On a recent trip to the Central Coast I stopped by a place I’ve been curious about called Nitt Witt Ridge.  It is a state historic landmark in the folk art category.  I had read a little about it before visiting and was unsure if tours would be available.  I pulled up the twisty road and parked in the tiny spot across from Nitt Witt Ridge and got out to take some pictures and noticed I was in luck:

The sign by the toilets in the lower left said, “next tour 4:00” I had arrived at 3:30; yesssssssssssssss.  I snapped a few pics, went and got a snack, then returned for the tour.

I was met by the current owner Mike who is an awesome, amusing, and informative guide.  Nitt Witt Ridge is an amazing structure built entirely of found materials.  The person who built it, Art Beal, who was the town garbage man and resident eccentric.  Mike said the town is still torn over whether they liked Art, and his house, or not.  But now it’s a landmark so it’s not going anywhere.  There is no way I can relate all that Mike told me but the king of all things California, Huell Howser can http://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2002/01/08/nitt-witt-ridge-californias-gold-4011/

I was struck by the creativity and ingenuity, not to mention the sheer number of abalone shells and beer cans, of the house.  Definitely worth a visit if  you’re in the area.  I am not sure how regular the tours are, I just got lucky.  I originally learned of this spot from Roadsideamerica.com, which lists a number to call http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12262 .

The tour is free but Mike says up front visitors can leave a donation of $10 at the end of the tour if they liked it; I donated $20.