Hike-in Required
Yes
Open Year-round
Yes
ADA accessible
No
Guided tours
Yes
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

The Santa Cruz Mystery Spot is a family-friendly attraction in the form of a house in the redwood forests where gravitational activity acts in an unusual manor, leading to strange height discrepancies between visitors and a house where the strange gravitational fields can be explored.

Constructed in a way similar to old roadside attractions, the Mystery Spot invites visitors to follow on a tours as guides demonstrate these 'gravitational anomalies', usually with a humorous and witty delivery. Visitors are invited to participate and explore the odd occurences in this portion of the forest. The main attraction is a crooked house where water flows uphill and gravity pushes harder in some directions than in others.

Built in the 1930s, this area now maintains State of California Historical Status.

Visiting the Mystery Spot requires walking about .5 miles in total, including climbing a paved but steep walkway up the side of the hill that gains about 100' in elevation. Guides lead visitors through a series of demonstrations and activities that playfully illustrate the story they lay out of the discovery of strange happenings at this specific site.

The tour is family friendly, and while the Mystery Spot is open year round, hours vary by season and some tours are booked up in advance, so those looking to visit the Mystery Spot should visit their website or call 831/423-8897 to book tickets in ahead of their visit. However walk up tickets are sold if still available.

The Mystery Spot has an adjacent hiking trail, gift shop, snacks and drinks for sale and bathrooms.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Summer
Fall

Congestion

High

Parking Pass

$5.00

Pros

Entertaining and unique roadside attraction.

Cons

Tours have limited availability and should be booked in advance.

Pets allowed

Not Allowed

Features

Covered picnic areas
Flushing toilets
Family friendly
Guided tours
Potable water
Picnic tables

Location

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