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Venice Beach is California’s wackiest
beach town. The beach is the center of city, or at least for entertainment
purposes. Venice, which shares the same name as the Italian city also
shares similar traits such as its canals, which run through beautifully
constructed neighborhoods and its eccentric and one of a kind feel.
Even though the two Venice’s are worlds apart geographically and
culturally the two cities are both in categories of their own.
Venice Beach is located in the Santa Monica
Bay between Marina del Rey and Santa Monica. |
The center of the beach
scene is off of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Windward Street.
The weekends draw the biggest crowds and the most interesting group
of locals as well. The 1.5 mile boardwalk is lined with innovative shops
and stands, fun carnival-like treats and almost every kind of touristy
treasure you could hope for. Venice is where people come to watch street
performers. There is a variety of attention-grabbing entertainment on
almost every corner.
The boardwalk is not just a spectator boardwalk
but also an active one. You can rollerblade, run, walk, bike or skateboard
along the bike path. Beware that the bike path ends at Washington Street
and the local residents are not forgiving if you miss the “Bike
Path Ends Here” sign. It probably would be a good idea to wake
up early or choose a week day for these activities, because the weekend
crowds can get really thick. Skateboarding is one of the favorite past
times here in Venice and if you are not dodging the skateboarders on
the boardwalk you can check them out doing their tricks close by.
If you are feeling like you need to hit
up the gym, Venice comes complete with its own outdoor gym, called Muscle
Beach. You can buy a day pass for the facility if you are not nervous
about working out in front of big audiences. There are also basketball,
volleyball, hand ball and tennis courts available. You can surf, swim
or just lay out on the sandy shoreline. If sailing is your thing, the
close by Marina del Rey harbor has the facilities to accommodate most
nautical activities.
You will need lots of luck and patience
to find parking at Venice beach, especially on the weekends. There is
free and metered parking along most of the streets around Venice Beach
and there is also paid parking at the Venice Pier at the end of Washington
Street. You will probably do some walking to get to the beach, but it
will be a good warm up for the boardwalk stroll.
There is a famous boat parade, which lights
up the canals of Venice in December. This holiday event, organized by
the Venice community is spectacular and should not be missed.
- NO alcohol/glass containers
- NO camping
- NO dogs
- NO vehicles on the beach
- NO fires
- YES Bathrooms/ showers available
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