Millions of people every year head to Los Angeles to enjoy some of the most popular and famous attractions known to man. The city is known as the entertainment capital of the world, and with good reason. From the early days of Hollywood when the motion picture industry was in its infancy to its development as the go to place for children seeking entertainment, the Los Angeles area has been a magnet for tourists seeking fun and excitement. But the Los Angeles area has long been a popular location for travelers for another reason. The city is located very close to some of the most popular beaches in the world. The beaches of the Los Angeles area are popular with both locals and visitors to the city alike. Each of them are unique in terms of who frequents them, what they offer, and what surrounds them.
The beaches of the Los Angeles area are popular for a number of reasons. They contain beautiful stretches of unending sand, access to some of the most desirable water in the United States, and are lined with some of the most unique and interesting businesses and attractions. Most of the popular beaches have a great deal of parking options, sometimes in established parking lots and other times in the surrounding business district. Among the many things that can be found at or adjacent to the beaches of Los Angeles include outdoor weightlifting areas, a historic canal system, fishing areas, beach volleyball courts, an amusement park, swimming areas, beach combing and tide pool areas, beach front restaurants, paths for biking or walking, a boardwalk, on-beach campfire rings, and sea caves to explore. There are enough activities and attractions available at or near the beaches of Los Angeles to appeal to absolutely everyone.
A closer look at the beaches of the Los Angeles area:
Zuma Beach
Zuma Beach, known just as Zuma to the locals, is one of the more popular beaches in the Los Angeles area. Like many beaches in the area, Zuma tends to be on the quiet side during the week, but come the weekend the sand quickly fills up with locals and visitors from outside the area alike. There is a limited amount of free parking at Zuma Beach, but there are a number of amenities right on site including playground equipment, showers, restrooms, and food and beverage businesses. One of the more popular features of Zuma Beach is the beach side boardwalk that acts as a great place to stroll in the sun. There are beach volleyball courts and fishing opportunities available, and Zuma Beach is routinely rated very high with those interested in surfing and water recreation.
El Matador Beach
With some of the more memorable and popular-to-photograph natural resources found on the beaches in the Los Angeles area, El Matador Beach is a popular place for sunbathing and romantic strolls. The beach sits below a cliff, so there is some walking involved in getting down to the surf and sand. Though there are portable restrooms and picnic tables available at El Matador Beach, beyond that there is little development and amenities. Swimming, surfing, body boarding and body surfing are all available at the beach, but some of the most popular attractions include the sea caves, tide pools, and sandstone pillars that are great for exploring and examining.
Manhattan Beach
Famous for many things including a popular hangout for the Beach Boys in their early days, Manhattan Beach remains popular with locals and visitors alike to this day. Not many people know it, but Manhattan Beach is considered to be the place where beach volleyball first developed into a popular sport. Beach volleyball is still very popular on Manhattan Beach and there are a number of courts available there. There are plenty of restaurants near the beach, though none are on the beach itself. Biking and walking are popular activities on the path that lines the beach, and swimming and surfing are done by many in the warm waters that lap at the beach. Fishing is available from the pier at Manhattan Beach and there is also an aquarium that is a great place for visitors to the area to spend some time.
Santa Monica Beach
Easily one of the most frequented beaches in the entire Los Angeles area, Santa Monica Beach has a great deal to offer those that head its way on a nice summer day. The south end of the beach runs right into the famous Santa Monica Pier which is home to the Pacific Park amusement park. There are a number of parking lots for the many visitors to Santa Monica Beach and the beach also contains restrooms, showers, and is located near many eating options. Surfing, volleyball, walking, biking and swimming are all available as outdoor recreational activities allowed and available at Santa Monica Beach. The beach is unique in that it is one of the few Los Angeles area beaches that has a great number of hotels and lodging availabilities surrounding it, so it is the perfect spot for an extended visit to the Pacific Ocean.
Paradise Cove Beach
Paradise Cove Beach is a private beach in the Los Angeles area and a fee is charged for admission. For visitors from outside the area this will be one of the most familiar looking beaches in the area as many television shows and movies have used the sand, surf, sun and surroundings as background for various filming needs. While many visitors to Paradise Cove Beach are turned off by an admission fee, it also keeps the crowd levels down compared to other area beaches. Restrooms and showers are available at the beach and dining is available at the cafe located right at the beach itself. The many popular activities available at Paradise Cove Beach include swimming, body surfing, beach volleyball, and beach combing and exploring the tide pools Fishing is also available from the pier located at the beach.
Dockweiler Beach
Another local beach that requires a fee to enter, Dockweiler Beach does so because it is one of the many California State Beaches that are operated as part of the state park system. Though it is located in the middle of Los Angeles, the beach is still scenic as there are no large building surrounding the area and covering up the view. Two things that add to the popularity of Dockweiler Beach are that it is the only beach in the area that offers a beach front RV park, and it is also the only beach in Los Angeles County that allows bonfires right on the beach. Like most beaches in the area, Dockweiler Beach also offers restrooms, showers, and picnic facilities. There are eating establishments both at and adjacent to the beach area and biking and walking are popular on the paths that meander through the protected area. There are also a number of different activities available to visitors like hang-gliding, bike rentals, and inline skate rentals. Beach volleyball, surfing, and swimming are all popular activities on Dockweiler Beach and visitors should not be shocked by the dark colored sand here as it is caused by the unique mineral components that make up the shoreline.
Redondo State Beach
Another of the many beaches protected by the state park system of California, Redondo State Beach is a great place to go for sunbathing and enjoying a nice summer stroll. Visitors to the beach are treated with a great view of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and there are a number of activities and attractions, not to mention restaurants, available in the immediate area that surrounds the beach. The bike path that lines the Redondo State Beach is popular with walkers, bikers and inline skaters alike. Swimming and beach volleyball are popular activities at the beach and it is considered one of the more family friendly beaches in the Los Angeles area.
Venice Beach
Possibly the most famous Los Angeles area beach, Venice Beach is also one of the most popular and crowded beaches too. While the beach itself is home to many of the things associated with and found at other beaches in the area including beach volleyball, swimming, and water recreation, Venice Beach is more popular for the more unusual things it has to offer. One of the liveliest people watching scenes in the city of Los Angeles can be seen at Venice Beach where it is not uncommon to encounter fortune tellers, artists of all kinds, bikini wearing rollerbladers, belly dancers, palm readers, street performers, hippies, and nearly every other kind of person a traveler could think of. A walk down the Venice Boardwalk is a must for a first time visitor to the area as their eyes will really be opened by the passers-by that they run into. There are still a few blocks remaining from the Venice Canals that were built in the early 1900s and were once a major attraction to the area. These man made canals that were originally built to resemble the canals of Venice, Italy fell into disrepair in the mid 1900s, but in the mid 1990s were renovated and now are a beautiful thing to see. Another of the most popular beach attractions that are famous the world over is the outdoor weightlifting area at Venice Beach known as Muscle Beach. Many famous bodybuilders and actors, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, have frequented this outdoor workout area at various times over the years. There are a number of other things that make Venice Beach a unique experience including the Venice Beach Graffiti Walls, Venice Beach House, Abbot Kinney Boulevard and the Venice Pier.
Visiting Los Angeles for any reason is a great reason for a trip. The sun and warmth of Southern California has attracted tourists to the area for decades, but even before the massive urban development that has happened in the city over the last century, the area was popular with people for hundreds of years based solely on the beautiful beaches found there. These beaches are still there for visitors and locals alike to enjoy, and many of them have been improved and made better through development and creative thinking that has turned natural beaches into bona fide must-visit places in and around the city of Los Angeles. Even though most visitors to the area are coming for business or for reasons like the many amusement and tourist attractions available, people should not forget to visit the beaches of the Los Angeles area. They truly are some of the nicest and most interesting beaches found any where in the world.
