View Now | Santa Monica Beach, CA
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Remember? We are all about this sandy subject known as the beach. I know, I know, the Santa Monica Beach(L) is calling your name.
It’s certainly a worthy of visiting and has plenty of activities for the tourist. You can spend an entire day here with your family, curling your toes in the sand or checking out the 3rd Street Promenade and taking the late afternoon for a stroll on the pier and a ride on the Ferris Wheel.
Once you are done with taking in the Santa Monica culture and vibe, we encourage you to explore the the coastline, there’s just so much to see.
Pick a direction, north or south, then follow the coast and you will see that Santa Monica(L) and Malibu(L) aren’t the only beaches to explore as a Hollywood tourist. In fact, if you are interested in Celebrity Star spotting and getting a feel for how they live, you are going to want to look north.
Heading north, you’ll hit Malibu(L), with its awe-inspiring multi-million dollar mansions and known celebrity residents.
Continuing onward, the scenic rocky beaches present a great opportunity to hike and relax without the crowds. Paradise Cove(L) is famous for its break point, so you can sit around and take in the cool surf scene. Lots of surfers and not many tourists in this area! (Paradise Cover picture)
As you keep heading north, you’ll get to Zuma(L). This place is more for locals and has a laid back vibe, you can play some volleyball and chill out near the rocks. Tower number 7 is known for music on the weekends and a younger crowd. Just look for the life guard tower with the big #7 on the side, it has a restaurant near the parking lot and is usually the liveliest part of the Malibu coast line. There’s also some beautiful hiking to be done in this area.
Speaking of hiking and natural beauty, if you make it out just a bit more north past Zuma, you will get to Leo Carrillo State Park(L). You can spend a few days here with the park’s sprawling hiking grounds, coastal caves and reefs. Not many travelers make it out this far and it’s a shame for them because they don’t get to see the “movie beach”. Leo Carrillo’s beach is famous and has been a common filming location for the past half a century. Remember Keanu Reaves as a surfer cop? Yup, the Point Break movie heavily featured this beach. (Leo Carrillo Beach picture)
If you are more like a tropical bird and want to head south, just a few miles away from the Santa Monica pier is the beautiful Marina Del Rey(L). This is the largest man made marina in the entire world. And it’s massive size can be justified, with kayakers, paddle boarders, surfers, sailors and everyone in between floating around in this marina.
The area is home to our wealthier demographic and it’s clearly reflected by the numerous yachts and sailboats parked along the coast. There are great places to relax and participate in some activities like kayaking or paddleboarding. Even though it’s a few miles away from the tourist traps, it doesn’t feel the same and the vibe is very chilled out.
Don’t forget Venice(L), its right in the middle between SM and the Marina. Not a clean beach so don’t expect to lay out or swim, however it’s an entertaining scene with lots of homeless crazies and burnt out potheads. (Venice picture)
If reefer isn’t your thing, we can keep moving south as we pass Marina Del Rey, we are now heading into the South Bay. This is a collection of 3 major beaches that are perfect in every way. Manhattan(L), Redondo(L) and Hermosa beaches(L) are known for cleanliness and lack of crowds. There are lots of restaurants and bars, even the pier is a great destination for Sunday Funday day drinking.
If you happen to be an extreme sports type of person, the surf also gets bigger as you close in on Huntington Beach(L). There is a dog park as well so all my K9 lovers can enjoy the ocean while walking their 4 legged friends.
We are all water creatures, so there’s no need to fight the urge. Get out to the coast and enjoy any of the beaches we just mentioned.