Ultimate Offbeat Guide to San Francisco, California

The Audium-Theatre of Sound-Sculptured Space is the only theater on earth made to give the listener an experience that is totally sound-specific.

Every Friday and Sunday night, listers are treated to "sound sculptures" from the theatre’s 169 speakers, that create compositions that are totally immersive. Many people find each of the sound sculptures to be quite relaxing, once you get over the whole sonic immersion thing, of course.

If you're going to really experience a city, the best way to do it is with friends. What better way to make some new ones than to spend the night in a hostel?

USA Hostel's San Francisco location is constantly ranked as one of the best in the country, and for good reason. Just a ten minute walk to Union Square, it makes a great base for your offbeat adventures, but they also offer everything from karaoke, pool tournaments, and even pub crawls!

This strange-looking building near the Cliff House restaurant overlooking Ocean Beach may be totally dark inside-- but from within, it gives visitors a one-of-a-kind view. It's actually an enormous camera obscura, one of only a few in the world of its kind. A camera obscura is a sort of a predecessor to the traditional camera: it projects an image of its surroundings onto a surface using only sunlight. Science!!

The current Camera Obscura was built in 1946, and it got a makeover in the 1950's to make it look like a big ol' camera. Light enters through a hood in the roof and goes through a lens via an angled mirror. The lens then projects the image onto a parabolic white table-like surface in the room. The hood rotates, giving visitors a 360 degree glimpse without having to leave the camera obscura.

While the views are awesome any time (well worth the $3 admission), the best time to visit this retro roadside attraction is, of course, sunset. You get an awesome view of nearby landmarks like the ruins of the Sutro Baths in a better-than-1080p-resolution it's hard to believe such ld technology could produce such a stunning image, but it's seriously like looking at an HD image. It's definitely one of those things that needs to be seen to be understood-- or to be believed!

Looking at the abandoned ruins of the Sutro Baths outside San Francisco, it's almost impossible to comprehend that they were once part of the world's largest indoor swimming establishment, boasting 7 massive pools, a huge museum, an amphitheater, hundreds of private dressing rooms and even, for a short time, an ice skating rink. It could hold, according to one estimate, up to ten thousand happy bathers. Now, only a few stone walls and pillars remain of what was once an enormous glass building, housing one of San Francisco's most opulent attractions.

The ruins remained abandoned until 1980, when the National Parks Service saved the land from being developed. Nowadays you can visit what little remains of the huge glass structure. Although it's nothing compared to what it once was, the misty (and mysterious) beach is absolutely stunning. Visitors can even explore the tunnel that once likely housed the pump-- but be warned; there are rumors that souls have been sacrificed inside, and bringing a lit candle into the tunnel at night will summon them. Despite the total and complete creepiness of that legend, the view from within the tunnel, especially when the waves roll right up to the edge, can't be beat.

You might find this hard to believe, but there's actually a herd of buffalo roaming the middle of San Francisco. Located at the western end of Golden Gate Park, next to Spreckels Lake, you can come face-to-face with living history. The Bison herd have been a beloved part of the park since the 1890s, even if the big guys are a little out of place.

One part dinner, one part interactive show, The Dinner Detective has become one of the city’s most favorite events. What makes Dinner Detective better than other similar productions is the fact that it’s set in the current time, so no cheesy costumes and weird scripts.

The Hollywood, New York, and Chicago trained actors blend in with the rest of the diners, so guests have no idea who is part of the show… until they die. You’ll have to solve the crime to find out who the killer is before you’re the last man standing. Winners get prizes and, most importantly, big time bragging rights!

Take a walk on the wild side at AsiaSF, the world famous dinner theater experience that you won't forget.

Guests are led into into the theater by the beautiful "Ladies of AsiaSF", who serve you a delicious 3 star CalAsian Fusion meal, before taking to the stage for a number of jaw-dropping performances. Oh yeah, and every single performer is transgender!

After the performances, head downstairs and get your groove on at the club, where the DJ spins until 2AM.

Often described as "Martha Stewart meets David Lynch", Paxton Gate might just be the weirdest store in San Francisco. An eclectic cross between a nature supply shop and a curio cabinet, Paxton Gate is the perfect place to grab a bleached raccoon skull and a handful of glass eyeballs.

Everything you find in the odd little shop is for sale, but you might have trouble mistaking the place for a natural history museum - don't be surprised if you spend an hour or more poking around the nooks and crannies of Paxton Gate. Got kids with you? Head a few doors down to check out their sister store "Curiosities for Kids", where they can pick up a plush post-dissection frog instead of the real thing.

At Foreign Cinema, come for the top notch chow, stay for the giant projection screen playing "Goonies"!

This fun restaurant emphasizes an outdoor dining experience where you can dig in to some of the best seafood in the city while watching your favorite films as they're displayed on the former warehouse's massive wall.

Foreign Cinema has been named a "Top 100" restaurant for the better part of two decades, so don't skip it!

Originally opened in 1883 as the J.M. Heinold’s Saloon, Heinold's First and Last Chance looks nearly the same as it did over a century ago.

Originally build from the remains of an old whaling ship, this old saloon has served as watering hole for all kinds of writers and adventurers, and get this: it's even supposed to be haunted. According to regulars, the ghost of Jack London still appears at his favorite table where he would come to scribble down notes for his short stories The Sea Wolf and Call of the Wild.

Today the bar still uses gas lights, and the stove in the kitchen, which is the original was the buildings, was the only source of heat until 1980.

Whether you’re a fan of comics, anime, comic strips, or graphic novels, the Cartoon Art Museum celebrates it all. With over 6,000 original pieces of art from the world of animation and illustration, you can easily lose an hour or two exploring their research library, and five galleries. They also host book signings, workshops for aspiring cartoonists, and lectures where fans come together to geek out while learning about their craft.

Today the CAM is the only museum in the western USA dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of cartoon art in all its forms.

Why stay at a regular old hotel when you could stay at the Hotel Tomo, located in the much loved Japantown district of San Fran? Surrounded by loads of shops, restaurants, and an awesome neighborhood, the Hotel Tomo is a super fun alternative for someone looking to stay somewhere a little... different. The attention to detail is incredible. Your room will likely be decorated with Godzilla toys, kawaii artwork, bright and cheerful colors, and tvs that play nothing but anime all day long. It’s wonderful, weird, and couldn’t be more perfect for a offbeat vacation.

You've seen it in American Graffiti, now you can slide up to the counter and dig in to a burger and fries at this classic American diner. As one of the few real "diners" remaining in in San Francisco, there's not too many places you can grab an authentic diner breakfast like Mel's.

The ambiance also adds a real time-travel touch, from the chrome booths, period-appropriate decor, and individual silver jukeboxes at each table belting out 50s hits, Mel's Drive-In is a real blast from the past.

Have you ever wondered just how they got those little paper slips in fortune cookies? Now's your chance to find out! Tucked away off a side street in Chinatown is the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, where you can watch as cookie-makers skillfully create over fifteen-thousand of the famous treats every single day.

Getting a peek at how the cookies are made is just part of the fun, though. You can also write your very own custom fortune, load up on tons of different varieties of cookies (yes, there's more than one type), but most importantly, you'll get to sample an unrolled fortune cookie fresh out of the oven!

If you're planning a road trip right now, you absolutely cannot miss a stop at the Beat Museum, which celebrates the lives and legacy of the "beat generation" authors like Jack Kerouac, who gave us "On the Road", inspiring more Great American Road than anyone else.

Located right across the street from, Vesuvio, Kerouac's old hangout, the Beat Museum houses artifacts like Kerouac's car, original posters, loads of books, and more. You'll even have a chance to pick up a rare first edition of many books by Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs, to name a few.

Forget what you think you know about mirror mazes. They're more than just boardwalk diversions, they're often works of art. None exemplify this more than Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze, a twisting, turning series of confusing tunnels that will stump kids and adults alike.

These guys are so serious about their mirror maze that you have to wear a pair of gloves to check it, because trust me, you're going to be bumping into some walls, and they don't want to make it easy.

Entry is just five bucks, and considering how long you're going to be stuck in there, that's a steal.

Who knew that there we so many options for socks? The San Francisco Sock Market did, and they launched an entire store dedicated solely to your soles.

With a massive variety of socks for adults and children, this quirky shop will help you leave behind the world of plain white socks and diving feet-first into a universe you never knew existed. Bigfoot socks, socks with ears, heated socks, even socks for each of your toes!

You'll leave so proud of your new socks that you may never want to put shoes on again..

Imagine going to the theater, popping down into a comfortable chair, only to suddenly discover that those zombies on the screen are about to chew their way out and come right for you! That's the idea behind 7D Experience, a theater that puts you in the movie.

Each theater is equipped with moving seats, custom surround sound, fog machines, 3D projects, and even special light guns that you use to actually become part of the movie you're watching!

The experiences are short, running around 10-15 minutes each, and include everything from zombie attacks, encounters with city-destroying giant monsters, and mad scientists!

Billing itself as a thrill-filled journey through San Francisco’s murky past, the Dungeon treats visitors to hour-long storytelling experiences that are just as fun as they are scary. Guests get the inside scoop on the dark history of the Golden Gate City from top notch actors that regale you with tales of slavery, prostitution, theft, and murder. Sometimes, you even become part of the story.

They aren't shy about the subject matter, in fact, they recommend that children under ten don't attend the San Francisco Dungeon. But hey, you're the one who has to deal with the nightmares.

When it comes to weird museums, Ripley's Believe It or Not! can't be matched. From the authentic medieval torture instruments, to real shrunken heads, to the impeccable wax likenesses of the world's most incredible humans, there's a reason that Ripley's museums have been fascinating visitors in dozens of cities for decades.

Unique to this San Francisco location is a perfectly preserved car crushed during the city's 1989 earthquake!