You can’t visit Los Angeles without checking out Venice, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Los Angeles, and for good reason, too. Nestled along the coast right next to Santa Monica, you can park your car and spend the day enjoying Venice by foot; trust us when we say that you won’t get bored, even for a moment. Here’s why.
Strolling up and down the Boardwalk
Venice has a legendary boardwalk that is a great place for a walk (or skate). There are many restaurants, shops, and attractive residences along the boardwalk. It’s also a great place to people-watch and view the spectacles offered by the street performers.
Watching Muscle Beach bodybuilders working out
One iconic sight of Venice is Muscle Beach. Through the years, Muscle Beach has become a hangout for bodybuilders. Check it out, and you might witness some impressive feats of strength. In addition to bodybuilders, there are also acrobats that frequent Muscle Beach to show off their incredible talents.
Going shopping on Abbot Kinney Boulevard
The Los Angeles area offers a lot of great shopping destinations. One of the best is Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the Venice neighborhood. In addition to shopping boutiques, Abbot Kinney Boulevard also offers restaurants, galleries, and salons.
Skateboarding at the Venice Beach Skatepark
Another prominent attraction in Venice is the Venice Beach Skatepark. If you are a skateboarder, you can take advantage of this 16,000-square-foot skateboarding park. It’s free to use the Venice Beach Skatepark, but you will be required to wear safety equipment.
Enjoying the scenery of the canals
Another memorable sight in Venice is the Venice Beach Canals that were built in 1905 to mimic the atmosphere of Venice, Italy. Since they were first built, the canals fell into disrepair, and some were filled in to make room for roadways. However, the canals were restored in the early nineties. These days, the existing canals are all located within the area surrounded by Washington Boulevard, Ocean Avenue, Pacific Avenue, and South Venice Boulevard.
Admiring the murals
If you’re an art fan, you definitely want to check out the murals in Venice. Some of the most famous mural works in Venice include “Venice on the Half Shell” and “Portrait of Abbot Kinney.”
This is just a brief list of a few of the best things to do in Venice. There’s plenty more to do and see if you make an effort to get to Venice. If you’ve heard of any drawbacks to visiting this neighborhood, you should know that Venice attractions always make the trip worthwhile. The following are a few possible challenges of visiting Venice as well as their simple solutions.
Perhaps you’ve heard that traffic in Los Angeles makes travel to this part of the city time-consuming and cumbersome. However, there are many things you can do to minimize any frustrations or delays due to traffic. Make sure you time your visit right and avoid driving to Venice during rush hour. Another thing you can do is use a traffic app on your phone that will tell you how to avoid traffic.
Or you might be worried that you’ll struggle to find parking in Venice. You can get around this issue by taking public transportation or renting a bicycle to get there. You can also come earlier in the day when the area is likely to be less crowded.
Someone may have told you that the Venice area is expensive. However, Venice is really not all that much more expensive than a lot of other touristy neighborhoods of Los Angeles. It’s also important to note that some of the attractions mentioned above can actually be enjoyed free of cost.
Another excuse people give is that they’re tight on money and worried that their car would break down once they’re in Venice. Obviously, these people have never heard of companies like Western Shamrock, who will give you an emergency loan even if you have bad credit. Stop worrying about your wallet and go check out Venice.
