Donovan H.
Yelp
Having been born and raised in California, visiting the "Venice Beach Boardwalk" is nothing new to me since I've been coming here ever nearly my whole life. But to any tourist or someone that truly wants a mix of eclectic, diverse, wild, wacky, and quirky, this place will have you covered. The entire boardwalk itself stretches roughly 2 miles while connecting Santa Monica to the north and Marina Del Rey to the south. There are even nearby canals where many residents have their homes right next to it. This historic part of the Los Angeles culture attracts at least 10 millions visitors a year.
Here you will find just above everything when it comes to outdoor activities. This includes a walking/biking/skating walking trail, basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, and the ever-so-popular Muscle Beach where you see all walks of life flexing and showing off their physique. But of course since it's a beach, you are being gifted with tons of sand and although not the cleanest, it is still ideal for sunbathing or enjoying a picnic under the warm Southern California sun. There is also an abundance of palm trees as well as several lifeguards on duty just in case a swimmer/surfer is in danger at the ocean. And a word of advice, the ocean is cold no matter how warm the daytime temperature might be.
Recently, this has been a mecca of the beautiful Venice Art Walls that includes murals, paintings, and dazzling displays from some of the most innovative artists out there. You will also notice quite a bit of families w/strollers, fitness gurus, influencers, musicians, street performers, and even hustlers trying to make an extra few bucks off of the tourists. One thing I did want to point out are the gift shops. There is a ton of places that sell souvenirs but everything here is overly expensive and you can buy much of this type of merchandise in more of the non-touristy parts of Los Angeles. You will also notice quite a bit of food vendors selling hot dogs, pizza, burgers, desserts, and much more.
I also wanted to warn to anyone that has not had the chance to visit here that this place does have quite a bit of homeless lurking around. And for parents that bring their kiddos, expect your fair share of stoners/hippies toking a joint of weed on the beach. So as long as you are street smart while avoiding all the rift-raft and sketchiness of what this place offers, you should be good to go. Finally, I wanted to add that parking is a great deal as we were able to park directly on the beach for a flat rate of $5. But during the hotter late-summer/early-fall days, it can fill up quickly, sometimes as early as 9am.
To sum things up, the "Venice Beach Boardwalk" is the epitome of the Southern California and Los Angeles lifestyle. And for those that haven't been, I would highly recommend checking it out. But since it is a tourist trap (much like South Beach, Jersey Shore, and other tourist areas), definitely bring money as nothing out here is a bargain. My rating, an above average four stars.
