Venice Beach California

The Venice boardwalk is a great beach destination. On the weekends, you will find Ocean Front Walk crowded with people coming to shop, eat at the local restaurants, skate, get a tattoo, or just enjoy the sun and relaxed atmosphere by the beautiful beach. On most Sundays, groups of people gather near the Recreation Center and skate to music. At sunset, the Venice drum circle starts to play attracting a large crowds out near the ocean on the sand. As for shopping, the prices at the boardwalk are great for merchandise. You can still pick up 3 "Venice Beach" t-shirts for under $15.00. There are a large number of places to eat on Ocean Front Walk and Washington Boulevard from Hot Dog & Churro stands to restaurants and cafes.

Venice Boardwalk
Venice Boardwalk. Lots of Sights, Trinkets, Art, Food, Music, and Souvenirs.

 

Venice Beach came to be when Abbot Kinney made it a tourist attraction at the turn of the century by digging canals and constructing a pleasure pier, however, the city deteriorated into a state of decay when the pier and over 500 buildings were demolished in the 1940's through the 1960's. It wasn't until the 1970's when the bicycle path was constructed and polyurethane skate wheels were invented that the beach began to attract vendors and crowds.

Venice Souvenirs
Venice has Plenty of Unique Trinkets from Local Artisans

 

Venice Beach Locations- The North end of Venice Beach begins where Barnard Way in Santa Monica curves away from the ocean and the beginning of the the Venice Ocean Front Walk begins. Beach parking is along Ocean Front Walk in several spots. The Northmost beach parking is at Rose Avenue and Ocean Front Walk (near Barnard Way). The next beach parking south of Rose Ave is at a small lot at Sunset Court and Ocean Front Walk. There is another lot at N. Venice Avenue and Ocean FrontWalk near Muscle Beach. Finally the southern most lot is where Washington Blvd ends at Ocean Front Walk. Parking fees run $4 to $18 at the beach locations. There are also parking lots off of the beach near Windward Avenue, Rose Avenue, and between North and South Venice Blvds.

Venice Art
From Beer Can Art to Wall Paintings, Venice is the Place to Find it.

 

Beach Facilities - Free public showers, sinks, and restrooms are available just off of Ocean Front Walk at many locations from the North end all the way to the South end at Muscle Beach.

There are a number of places to eat along Ocean Front Walk from the North where Navy meets Ocean Front Walk to about Muscle Beach on the South end. There are plenty of cheap eats if you want a hot dog or fish taco as well as a bit pricier options for a sit down meal at On The Waterfront Cafe or the Candle Cafe. There are several other restaurants along Washington Blvd where it ends at the parking lot to Venice Beach Pier such as The Baja Cantina or The Terrace.

FlightLinez Venice Beach Zip Line - was open as of July 2013 at 1601 Ocean Front Walk and will hopefully return this summer 2015. If it returns, you can take a ride on a real Zip Line from the front of the Sidewalk Cafe in Venice down to the Muscle Beach basketball courts!

 

Venice Skate Park
Bring Your Skateboard , or Bring Your Camera to Venice's Skatepark.

 

Venice Sea Gull
These Birds will Steal Your Food. Doritos and Potato Chips are Favorites.

 

Rentals - Available on Ocean Front Walk at Boardwalk Skate and Surf at the North end, you can rent surf boards, wetsuits, bikes, and skates. A little further down, Venice Boardwalk Bike Rental near Sunset has bikes to rent as well as boards, wet suits, and skateboards. They both have hourly and daily rental rates. Conveniently located next to the bike path and beach, you can rent and go off cycling or surfing right away and you won't have to go far to return your rented gear when you are done.

 

Grab some shirts
Venice Has Lots of Shirt Vendors with Cheap Prices.

 

Percussion Jams

Spontaneous percussion jams are common as the sun begins to set in Venice. People bring their congas, drums, buckets, sticks, and whatever else they can find to join the fun. These jams can last for hours, well past sunset. Here is a quick example of a typical jam:

 

 

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