Container ship in a bottle.

Container Ship in 12-Ft. Bottle

Unveiled as a Port of Los Angeles artwork in 2011. Artist Mark Dion had to work hard to make the boat inside the bottle -- an eight-foot-long modern container ship -- generic, to avoid charges of favoritism toward any particular company. He originally wanted to float it in a sea of blue oil, but for practical purposes he settled for a bed of colored aquarium gravel.

The "bottle" is actually several pieces of glass, cleverly disguised, since Dion eventually realized that its outdoor location would require getting inside from time to time for maintenance. Each of the ship's tiny deck-stacked containers is hand-painted.

Container Ship in 12-Ft. Bottle

Address:: Miner St., San Pedro, CA
Directions:: I-110 exit 1A. Merge onto Hwy 47 N. toward Vincent Thomas Bridge/Terminal Island/Long Beach. Drive a half-mile. Take the Harbor Blvd exit , then turn right onto N. Harbor Blvd. Drive south 1.5 miles. Cross 22nd St. You'll see a large parking lot on the right. The bottle is near the southwest end of that parking lot.

Nearby Offbeat Places

Big Ghost Art Fish, San Pedro, CA - < 1 mi.

SS Poseidon Model, San Pedro, CA - 1 mi.

Monument to a Union Boss, San Pedro, CA - 1 mi.

In the region:

Tunnel to Toontown, Los Angeles, CA - 28 mi.

More Quirky Attractions in California

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in California.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.