📖 Overview
Weird California catalogs hundreds of strange locations, legends, and phenomena across the Golden State. The book serves as a travel guide and encyclopedia of California's most peculiar attractions and unexplained mysteries.
The authors document roadside oddities, ghost stories, natural anomalies, eccentric architecture, and local folklore from every region of California. Each entry includes historical background, visitor information, and photographs that capture the state's unusual heritage.
The book covers UFO sightings, haunted hotels, giant sculptures, mysterious geologic formations, and countless other unconventional destinations. First-hand accounts and interviews with witnesses and local experts provide context for the featured locations.
This unconventional guidebook reveals how California's frontier history, diverse cultures, and spirit of experimentation have created a landscape filled with the bizarre and unexpected. The work stands as both a practical travel resource and a celebration of the state's enduring capacity to generate wonder.
👀 Reviews
Readers describe this as a fun road trip companion and reference guide to California's oddities, mysteries, and roadside attractions. The book provides specific directions and GPS coordinates that travelers appreciate.
Likes:
- Clear photos and illustrations
- Mix of well-known and obscure locations
- Practical visiting information
- Balanced tone between skeptical and open-minded
- Coverage of both Northern and Southern California
Dislikes:
- Some locations no longer exist or are inaccessible
- Brief coverage of each site leaves readers wanting more detail
- Focus on supernatural/paranormal over other types of weird attractions
- Several factual errors noted by local residents
Ratings:
Goodreads: 3.9/5 (173 ratings)
Amazon: 4.3/5 (89 ratings)
"Perfect mix of history and weirdness" - Amazon reviewer
"Some entries feel rushed or incomplete" - Goodreads reviewer
"Would be better with updated location status" - LibraryThing reviewer
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🤔 Interesting facts
🌟 The book explores over 100 unusual locations across California, including mysterious stone circles, haunted hotels, and bizarre roadside attractions.
🏺 One of the featured locations is the Winchester Mystery House, which has 160 rooms, 47 fireplaces, and stairs that lead to nowhere - built by Sarah Winchester who believed she was cursed by the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles.
📚 Author Greg Bishop previously published "Project Beta," an investigation into UFO activity at Dulce, New Mexico, and has been researching paranormal phenomena for over 30 years.
🗺️ The book is part of the larger "Weird US" series, which covers strange and mysterious places across different states in America.
🎨 The publication features over 200 photographs and illustrations, many of which were taken by the authors themselves during their explorations of California's most peculiar sites.