Simon Rodia spent 33 years raising 17 towers of scrap steel and broken tile in his Watts backyard, then deeded the lot away and left Los Angeles without explaining any of it. Two more one-man monuments follow: a museum that will not say which of its exhibits are real, and two concrete dinosaurs off Interstate 10.
An Italian immigrant laborer with no art training spent 33 years building 17 soaring towers from scrap steel and broken tile in his backyard, then walked away without explanation.
Start in Watts. Close access to the towers is sometimes tour only, so the arts center schedule is worth checking before the day is fixed, and the next stop does not open until the afternoon anyway.
A museum in Culver City that presents genuine scholarship and outright invention in identical vitrines, under identical engraved labels, and declines to tell you which is which. It has never explained what Jurassic Technology means either.
About 35 minutes northwest through the city. The museum is open Thursday through Sunday only, afternoons and evenings, which sets the day for the whole drive. Capacity is limited and a timed ticket booked ahead is the safer option.
Two enormous roadside dinosaurs built by a theme park sculptor outside Palm Springs, made famous worldwide by a single scene in Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
A little over 2 hours east on Interstate 10 toward Palm Springs. The dinosaurs are visible for free from the parking lot and the highway, and the gift shop inside Dinny charges separately. Ending here rather than starting here puts the late light on the drive out.
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