Avalon, Santa Catalina Island

Catalina Island Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1972 to protect the beautiful unspoiled natural lands of Santa Catalina Island through conservation and education methods.

Today, the conservancy oversees one of California's oldest private land trusts, protecting more than 88 percent of Santa Catalina Island's natural areas, including over 62 miles of pristine natural beachfront, the largest public-access stretch of undeveloped beachfront in the Southern California region.

The island's natural preserve welcomes more than one million annual visitors for recreation and relaxation, including more than 60,000 annual students who visit the island as part of the conservancy's educational outreach programming.

Address: 708 Crescent Ave. Avalon, CA 90704, Phone: 310-510-1445

Catalina Island Museum was the vision of Philip K. Wrigley, the son of island community founder William Wrigley, who strived to preserve the island's heritage and culture through a public space for museum exhibits. The museum was originally opened to the public within the historic Catalina Island Casino facility in 1953 and was housed within the casino until 2016, when it moved to its new permanent facility at the Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building. Today, the museum strives to preserve the region's social and cultural history through permanent and temporary rotating exhibits. More than 10,000 historic photographs are showcased within the museum's collections, along with extensive collections of pottery, tile work, sport fishing artifacts, and artifacts related to the region's indigenous Tongva people. Exhibits focus on the area's social history, with many examining the area's connection to Hollywood filmmaking.

Address: P.O. Box 366, Avalon, CA 90704, Phone: 310-510-2414

Catalina Island Company is Santa Catalina Island's premiere tourism company, overseeing more than 20 historic buildings, resorts, and tour and excursion companies operating out of the island. The company was established in 1894 by Hancock, Joseph, and William Banning and was acquired by William Wrigley Jr. in 1919, which led to the island's modern-day tourist development and protection as a natural oasis. Today, the company has been an island staple for more than a century, overseeing top visitor attractions such as the Catalina Island Casino's historic grand ballroom, the luxury resorts Hotel Atwater and the Pavilion Hotel, and the Catalina Island Golf Course, the nation's oldest-operating golf course west of the Rocky Mountains. A wide variety of tours and excursion experiences are also available, including zipline eco tours, aerial adventures, harbor lights tours, and treks along the Avalon Canyon Trail.

Address: 150 Metropole Ave, Avalon, CA 90704, Phone: 310-510-2000

Airport in the Sky, also known officially as Catalina Airport, is a private airport that is located atop Catalina Island's highest elevation point at 1,602 feet. The airport is open to the public daily for the landing of general commuter and tourist aircraft, with limited supply airfreight operations also maintained on a regular basis. It was originally opened to the public in 1941 as the Buffalo Springs Airport, constructed by island developer William Wrigley Jr. During World War II, the airport was used as a training facility, and during the mid-20th century, the airport accepted commercial passenger flights, gaining public notoriety for its inclusion in the feature film The In-Laws. Today, it is primarily utilized by private pilots and is accessible to visitors through Wildlands Express tours, which operate daily. In addition to the airport's spectacular mountain views, its DC-3 Grill is a top island attraction, serving a variety of beef, bison, chicken, and vegetarian burger and sandwich options.

Address: 1 Airport Rd, Avalon, CA 90704, Phone: 310-510-1445

Activities and Attractions for Couples and Singles:

Journey Catalina is a family-owned tourism company offering a variety of eco-friendly island tour options for Santa Catalina Island visitors. The company has been in business for more than two decades, offering Jeep eco tours of the island in six-passenger open-air vehicles. All tours explore top tourist sites on the island, including the town of Two Harbors, the Airport in the Sky, and Rancho Escondido and the Rusack Vineyard. Tours may be customized to meet participants' travel needs. Demand-response island taxi service is also available through the company, including delivery service, along with auto repair service for vehicles and golf carts.

Address: 228 Metropole Ave, P.O. Box 2141, Avalon, CA 90704, Phone: 310-510-0342

Wrigley Memorial and Botanic Garden is located approximately half an hour on foot from the city center of Avalon, spanning more than 38 acres along majestic Avalon Canyon. The garden is located at the final resting site of island community leader William Wrigley Jr., with a 130-foot monument tower commemorating the site of his former interment. Following his death, the land around the memorial was cultivated into a botanical garden facility by Wrigley's widow, Ada. Today, the monument and gardens are overseen by the Catalina Island Conservancy, spanning more than 38 acres and showcasing endemic California island plants. The gardens also serve as a trailhead for popular island trail Garden to Sky Trail.

Address: 1402 Avalon Cyn Rd, Avalon, CA 90704, Phone: 310-510-2897

Bluewater Avalon Seafood Restaurant has been voted as one of Catalina Island's best attractions, offering full lunch and dinner menus at its waterfront restaurant and patio. The restaurant focuses on dishes prepared with fresh, sustainably-sourced seafood. Casual lunch fare includes fish tacos, crab BLTA sandwiches, and appetizers such as Thai chili chicken wings and jumbo cocktail prawns, while gourmet dinner dishes focus on land and sea offerings such as prawn linguine, San Francisco-style cioppino, and cedar-plank-prepared salon. A full gluten-free menu is also offered at lunch and dinner, with item substitutions available upon request whenever possible. Happy hour specials are offered weekly on draft and bottled beers, house wines and champagnes, and well drinks.

Address: 306 Crescent Ave, P.O. Box 1890, Avalon, CA 90704, Phone: 310-510-3474

What to do if you are traveling with kids:

Hermit Gulch Trail Loop is an 11.75-mile hike that is accessible from the Hermit Gulch Campground in Avalon. The trail is accessible to visitors with permits from the Catalina Island Conservancy, offering unparalleled views of Catalina Island's southern tip. It begins with a 1.7-mile moderately-difficult uphill hike on the Hermit Gulch Trail, which offers expansive ocean views at its 1,200-foot peak. It then continues along the Trans-Catalina Trail Loop, which reaches a peak elevation of 1,600 feet and offers stunning views of both of the island's coastlines. At the end of the hike, the trail takes visitors back into downtown Avalon via Renton Mine, Wrigley, and Pebbly Beach Roads. A shorter trail route allows visitors to descend to the city's botanical gardens at the 6.25-mile marker.

Address: 125 Claressa Avenue, Avalon, CA 90704

The Green Pleasure Pier is the center of Avalon's tourism industry, serving as the loading and unloading point for pleasure cruises and ferries docking on the island. The pier is located along Crescent Beach and is visible throughout the city of Avalon, serving as one of its top tourist attractions and offering spectacular 180-degree views of the city's harbor and the nearby Pacific Ocean. It is home to a number of shopping and dining destinations, including casual quick-service hamburger joints and upscale fine dining seafood restaurants. Visitors can also embark on a variety of guided land and sea tours from the pier, including the city's famous glass-bottom boat rides, which offer a close-up look at underwater marine life in the region's surrounding waters.

Address: 1 Green Pleasure Pier, Avalon, CA 90704