catalina island is quite the hidden gem
in los angeles
i have been living in southern
california for about seven years now and
the first time i heard of the island was
just a few years ago
it's located southwest of la and it's a
gorgeous beach town that can only be
reached by ferry
this was my first time riding the
catalina express and i departed from the
long beach port
the ride was roughly an hour and a round
trip ticket cost about 75 dollars
and if you're bringing your fur baby
they can ride for free i happen to go on
a weekend that had a lot of rain in the
forecast
but despite the on and off showers i
actually found plenty of things to do
from beaches to hiking here are my top 8
things to do on catalina island
number 1 avalon beaches it's no surprise
that you will have plenty of beach
options in catalina descanso beach is a
private beach with public access
that is just beyond the world famous
catalina casino
this beach is part of the disconso beach
club which offers a restaurant
bar and cabana rentals middle beach
overlooks the center of the harbor and
this is where the majority of the town's
shops and restaurants are located
number 2 disconsole canyon the canyon is
situated just 600 feet above the
descanso beach club
and there are plenty of activities at
the ariel adventure park none of the
outdoor activities are pet friendly
so i parked here and took zoey to the
grassy area where she had plenty of
space to herself and she really enjoyed
running around the area
number three catalina casino i initially
thought the casino was a vegas style
gambling venue
but it's actually a massive theater and
event space and you can't miss this
building as its structure dominates the
island
number four green pier if you're looking
for things to do on the island the
visitor center is located here
so it's a great place to stop and get
visitor information if you're keen on
diving in safari tours
number five take a scenic drive if you
want to drive around the island
you can rent a golf cart and easily
explore the mountain terrain
i spent about an hour driving around the
island which was plenty of time to cover
the one square mile
island number six wrigley memorial and
botanical garden
the drive up the mountain to the
botanical garden was gorgeous and i
spotted several deer along the way
i wasn't aware that dogs weren't allowed
inside the garden so i wasn't able to
enter the premises
however the guides suggested dog
friendly hikes in the area
nonetheless i enjoyed the scenic drive
up and hoped to return to the garden
someday
number seven downtown avalon there are
plenty of shops and dining options in
downtown avalon
and it's a pleasant area to walk around
we had dinner on our first night at blue
water avalon where we had the best views
of the green pier
number eight the metropole marketplace
across the street from blue water avalon
is a metropole marketplace which is an
adorable cobblestone village
i purchased a cup of coffee and a couple
of fresh baked cookies at the catalina
coffee and cookie company
i really enjoyed my time on this island
even though i didn't have the best of
luck with the weather
of course there are still plenty of
things you can do on the island
but this gives you an idea of how much
the island has to offer i hope you found
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