders of its bustling past.

Jenner, Sonoma County

This list of hidden gems in California couldn’t be complete without Jenner, a beautiful coastal town in California where the Russian River gracefully meets the Pacific Ocean. Jenner is where you can watch bald eagles soar with the same grace as a waiter balancing a tray of champagne flutes. The town also has a bustling food scene, a myriad of hiking trails, and also happens to be a kayaker’s paradise.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Volcanic National Park, or as I like to call it, “Yellowstone’s quirky cousin who decided to move to California,” is one of the few places where you can hike a volcano (that last erupted in 1915), explore the park’s fumaroles, mud pots, and boiling lakes, walk over 150 miles of trails. or get to know some of the local fury and feathery residents, including the majestic bald eagle. If you want to visit, I suggest you come in the winter when the park transforms into Narnia, but with hydrothermal activity.

Solvang

Welcome to Solvang, or as I like to call it, “Denmark’s Disneyland in the heart of Southern California.” This charming village is where Danish culture has been meticulously preserved, right down to the last æbleskiver. Visiting Solvang is like stepping into another country, minus the jet lag and the need to remember how to say “Where is the bathroom?” in another language. Here, the streets are lined with half-timbered buildings, windmills stand proudly against the sky, and the air is (almost) always filled with the scent of fresh pastry.

Burney Falls

This list of hidden gems in California can’t be complete without Burney Falls, Northern California’s own liquid curtain. Teddy Roosevelt once called Burney Falls the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” and it’s easy to see why. At 129 feet of thunderous beauty, it’s like nature’s own version of a Broadway showstopper – except here, the applause comes from the awe-struck squirrels and the standing ovation from the towering pines. What makes Burney Falls stand out isn’t just its height or the volume of water but also the fact that much of the water doesn’t just take the plunge over the top; it emerges straight out of the volcanic rock.

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is a shallow body of saltwater in Socal on the San Andreas Fault which stretches to the Gulf of California in Mexico. Let’s address the elephant in the room—or rather, the aroma in the air. The Salton Sea has a distinctive smell, thanks to the high salinity and occasional algal blooms. It’s nature’s way of adding a scratch-and-sniff feature to your visit, ensuring the Salton Sea is an experience you’ll never forget (no matter how hard you might try).

Kelso Dunes

Nestled in the heart of the Mojave National Preserve, these aren’t your average piles of sand. One of the most magical features of the Kelso Dunes is their ability to sing. Yes, you read that right. Under the right conditions, these sandy slopes will serenade you with a phenomenon known as “singing sands.” The experience? Unforgettable. The reason? Science is still figuring that one out, but let’s just say it’s Mother Nature’s way of showing off her vocal range.

El Matador State Beach, Malibu

El Matador State Beach, nestled along the scenic stretch of Malibu’s coastline is one of our favorite hidden gems in California. The beach is famed for its towering rock formations that rise from the sea like nature’s skyscrapers and its hidden caves and secret passageways that would make even the most respectable pirate say, “Arrr, that’s pretty cool”. Also, sunsets here are special; as the sun dips below the horizon, the sky turns into a canvas painted with every shade of fire…

Glass Beach, Fort Bragg

Imagine a beach where the sand is replaced by sea glass, and pebbles are substituted with polished remnants of the past. That’s Glass Beach. Over the years, the pounding waves transformed human litter into smooth, colorful glass pieces that cover the beach like a mosaic. For photographers, Glass Beach offers a palette of textures and hues that can turn any Instagram feed into a gallery exhibit. Every tide brings a new arrangement of glass, ensuring no two visits (or photos) are exactly alike.

Fern Canyon

Nestled within the lush confines of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Fern Canyon is a narrow gorge lined with walls densely packed with ferns that make even the most extravagant wallpaper look underdressed. The movie was featured in movies like “Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World”. Visiting Fern Canyon is an immersive experience, and I mean that quite literally. The canyon floor is often wet, and crossing the stream that runs through it is part of the adventure.

Alamere Falls, Marin County

Nestled along the rugged and scenic coastline of Point Reyes National Seashore, Alamere Falls is one of our favorite hidden gems in California. The most popular route, the Palomarin Trailhead (8.4 miles) offers a trek through diverse landscapes, from shady eucalyptus groves to open chaparral. And for the photographers among us, Alamere Falls is a dream subject, photogenic from every angle and forgiving of even the most amateur shutterbug.

The Wizard of Oz Garden, Los Angeles

In the heart of Los Angeles, a city known for its stars lies a hidden emerald gem that pays homage to one of the most beloved tales in American cinema: The Wizard of Oz Garden. The garden isn’t one of the flashiest attractions in LA but it sure knows how to invite the curious and the whimsical to step into a slice of cinematic history.

Cal Poly Architecture Graveyard, San Luis Obispo

In the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo lies a graveyard unlike any other. Cal Poly Architectural Graveyard is where buildings go to… well, not die, but certainly to retire in intriguing obscurity. What started as a practical testing ground for architectural and engineering projects has morphed into an eclectic outdoor museum of sorts, showcasing decades of student work. It’s like a zoo, but instead of animals, it’s populated with the concrete dreams of hopeful architects.

Hearst Castle

Nestled atop the enchanting hills of San Simeon, Hearst Castle stands as a monument to opulence, extravagance, and the sheer audacity of William Randolph Hearst’s imagination. Imagine if Disney decided to make a castle not for princesses but for a newspaper tycoon with a penchant for the finer things in life. That’s Hearst Castle. With its 165 rooms and 123 acres of gardens, pools, and walkways, this estate is less “home sweet home” and more “palace of wonders”.

Jalama Beach County Park

No visit to Jalama Beach County Park is complete without sampling the legendary Jalama Burger from the Jalama Beach Store and Grill. It’s the kind of meal that requires both hands, a stack of napkins, and possibly a moment of silence. The beach itself is a pristine stretch of California coast, unmarred by the crowds that flock to some of Cali’s more famous beaches.

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum

Last but not least, we conclude this list of hidden gems in California with the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum. Tucked away in the vast, sun-drenched expanse of Joshua Tree, California, lies an art gallery where the walls are the horizon, and the exhibits are as likely to include a toilet as they are a traditional sculpture. This is the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum, a place where the term “mixed media” is taken to new, literal heights, and where “found object” art finds its zenith.

Noah Purifoy, an artist who saw the potential for beauty in the discarded and overlooked, spent the last 15 years of his life creating this outdoor museum. The result is a sprawling, 10-acre testament to the idea that one man’s garbage is another man’s gallery.

Helpful Tips For Finding Hidden Gems In California

Flying to California? Don’t forget to use Qatar Airways’s Discover the World at a low price program to save as much as 20% on your flight.

Do you want to cover some of the biggest attractions in cities like L.A. or San Francisco but your time is limited? Join a Big Bus tour and get a 15% discount.

Looking for airport parking at LAX, SFO, or SAN? Use this coupon and save up to 15%.

For cheap accommodation deals, use my Booking code or Motel6 for the cheapest motel deals. For a more luxurious alternative, use this link to get one night free of charge (if you book at least three nights) in all Radisson Hotels in California.

Are you planning to visit a lot of museums and tourist sights in L.A. or San Francisco? Get a City Pass and save up to 44%.

Finally, don’t forget to use points.com to get more rewards with fewer points and miles.

Finally, it’s your turn- what do you think of these hidden gems in California? Will you be adding any to your bucket list? Which one was your favorite? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

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