San Francisco, California Attractions

Unusual landmarks, museums, roadside attractions, and hidden wonders in San Francisco and the surrounding area. There's plenty to see right in town, but we've also mapped hidden treasures we've discovered in surrounding cities, from Marin County to the East Bay.

Olompali: Miwoks, Chosen Family, Grateful Dead

New Reports

Battery Townsley
Mill Valley, California
World War 2 era coast artillery bunker restored and open once a month for tours. Big guns, nuclear pressure tests, former teen burner hangout.
Champions For Humanity: Mount Rushmore of California
Oakland, California
Giant bronze heads of 25 "champions" of peace and perseverance show sculptural solidarity in a park plaza.
Reared In Steel: Giant Sculptures
Petaluma, California
Burning Man artisans toil to create the next metal wonder that will terrorize the Playa. A non-public working art studio, but you might see something over the fence.
Mare Island Naval Missile Park
Vallejo, California
Decommissioned naval base park features a Polaris missile, Nazi suicide sub, 19th century bandstand, and dozens of concrete "Personnel Safety Shelters."
Mare Island Naval Shipyard Museum
Vallejo, California
History museum chronicles the U.S. Navy's first west coast installation, supporting the Pacific fleet -- from wooden sloops-of-war to subs with nuclear-tipped missiles.

Sights for Oddball Excursions

Bailey Art Museum - Robots of Clayton Bailey
Crockett, California
Cybernetic sculpture gallery and cabinet of curiosities for artists Clayton and Betty Bailey.
Playland Not-At-The-Beach
El Cerrito, California
San Franciscans go ape pining for their lost amusements; this museum is a packed shrine to the leisure past at Playland-at-the-Beach.
Big Mike the Muffler Man
Hayward, California
1960s vintage fiberglass Paul Bunyan statue spent career standing in front of Hayward businesses before finding a home at a local plastics fabrication business.
Magic Bus
San Francisco, California
Trippy tour of the Summer of Love using an old bus and 21st century tech.
Winchester Mystery House
San Jose, California
Sarah Winchester kept vengeful ghosts at bay by continually adding to her mansion. She ended up with a house with 160 rooms and 10,000 windows.