Mystery Spot

A cabin on a redwood hillside above Santa Cruz invites visitors to test whether gravity behaves differently there. The Mystery Spot opened in 1941 and, according to California's Office of Historic Preservation, is the first and most significant example of its type in the state: a “tilt-box” or “gravity house” roadside attraction that gained popularity in the mid-20th century. The office records that it was designed and built by George Prather and managed by Prather and his son Bruce, and that it became a popular stopping point for tourists and locals.

The operator's website carries a statement attributed to Prather, the original owner. He describes noticing a compass drift while helping a surveyor along the property line, then feeling light-headed and top-heavy on the hillside below. Checking further, he and his companions marked out ground “about one hundred fifty feet in diameter” over which, he said, they had not found any instrument absolutely correct. Today the operator describes the place as “a gravitational anomaly” in the redwoods just outside Santa Cruz, and offers a guided cabin tour.