SeeCalifornia.com

Rancho Shazam School of Art and Technical Stuff, designed by Lee Greenberg, includes whimsical designs and repurposing of scrap art, old bikes, saws and other every day objects. Located on Lucky Drive on the border of Larkspur/Greenbrae near I-101 Hwy, a portion of the complex of corrugated metal buildings is accented with amazing and entertaining designs. Such as–a circular base for a crane once used in Sausalito to swivel a boat crane; a 12-foot wheel tipped on its edge like a dwarf Ferris wheel and a spiral slide from a playground at the decommissioned Hamilton Air Force Base. Stripped bare and mounted on the 2nd floor window of a two-story building, the bright yellow slide surely has kids scratching their little heads wondering how they can go down it. But children are easily diverted, and they’ll quickly find other things to absorb their time such as–a tin man with a heart from the Wizard of Oz dispensing directions for $.05 next to a tilted mailbox on metal stilts.

Getting there: 450A from southbound Highway 101 and take an immediate right onto Nellen Avenue; turn right onto Lucky Drive where you’ll find it at the end of the road.  For other funky houses, be sure to check out the twin boat houses in Encinitas.