One Of California's Most Underrated Cities Is Home To Eccentric Art, Landmarks, And Historic Sites

California is full of oddities, curiosities, and eccentric places to visit. And if you are looking for the best things to do in southern California, there are few places better or more fascinating than Calipatria.

Founded in 1914 as "Date City," this strange spot in southern California was officially incorporated as Calipatria in 1919. Sandwiched between the Salton Sea and the Algodones Dunes in Imperial County, just over 30 miles from the Mexican border, this underrated desert town is full of weird and wonderful attractions and unusual sights.

Thanks to its remote desert location, Calipatria remains off the radar, and you are unlikely to just stumble across it. San Diego, California's oldest city, has one of the closest major airports, about two and a half hours away by car. You could also fly into the smaller regional Imperial County Airport, which hosts flights from Southern Airways Express LLC. Palm Springs International Airport is also close by, only 90 minutes away by car. If you're driving, you'll find Calipatria on the highway south from Joshua Tree to Calexico. But this seclusion is very much part of its charm and has allowed its unique peculiarities to flourish.

To really get an understanding of what makes Calipatria tick, it is worth starting off in Slab City. Built as an army base during World War II, it was fully abandoned in 1956 with all the buildings demolished or dismantled. However, left behind were a number of vast, concrete slabs that attracted a mixed community of army veterans, campers looking for free spots in the vicinity of Palm Springs, unhoused people, and people seeking alternative, unregulated, and even anarchist communities. Known as "the last free place on Earth" according to signage outside, Slab City operates as something of a commune, filled with people who want to live off-grid, who don't want to be found, or who chafe at government control. While the main attraction for "Slabbies" (permanent residents) might be freedom, visitors can find some incredible examples of outsider art, sculpture, and even music and live performances.

Calipatria's other main attraction was actually built by a Slab City resident. Leonard Knight was among the first wave of Slab City settlers, but he was captivated by the idea of sharing God's love with the world. When his first attempt, a hot air balloon with a holy message painted on it, failed to take off, he began constructing an enormous mountain of salvaged materials painted with quotes and passages from the bible, as well as more esoteric murals.

At one point considered an eyesore and even classified as a "toxic nightmare" by the government (albeit in a transparent attempt to demolish it and start charging rent to the local alternative communities), Salvation Mountain is now Calipatria's quirkiest tourist site, described by the Folk Art Society of America as a "folk art site worthy of preservation and protection" and was entered into Congressional record as a "national treasure" by California senator Barbara Boxer.

The otherworldly, alien landscapes around Calipatria are a highlight of any trip to the area. The Salton Sea is just a stone's throw away, and exploring its shores throws up a host of intriguing and disturbing sights. At first glance, the Salton Sea looks gorgeous. Stunning deep-blue water gives way to ivory-white sand, surrounded by the ethereal beauty of the desert.

But the Salton Sea's inviting appearance is a lie, as this remarkable lake is a honey trap of sorts, its waters poison for most living things. Because there is no natural outflow from the lake, the water collects all the salt, fertilizers, and pesticides from the land around it. This means it is about 30% saltier than the Pacific Ocean, and it is toxic to most creatures. The shores of the lake, known as Carcass Beach, are white not because of sugar-soft sand but rather due to the ground-up bones of fish. There are some magnificent obsidian buttes dotted around the circumference of the lake that add to its extraterrestrial vibes, as well as several bird hides, as despite the deadly waters the area is surprisingly rich in avian life. Every year, birders flock to Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Complex to see wildlife.

Just to the north of Calipatria lies yet another bizarre natural phenomenon, a little corner of the desert where the Earth burps and belches. The Davis-Shrimpf Seep Field is comprised of around 2 square miles of gas vents and mud pots that bubble and burst with built-up carbon dioxide from beneath the surface. They might look like miniature mud volcanoes, but they are warm rather than burning hot. It is an extraordinary sight, watching bubbles form and pop with a stinky squelch, and worth seeking out for further evidence of the geological weirdness of the Californian desert.