One Of The Oddest And Most Charming Roadside Attractions On California's Highway 101 Has Finally Reopened

California's redwood forests have trees that tower up like skyscrapers and have whole ecosystems in their branches. Only in Northern California can you take a kitschy road trip that tunnels through living redwoods, in addition to countless other roadside attractions that have been born from the coniferous giants. One of those, the World Famous Tree House in Piercy, California, reopened in August 2025 after being closed for years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This oddity sits along U.S. Highway 101, which plots some of the most breathtaking road trips along the West Coast.

The tree, nicknamed the "Fraternal Monarch," has been attracting curious drivers since the 1920s. It's about 4,000 years old and 250 feet high, and a lightning strike burned a cavity in its trunk with openings wide enough for people to enter. Unlike some hollow trees that die after burning, redwoods can survive through fires because of their thick bark, which is infused with flame-resistant tannic acid. The Fraternal Monarch has lived through several different iterations as a roadside attraction. Once, it was a shelter for convicts who worked on the highway. In the 1920s, it served as the gift shop for a small redwood park, and in 1933, it was named the "World's Tallest Home" by Ripley's Believe It or Not — its sign has since included the "Believe It or Not!" tagline. At one point, the tree room even had a lunch counter. Today, it's a fascinating cabinet of curiosities and artifacts that visitors can step into.

You'll find the World Famous Tree House about an hour and 40 minutes driving along Highway 101 from the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport, the main commercial airport for the region's redwoods, with connections to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver. You also have the option to fit the attraction into a beach- and city-filled road trip across California's striking coast. From the road, you'll see the tree and its gift shop connected, with a sign marking the site. The tree house is generally open during the day, though the exact hours are somewhat irregular.

The attached gift shop is free to enter, and once you get inside, you can pay a small fee to pass through another entryway into the redwood itself. Angela Blackwell, the attraction's owner, said in SFGate that the tree is "still very healthy. And still growing too." Its trunk forms a cavernous, dimly illuminated den that's been stocked with odd relics of Americana. Antique coin-operated machines, collectible figurines, and historical redwood photographs line the shelves. Though the attraction will remain open for the foreseeable future, its owner stated that she's ready to pass it on to the next curator.