Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Offbeat & Kitsch
A capital of kookiness, California lets you encounter eccentric characters, oddball places
and bizarre experiences, from tiny coastal towns to the maze-like streets of SF and LA.
Venice Boardwalk
Gawk at the human zoo of body builders, chainsaw-jugglers and
Speedo-clad snake charmers.
Kinetic Grand Championship
Outrageously whimsical, artistic and human-powered sculp-
tures race along the North Coast.
Madonna Inn
Fantastically campy Central Coast hotel advertising 110 bizarrely themed
rooms, including 'Caveman.'
Solvang
Danish-flavored village in Santa Barbara's wine country spirited out of a Hans
Christian Andersen fairy tale.
Bay to Breakers
San Francisco's wacky, costumed annual pilgrimage from the Embarca-
dero to Ocean Beach.
Mystery Spot
Santa Cruz's shamelessly kitschy 1940s tourist trap will turn your whole world
upside down.
Small Towns
When you tire of California's never-ending freeway traffic, make your escape to these in-
between spots, whether by the beach or just down the road from vineyards.
Ferndale
The North Coast's most charming Victorian farm town, filled with 'butterfat man-
sions.'
Bolinas
This end-of-the-road hamlet in Marin County isn't exactly a secret anymore.
Seal Beach
Orange County surf spot with an old-fashioned main street and wooden pier.
Ojai
Catch a 'pink moment' at sunset over this sleepy, arty little Shangri-La outside LA.
Mendocino
North Coast seaside village perched on ocean bluffs, where landscape painters
set up their easels.
