Catalina Island: 5 Things We Love
This Southern California island retreat is full of relaxing activities.
Reach Southern California's quiet island retreat with a leisurely one- to two-hour boat ride from Long Beach, San Pedro, Dana Point, or Newport Beach. Stroll Avalon, the isle's hub, for cafés, shops, and stellar views.
1. Island Spa Catalina transports guests back to the 1930s, Catalina's heyday for sunbathing silver-screen stars. A day pass lets you soak in the pool, peep at the Pacific from the relaxation deck, and lunch at Encanto Café. For a fun splurge, try the custom massage.
2. Play in the tree tops on one of Catalina Aerial Adventure's five self-guided courses. Obstacles invite beginners to advanced aerial explorers to shimmy up rope ladders, shuffle across log bridges, and leap through the air on zip lines.
3. Learn about Avalon's wealth of historic tiles on a tour of Silver Canyon Pottery just outside town. You'll craft two tiles of your own design, which the studio can ship to you once they're dried and fired.
4. The Catalina Island Museum features rotating celebrations of local and international art. Souvenir hunters will delight in the gift shop's selection of jewelry, books, and tile work.
5. Spruced up by the Catalina Island Conservancy, the 38.5-mile Trans-Catalina Trail crosses the isle's rugged mountains. Scale Lone Tree Point, a six-mile hike from Avalon, to spot bald eagles, bison, and the evasive Catalina Island fox. From high elevation points, it's possible on clear days to spy the other Channel Islands and the California coastline in the distance.
This article was first published in November 2017 and last updated in August 2022.