Entry No. 12 — the Sacramento file — filed under: giant sculpture
Port of Call: Earth (the "Alien Tourist Trailer")
Parked at the center of Southside Park's little solar-system-themed playground is a vintage Airstream-style travel trailer, reimagined in aluminum and scrap metal by Sacramento sculptor Joe Scarpa, tilted skyward as if about to blast off — carrying roughly 30 tiny alien tourists, including one outside on the hull doing emergency repairs.
The story
In the middle of Southside Park’s solar-system-themed playground sits a vintage Airstream-style travel trailer pitched at a sharp angle toward the sky, looking less like a piece of suburban camping gear and more like an emergency blast-off caught mid-sequence. Local sculptor Joe Scarpa forged *Port of Call: Earth* out of aluminum and scrap metal, converting a classic piece of Americana into a low-fi interstellar cruise ship.
Peer through the glass and you'll spot the ship's payload: roughly 30 miniature alien tourists caught mid-vacation. The detail work is where Scarpa sneaks in his best jokes—while most of the thumb-sized crew is safely bunked inside peeking out at Sacramento, one unfortunate extraterrestrial is posted outside on the exterior hull, tethered to the metal skin while attempting emergency repairs on the engines.
What it's like
Head to 6th Street between U and V Streets and look for the planetary play structures. By day, the trailer is surrounded by kids scrambling over playground equipment, but the real maneuver is visiting after dark. The sculpture is wired internally to illuminate the window portholes and thrusters from within, turning a daytime park installation into a glowing retro UFO photo op. Grab a spot on the grass near the park's pond nearby before making your approach.
The move: Bring a blanket to the grass near the park's pond, find the trailer among the space-themed play structures, and come back after dark — it's wired to light up the windows and engines for a proper UFO-departure photo.
- 📍 Southside Park, Sacramento
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Southside Park, 6th Street between U and V Streets, Sacramento, CA 95818
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Verge Center for the Arts — Walk two blocks from the park's outdoor retro-futurism straight into 38 active artist studios and experimental gallery spaces.
- Sacramento Historic City Cemetery — Trade low-fi sci-fi public art for half a mile of historic rose gardens planted over 1850 cholera mass graves.
- Rainbow Poles — Continue your run of Sacramento's strange outdoor street art with 72 brightly painted wooden poles standing on a midtown corner.
Good to know
Can you go inside the trailer?
No. The interior is sealed to protect the sculpture; you view the tiny alien passengers and interior cabin through the exterior windows.
Where in Southside Park is the trailer located?
It stands right at the center of the space-themed playground area, accessible from 6th Street between U and V Streets.
Does it cost anything to see?
Not a cent. It is a permanent public art sculpture located inside a city park.
Is it better to visit during the day or at night?
Daylight lets you see the tiny details on the hull repair alien, but visiting after dark is worth it to see the interior windows and engine glows lit up.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · loc.gov · commons.wikimedia.org
last checked: 2026-07-20