Queen Califia's Magical Circle is an outdoor sculpture garden in Kit Carson Park designed by the French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle and completed in 2003. It is free to enter and consistently ranks among the most underrated public art installations in California.
The garden is enclosed by a serpentine mosaic wall set with carved figures and totemic sculptures referencing Californian mythology, indigenous culture, and de Saint Phalle's characteristically playful visual language. At its centre stands Queen Califia herself — the legendary Moorish queen after whom California is named — surrounded by nine other large mosaic sculptures. The inlaid mirrors and brilliant coloured tiles catch the Southern California light beautifully, and the whole space feels otherworldly in a way that photographs do not quite capture. This is one of Escondido's genuine surprises.