From the tiny town of Peanut to Rough and Ready in California, don't miss these spots off the beaten path

Take a wrong exit off the 5 or 99 freeways? A few more wrong turns and you may come across them: Cool, Peanut, and while possible, though unlikely, you could encounter a small town by the name of Likely.

These small California towns are a bit off the beaten path, but there's something about ending up at a place called Butt Lake that reminds you to take life a little seriously. Beyond their fun names and tiny size, these towns can offer something that can be difficult to find in the sprawl of big cities — authenticity. And once you taste something real, it's hard to go back.

Let's take look at five California small towns.

Samoa, California

The Samoa Cookhouse, opened in 1890 in the small town of Samoa in Humboldt County, California

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Hailey Branson-Potts

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If you were hoping to visit a town on a sandy peninsula, blanketed by fog and wind-blown sand dunes, then you're in luck.

Samoa is a spit of land just outside the town of Eureka in Humboldt County. The small town is famous for its colorful matching homes, natural landscape and cookhouse. The Samoa Cookhouse opened in 1890 to serve employees of a lumber company, according to L.A. Times reporter Hailey Branson-Potts, who's been visiting and writing about small California towns. During a conversation on LAist 89.3's daily news show, AirTalk with Larry Mantle, she said the restaurant transitioned to family style meals with a single menu in the 60s. The Samoa Cookhouse is temporarily closed, but fret not. Its renovations are sure to attract more wandering tourists and hungry travelers.

Rough and Ready, California

Named after President Zachary Taylor whose nickname "Old Rough and Ready," this town in the Sierra Foothills is not just known for its unusual name. Back in the 1850s, locals "decided to succeed to avoid paying taxes," said Branson-Potts. The succession lasted three months, ending when some locals went to a nearby town to buy liquor only to be turned away by the store owner because they were "foreigners."

A fire truck from the small town Rough and Ready, California in Nevada County

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Hailey Branson-Potts

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Peanut, California

Branson-Potts was reporting on a story in the town of Weaverville when she made a detour through some precarious mountain roads and found the nearly non-existent town of Peanut. Off Highway 3 in Trinity County, Peanut is the story of a community that once was.

"There's essentially nothing left," Branson-Potts told Mantle. "There's a plaque where the school used to be." And that's basically it. There are few people in the area, but if you ask them, they might tell you the legend of how Peanut got its name.

A sign for the former Salt Creek School in the town that is now called Peanut.

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Hailey Branson-Potts

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The town was trying to open a post office back in the late 1800s, early 1900s, which Branson-Potts said is how you officially "got on the map."

"The post office rejected the name they wanted, Salt Creek, because they didn't want towns with two names," she said. "The locals were bemoaning this to the post master who was said to be snacking on a bag of peanuts."

Legend has it, the post master said, "Why don't we call it Peanut?"

Yreka, California

Not to be confused with Eureka, Yreka (pronounced 'why-ree-kuh') is off the 5 Freeway, not far from the Oregon border. In fact, back in the 1940s, if you were driving through the area you might be greeted by a local with a pamphlet advertising the town as the the capital of the "State of Jefferson," Branson-Potts said. The movement, which was a rebellion against California and Oregon, stopped after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Volcano, California

A sign for the town of Volcano in Amador County, California

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Hailey Branson-Potts

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Volcano is a little-bitty Sierra Foothills town with an unlikely reputation — it's known for its thriving community theater program.

Branson-Potts said the outdoor amphitheater has been around for decades. Production took a hit during the pandemic, followed by two major fires, but residents were committed to getting the town's arts scene up and running again. If you visit Volcano, you can see a play at the Volcano Theatre Company.

Bolinas, Weed, Butt Lake, and Fort Dick.....

There are so many other small towns that deserve a mention. Some only have a plaque left, others are still vibrant. Wherever they stand, all have a story to call their own. You can follow Branson-Pott's reporting and the towns she's visiting here.

Fort Dick is an unincorporated town in Del Norte, County 15 miles south of the Oregon border.

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Hailey Branson-Potts

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Listen to the full AirTalk conversation with L.A. Times metro reporter Hailey Branson-Potts here: