Avalon, Catalina Island

Avalon Dunes on Catalina Island
photo by A. Strakey

Catalina Island is easily reached by a comfortable ferry ride less than one hour from Los Angeles. The Santa Catalina Island Interpretive Center is a wealth of information about the island’s history, animal and plant life, and ocean and marine life. Hiking trails abound, while off-road four-wheel-drive guided tours boast breathtaking views of hidden coves, mountain peaks, and the great Pacific Ocean. While it’s only 22 miles off the Los Angeles coast, it’s a world of natural beauty that should not be missed.

Channel Islands National Park

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
photo by National Ocean Service

The Channel Islands are perfect for camping, hiking, fishing, kayaking and snorkeling. Its primary residents are the birds and many species of animals that live here, making the islands wildly alluring, yet close enough to civilization from which regularly scheduled ferries depart. Its unspoiled coves are home to colorful sea stars, orange garibaldi and spiny sea urchins.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park
photo by Esther Lee

Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave Desert is known for its spiny yucca trees whose branches reach like arms up to the desert sky. It’s a wonderful place to hike and enjoy the landscape’s rugged character with cholla cacti, boulder mounds, flowering desert plants, and mountains in the distance. Both northern and southern entrances to the park are near oases with campgrounds.

Pinnacles National Monument

Pinnacles National Monument
photo by Richard Johnstone

The rocky terrain of Pinnacles National Monument is at once captivating and ominous. From its canyons to its rugged spires, it is a wilderness of wonder with 30 miles of hiking trails that boast gorgeous views with a variety of rich wildlife supported by the fertile soil belonging to the ancient relics of an extinct volcano.

Red Rock Canyon State Park

Red Rock Canyon State Park
photo by John Fowler

Just a few hours away from Los Angeles, Red Rock Canyon State Park is a geological treasure trove. Time and erosion have sculpted its dunes, cliffs, clay and sandstone formations into corrugated shades ranging from deep reds to bleached whites. Cargo wagons once stopped in this area for water in the nineteenth century. It has also been used to film Hollywood movies like Jurassic Park. Its arid isolation inspires a kind of reverence.

We left from San Pedro, Los Angeles‘ commercial shipping port; however boats also leave from Long Beach and Newport Beach to the south and Marina Del Rey‘s harbor to the north. The other options take a bit longer, and in all cases you’ll want to check with Catalina Express as the transport provider for the times and locations that best suit your needs.

As you’re heading out across the open sea and leaving urban LA behind, here’s a little history to consider. Catalina was once owned by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. Seeking to protect and preserve the nature on the island he loved, he gave most of the property to a nature conservancy after his death in the early nineteen thirties. This means that there is a large, large chunk of the island with zero development. To tour it, you must take a bus, off-road, or walking tour; some tour providers offer kayaking on the far side of the island.  Or you can explore it by boat. We took the Skyline Drive trek offered by Discovery Tours which includes stops at the Airport in the Sky at the high point on the island and potential views of the islands bison, which are descended from bison transported for a movie shoot many years ago, wild native foxes, and other wildlife. We also saw many an excellent sea view from the cliff top road.  Other tours will take you over more rough and ready terrain, the Wet Spot kayak and snorkel rental has an excellent off-road tour that includes lunch and kayaking on the far side of the island.  

A view of Avalon Harbor from above town, the iconic casino is in the distance.

For most tourists, and certainly for most tourists with small children in town, you’ll find that the two and a quarter mile of developed island land that is the town of Avalon is the place to spend your time.  And there’s plenty to keep you occupied in this charming village, with plenty of shops to browse, casual eateries with harbor views, and boat cruises a-plenty.

Disembarking from your boat, you may see some orange garibaldi enjoying a swim just off the dock. If you want a closer look, there are glass bottom boats, submersible boats, and night boat tours all available for a fun exploration of the sea life that surrounds the island.

You might want to make a stop for breakfast though. Stroll the Wrigley-era town streets to the Pancake Cottage for some most excellent chocolate chip pancakes or blueberry waffles. Both reasonably priced entrees were a big hit with the kids and fueled us for a day of exploring.

Once fed, we boarded the town trolley for a ride to the Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Gardens. A great place to explore, there are succulent plant and cactus gardens, flower beds, and an mausoleum to climb, inlaid with mosaics.

We took the long but downhill walk back into town rather than boarding the trolley and had a late lunch of salad and ahi at the Descanso Beach Club, which is just past the beautiful art deco casino on the far end of town.

The beach club boasts the most comfortable beach to relax on and build a few sand castles, with a view of kayakers and yachting enthusiasts out on the water. A caveat – Avalon’s sea water is not pristine, and does not receive passing grades from Heal the Bay, the California ocean water monitoring guide. We kept our kids out of the water except for wading during our stay.

After the beach we relaxed in our comfortable room at the European themed Metropole Hotel. The hotel also features a cafe with tasty pizzas, where we dined, and a more formal Italian menu at the hotel’s elegant restaurant.

Catalina’s art deco casino – we loved watching a movie there.

After our pizza, we took in a movie at probably the best place to see a movie in all of California, if not possibly the entire U.S. That gorgeous Casino building now houses a movie theater on its lower level. Pristine film projection is dwarfed by the stunning murals and the shiny dome ceiling. The atmosphere is, quite literally, awe inspiring. If you can’t catch a film, at least take the tour the day-time casino offers which takes you back stage, allows you to sit in the comfortable seats, and shows off the upper level party rooms as well. There is a small historical museum inside the Casino building as well.

Film and history not your thing? Then check out the forty-year old miniature golf course known as Golf Gardens. An iconic island experience, the course is a little battered, but a great deal of fun, with plenty of obstacles and a resident cat to liven up the play.

If you’re looking to explore the sea a bit more, we highly recommend the submarine tour, which gets you up close and personal – through glass of course – with the fishy denizens of Avalon’s deeps.

Only 22 miles from San Pedro, Santa Catalina Island as it’s also known, has a rich history and ecology. Getting there takes a little over an hour by boat; you can also fly via helicopter in fifteen minutes. We took a Catalina Express boat to Avalon, the most popular destination on the island. Boats also arrive at quieter, more isolated Two Harbors which is an excellent starting point for hiking, fishing, or snorkeling. For families with small children, and for those wishing to have a larger variety of island experiences, Avalon is the destination to chose.

Avalon feels like a small European town, albeit a kitschy one, with tourist shops selling tee shirts and stuffed toys. Wandering the curving streets or strolling the manicured Wrigley botanical gardens, you’ll feel like you’re somewhere far away from the busy streets of Los Angeles.

For us, taking a ferry also allows us to mellow out and get ready to enjoy the laid-back small town ambiance. Watching the ocean as the coastal cities recede and the small island approaches is a pleasure in and of itself. The ferries offer smooth rides; none of us have ever gotten sea sick on multiple crossings. The ride is short enough not to bore little ones, and during whale watching season, you may get lucky enough to spot one of these magnificent creatures. We’ve seen dolphins and flying fish.

Keep arriving simple with a minimum of luggage, as you won’t find any car rentals here. Golf cart rentals, yes. Renting a golf cart can be a lot of fun, as zipping up and down the hilly island town streets is an activity kids of all ages – yes, that means you, parental drivers – enjoy. We usually choose to walk, however, and often stay at the Portofino, which also houses a comfortable Italian restaurant and cafe. The rooms are large and many have fireplaces. On the roof, a hot tub beckons along with excellent views of the harbor.

We love the beautiful mosaics and tile work all around Avalon on Catalina Island.

Once we’ve dropped off our bags, our family’s favorite activity is a visit to the Catalina Island Casino and Museum. A tour describes the structure’s beautiful Art Deco murals and gives you a look at the original 1929 pipe organ inside the Avalon Theater. Our kids love climbing the ramps into the enormous, beautiful Casino Ballroom. In the museum located on the ground floor, you can explore what its like to live on an island and learn about the island’s place in the Channel Island chain, who’s lived here, and what plants and animals are native to the spot. Outside the casino building, you’ll find bright, mosaic lined fountains.

But the best part about the Casino and Museum is actually seeing a movie in the massive theater and hearing the pipe organ play. It’s a glimpse into an elegant past, and we always arrange a visit to coincide with a film our family wants to see. It’s a far different experience than visiting the local multi-plex.

Kids will love taking one or many of the brief, fun island tours offered right in downtown Avalon. From the harbor, you’ll climb on a Semi Submersible, or cruise in a Glass Bottom Boat. You can rent a peddle boat or a kayak, too, depending on your children’s ages. Any tour you take you’ll see fish in the living aquarium that is Avalon harbor. We enjoyed a night cruise in a semi submersible, boat lights seeking out nocturnal denizens of the deep like spiny lobsters, moray eels and sharks. The Island is justifiably well known for its super clear water, and the glass bottom boats offer a comfortable way to show you and your kids the undersea wild life. The boats sail out of the downtown harbor to nearby Lover’s Cove Marine Preserve, where the fish are plentiful, varied, and brightly colored.

We also love the old fashioned miniature golf attraction, Golf Gardens. Set in a lush garden setting, there are no themed holes with windmills here, just simple stuff like banked turns, spirals, and uphill shots. Although we’ve found some of the holes to be a little too challenging, and resorted to eliminating any ball strokes once we reach the two digit range, it’s a truly enjoyable way to spend a lazy afternoon. Stray cats settle in to watch the play, family groups are always laughing their way through the course. Small clubs are available to suit small hands.

After a game of golf, we enjoy grabbing a soft serve ice cream at Dessert Island or a fresh waffle cone at Olaf’s in downtown Avalon.

The kids enjoyed climbing the Wrigley Memorial Tower on Catalina Island.

A mile and a half from the harbor you’ll find an amazing view of the harbor and the botanical gardens of Wrigley Memorial, honoring the founder of the largest chewing gum manufacturing company in the world. Wrigley brought public utilities and the Casino building to the island, and set aside land to preserve the island’s beauty for future generations. You can take a cab or a tour shuttle; the walk is easy, even if you’re pushing a stroller.

The Memorial itself is a tower built with blue flag stone and crushed native stones. Glazed tiles were made on Catalina. At the center of the garden, the tower offers great views, and the garden itself provides plenty of green space for the kids to explore. Wrigley’s wife Ada designed the native plant Memorial garden.

From the botanical garden to the cultural throw-back design of the miniature golf course, the splendid art deco excellence of the Casino and it’s theater, and the quiet, hilly streets, Avalon not only feels like a location apart from the Southern California mainland, but like a time apart. It’s old fashioned, easy-going pleasures are a fun treat for the whole family.