Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach is one of those Southern California spots that the Beach Boys once crooned about. A trip to Hermosa Beach is, indeed, a Surfin' Safari. Located in the metro region of Los Angeles, Hermosa Beach's wide, flat shoreline and wild, mercurial surf draws thousands of sun worshippers and sand seekers. A backdrop of the Santa Monica Mountains gives credence to the fact that Hermosa Beach is as pretty as its Spanish name implies, but the wide range of seaside amenities is what seals the proverbial deal. Considered the "most happening" beach hangout in the South Bay, Hermosa Beach boasts a heavy-duty events calendar. The Sand Snowman Contest in December attracts sand sculpting specialists, the August surf festival attracts a tidal wave of surfing enthusiasts, and the Body Glove and Cuervo Gold Volleyball Tour is the beach event of the year. Add to the mix a beautifully restored pier, a paved lane for rollerblading, and a beach plaza with shops, and trendy cafes. In short, Hermosa Beach is the mecca for California fun.
A white band of shore, which bends around Southern California's South Bay, Hermosa Beach draws a mixed crowd of local college students, yuppies and hippies. During the summer months the restaurants, bars, and cafes of the Hermosa Beach plaza are brimming day and night. Walkers, joggers, bikers, skaters and fitness freaks, do The Strand, a smooth pedestrian track that runs twenty miles, the full length of Hermosa Beach, from Redondo Beach in the south to Santa Monica beach in the north. Volleyball nets cast their checkered shade onto the crisp, white sands and the pick-up games of novice and semi-professional volleyball players are a daily phenomenon. Out on the waves, surfers ride the swells year-round (the winter brings the danger surfers crave), while swimmers enjoy the gentle, sun-warmed waves of summertime. Lifeguards stand watch during the daylight hours. It is no wonder that segments of the popular TV show, The O.C., were filmed on Hermosa Beach; it is the quintessential L.A. beach.
Extending 500-ft into the endless Pacific, the refurbished Hermosa Beach Pier was first built in 1904. Folks wishing to gaze out at the beach scene, the gentle sweep of the coastline, or the ocean horizon take a seat at one of the pier's many outward-facing benches. Anglers cast their lines from Hermosa Beach Pier to catch mackerel, tomcat, kingfish, and the occasional octopus, shark, or sting ray (a valid CA fishing license is required). During the day fishermen need not worry about line tangling as the pier is spacious and bait can be purchased at the nearest liquor shop.
As with all sand-and-sun spots, parking at Hermosa Beach is somewhat of an issue in the summer. While you will find metered street parking, the Hermosa Ave and 13th St. parking structure offers a few hundred spaces.
Whether you come to see or be seen, whether you crave the sand or the surf, Hermosa Beach is the Southern California coast in a seashell.