Entry No. 9 — the Monterey file — filed under: wood sculpture

The Phoenix Shop (Nepenthe)

When a coastal live oak on the property died in the 1970s, sculptor Edmund Kara didn't clear the stump — he carved the standing trunk in place into a rough-hewn, bronze-legged phoenix that still perches 800 feet above the Pacific, framed by the gift shop built around it.

The move: Split a plate at Café Kevah on the terrace below, then climb up to the Phoenix Shop to find Kara's weathered wooden bird staring out over the same cliff-edge drop that's pulled in poets and drifters since Nepenthe opened in 1949.

• 📍 Big Sur
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 48510 Highway One, Big Sur, CA 93920

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Wikipedia · Official site

last checked: 2026-07-20