Venice Offers Something for Everyone

Venice.

They call it Dogtown. The birthplace of skateboarding. Located on the beachfront just south of Santa Monica, Venice has been through quite the transformation in the past decade, rising up to become an eclectic neighborhood that is the most visited destination in Los Angeles with over 16 million tourists a year. For locals and visitors alike, Venice has something for everyone.

Ocean Front Walk is a stretch of pavement along the three-mile length of Venice Beach, lined with funky shops, cafes and vendor booths. Colorful street performers and artists entertain visitors who walk, run, bike ride, skateboard, Rollerblade and even roller skate by. (Yes, people actually still roller skate, and you can, too!) If you’re in town on vacation and looking to pick up some unique trinkets for friends and family back home, this is where you’ll find them – from hand-drawn caricatures to local jewelry.

For those interested in staying in shape (or at least watching people get fit), there is the famous Muscle Beach outdoor gym – which attracts hard-body exhibitionists working out for all to see – as well as a gymnastics playground, handball courts, paddle tennis courts, beach volleyball courts, and a skate-dancing plaza. There are also a number of different bikes available for rent (my favorite spot is Venice Bikes and Skates on Washington Blvd.) so you can cruise the miles of paved, beachfront paths.

Once you’ve gotten all the sun and sand you can handle on Venice Boardwalk, venture down Abbot Kinney Boulevard to check out its great shops and restaurants. Stop into Primitivo for wine and tapas, Joe’s Restaurant for a romantic dinner, Lilly’s French Cafe and Bar for their Happy Hour gourmet snacks, or Wabi Sabi for sake and the freshest sushi. You can spend an entire afternoon exploring different stores, bookshops, eateries, salons, bars and coffee shops. If it feels like you’re actually walking through someone’s neighborhood passing by people who live there, it’s because you are! The diverse mix of people is truly a delight to experience.

Another way to get look at all of what Venice has to offer, you might be interested in the Venice Beach Walking Tours, which is the brainchild of Jeffrey Solomon, a well known insider who has called Venice home for more than 40 years – so you know that you’ll be getting the “not-found-in-a-book” information about the area’s history. Each Venice Beach Walking Tour includes a tasty lunch at the famous Danny’s Venice Beach Bistro and Bar, known for their “Plunge” Dip sandwich. For more information on the Venice Beach Walking Tours, email info@venicebeachwalkingtours.com.

So, whether you’re in California for the first time and looking to check out the beach or you’ve been to Los Angeles a number of times but want to try something different, Venice has much to offer no matter what your looking for.

Image via Wikipedia

Get More Los Angeles News In Your Inbox!

Never miss important Los Angeles real estate news or changing market conditions! Subscribe via RSS or email delivery!