Just 22 miles west of Long Beach, California you’ll find the adorable Santa Catalina Island. Back in 1945, my husband’s grandparents ferried out and enjoyed their honeymoon. 66 years later, my husband and I enjoy our 15th wedded year touring the quaint and beautiful town of Avalon. What I love is that you get off the ferry and can walk anywhere you need to be. If you need to get there quicker, rent a bike or a golf cart, but you see so few cars, this historic beach island is a perfection vacation spot to “get away from it all.”
Taking the Catalina Express from Long Beach, you sit in seats just like an airplane but with roomier space and plenty of moving around. A bar for drinks (alcoholic and non-) as well as snacks are provided for a small fee across the hour long trip with monitors of your GPS location and even the Sunday football game on our return. The weather was perfect on the way over, though completely opposite and story the way home. If you get seasick, I suggest a Dramamine as my husband took, the motion of the ocean can play tricks on you!
Getting it’s name from Spanish explorer Don Sebastian Viscaino, Santa Catalina was named for Saint Catherine of Alexandria in the 1600’s. In 1894, the Banning Brothers purchased Catalina Island and formed the Catalina Island Company building roads and attractions on the interior of the island. The Avalon Tuna Club was founded on the island, an old US fishing club, soon Cecil B DeMille, John Wayne, and Winston Churchill headed to the out most likely leading to the influx of Hollywood filming of more thank 300 movies and television shows.
In 1915, William Wrigley, chewing gum magnate, purchased the controlling interest in the island and brought his team there for spring training as well as using his wealth to make Avalon the resort location it is now. The Casino, which means “meeting place” isn’t actually a casino, but a huge art-deco designed ballroom and movie theater that today hosts first run movies and during our trip a jazz/swing dance competition. My husband and loved the views from indoors as well as watching Breaking Dawn following a feature organist playing old songs as well as those of historic Disney.
During our stay we learned about the native animals (miniature fox), bison, and bald eagles that fly above as well as witnessing a red-tail hawk near Descanso Beach (which means relaxation in Spanish). The streets are filled with unique gift shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, bars that include fun karaoke nights, hotels,arcades and even 2 Von’s stores. The locals live in gorgeous beach style homes with paitos and balconies for those warm spring and summer days. Some of the residential streets were closed off to even golf carts to preserve gorgeous daily walks through the brick-paved streets. My husband and I laid claim on our dream retirement home.
Plenty of water (scuba, snorkle, submarine, boat rides, fishing) and land activities are abundant and I’ll be writing a whole post on the island’s new Zip-line adventure attraction. Year-round you’ll love to visit Santa Catalina Island with your loved one, family, or make it a girl’s weekend, it’s relaxed nature and near tropical daily life is one to truly remember.
Our ferry ride was hosted minus a head fee we paid. All opinions are our own.
