Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Mushroom House

    4.4 (15 reviews)

    Services - Mushroom House

    Home staging

    Mushroom House Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Mushroom House

    Recommended Reviews - Mushroom House

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Nan T.

    Really cool spot to visit when you're in La Jolla. I started at the glider port and took the steep trail down the beach. Turn left (head south) and you'll run into the house about 10-20 minutes down the shore. It's worth the hike and walk, and the scenery is beautiful along the way. I kept walking after I passed it and you'll run into more populated beaches down the shore. I'd recommend bringing water and sunscreen and using the restroom beforehand -- it feels a little remote, so always good to be prepared!

    Mariano R.

    Probably the coolest "hidden gem" in San Diego. You can access it from either the Torrey pines glider point or the Ho Chi Minh trail. It's only a short walk south of either. There is a wall with cameras and a sign saying to respect that it is a private residence, but it it great to take photos of.

    From the street near UCSD, it looks fairly unassuming.
    Gail P.

    According to Hidden San Diego, "The building is commonly known as the "Mushroom House", although the actual name for it is "The Pavilion." The home was built and designed by Dale Naegle in 1968, for Sam Bell of Bell's Potato Chips. Bell had purchased a summer home overlooking the Pacific Ocean and wanted to add a guest house. The property included a 300 foot cliff, and below was an isolated beach only accessible at low tide through rugged rocks. A 300 ft tramway from the main house to the guest house was constructed first, necessary for developing access to the beach." The house itself stands on a concrete column 10 feet in diameter, with high concrete walls to protect against high surf, rock slides and tidal action. If location, location, location! is the mantra, then the Mushroom House has got it in spades, since it is located slightly south of nudie favorite Black's Beach. They say on a clear day, you can see all the way to Catalina. Well, I bet you can see all of a lot more than that, glancing down along the nearby shoreline! www.coastalsandiego.com says "The Mushroom House features an expansive 180 degree view all the way from Torrey Pines State Park to La Jolla. When I attended UCSD, our track club would run the beaches below the Mushroom House early in the morning, before the nudists had a chance to come down and take their clothes off. It was always something that looks very otherworldly from below--almost like an alien spacecraft perched on the cliffs above. However, from the street, the Mushroom House entrance is quite unassuming. Really, the house looks like just another expensive La Jolla custom home with the Pacific Ocean has a background, The Mushroom House has the honor of being listed in This Old House Magazine as one of the worlds wildest houses. It is also mysterious because no one is ever seen in it and lights are never on at night. People who have been in the area a long time say that the building of this exotic structure was pushed forward quickly just before the Coastal Commission made it very difficult to build on shoreline real estate. At one time I had heard that UCSD owned the property and used it as a place where professors and administrators could take a sabbatical. Now it mostly looks empty from the beach below. However, I give it 5 YELP STARS for being totally freaky!

    Pretty big lol
    Max B.

    Alright so took us forever to find, originally we started at scripps pier and we were gonna go north until we ended up at the house, but the tide was too high sooo waves wouldn't let us. So then we asked a lady who was kind enough to give us specific directions and without her we wouldn't have found it, so go to LA JOLLA FARMS and there's a surfer trail that leads directly to black sands beach I think, then head south and boom! mushroom house lol. It's really an awesome sight, kinda creepy not knowing if someone actually Lived there or not, but exciting nonetheless. You have to make sure the tides aren't too high or else it'll make for a tough picture. Took me and my gf a good 10 minutes to try and fit the whole house in one shot without getting completely soaked by the waves. Awesome place to take pictures for the gram tho, really sweet and hidden definitely check it out!

    Daniel G.

    Just want to say, if you found this spot via the internet or article and decided to go check it out thinking you could explore it do to false information saying it's "abandon", just know, it's not! Someone lives there! It's eye pleasing and again, just to reiterate, it's just for the view! So don't give into the hype! Go check it out it's worth seeing but don't be disappointed when you realize there's signs that say "resident please enjoy the beach keep out"! Still very worth whatever trail you take to get there! Or walk either or!

    The Mushroom House!

    See all

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Closed. Not open to the public. Long hike for utter disappointment. You cannot access the interior.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 13
    Thanks 3
    Love this 3
    Oh no 2

    4 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    The design, architecture and location was awesome but bummer how they trashed the place with graffiti and broken windows.

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Monika G.
    951
    28
    23

    4 years ago

    Super cool to check out. Sad that it's just vacant. What a treat this must have been to stay here back in the day

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mariano R.
    639
    29
    62

    7 years ago

    Helpful 14
    Thanks 0
    Love this 17
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Gail P.
    251
    1542
    5971

    11 years ago

    Helpful 17
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Max B.
    177
    2
    3

    10 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ryan N.
    131
    11
    30

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of A M.
    0
    51
    6

    9 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    Ask the Community - Mushroom House

    Review Highlights - Mushroom House

    Turn left (head south) and you'll run into the house about 10-20 minutes down the shore.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Home Staging 110 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    1st Stage Property Transformation - Living Room Home Staging in Newport Beach, Orange County

    1st Stage Property Transformation

    (56 reviews)

    What an amazing experience we had with Janice and the entire team! Not only are they creative, hard…read moreworking, and professional, but they have the most beautiful and quality items! You can put your complete trust that they will stage your house to perfection so that it will look great for the photos and the tours!! Our home went into escrow 4 days after listing and we received $100,000 over asking price! The 1st stage service is a great value and will pay off tremendously in the end.

    I have hired 1st Stage for multiple properties over the years. In the past, they generally did…read moregreat work and I was impressed with their staging style, professionalism, availability, and pricing. That said, my most recent experience was disappointing. I had them stage a modern townhouse in Costa Mesa near the beach. Unfortunately, the staging style they chose did not match the aesthetic of the property at all. I am not a designer, so I typically trust their vision and let them take the lead. This time, I reached out to their team and simply asked if we could swap out a few items to make the space feel more modern or beachy. I was told I would need to pay a restocking fee. That response was frustrating. I had referred them many jobs and clients in the past, and while the fee itself was not a large amount, it felt unnecessary and left a bad impression. They did eventually waive the fee, which I appreciated, but the situation already felt mishandled. Fast forward a bit. The property did not sell, and I requested that it be de-staged. Their team came out a few days later and removed the furniture. A few months after that, they emailed both me and my client, who was the actual party to the staging contract, claiming there was a prorated balance due for a few extra days the furniture remained in the home. The amount was under $400. The contract was between my client and 1st Stage, not me, so I was confused as to why I was included. Shortly after, Mark Sutton emailed me directly asking if I could take care of the payment by the next day. I found that extremely unprofessional. Agents are the ones who bring them business, and asking me to personally pay an invoice that had nothing to do with me showed a real lack of business judgment. I expressed my disappointment with their customer service, and the only response I received was a payment link. If you are looking for a stager who truly feels like a partner and values long-term relationships, I would think twice before using this company. In my experience, once an issue arises, you are treated like just another number, and preserving relationships does not seem to be a priority.

    Mushroom House - homestaging - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...