Venice Boardwalk

Los Angeles's Venice Beach is a people-watching wonderland. The eclectic weekend and summer hotspot includes over 3 miles of carnivalesque boardwalk where street performers, skateboarders, tourists, and sunbathers mix against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. The neighborhood is illustrative of the laid back California lifestyle and spirit of self expression. Performers and street-art, jugglers, comedians, dancers, weightlifters, preachers, artists, musicians, magicians, fortune-tellers, actors and mimes form throngs of nearly 150,000 people found enjoying the spectacle on weekends and throughout the summer. The goings-on can viewed from home, live from the area's famous Sidewalk Café webcam.

Besides gawking at the locals, tourists can shop, dine, and enjoy other activities along Venice Beach's boardwalk. It is a shopping destination for those looking for something out-of-the ordinary, including special finds in music, books, jewelry, clothing, antiques, art, and swimwear. Beach-side restaurants offer diverse dining options, including a wide array of ethnic foods from where diners can people-watch and enjoy the scenery. Several hotels, the Cadillac, Venice Beach, and Best Western, are located on the boardwalk.

The area is known for its murals and public art, and a self-guided walking tour leads visitors to discover famous murals, such as the portrait of Jim Morrison. The Annual Venice Art Walk allows guests the opportunity to browse through artists' studios and homes. Tourists interested in the Hollywood arts can take a tour of nearby movie stars' homes.

At night, Venice beach comes alive as a nightlife hub. Hip clubs, bars, movie theatres and live performance theaters line the area. Some of the more popular theaters are the Electric Lodge, Powerhouse, and Pacific Resident Theatres.

Judging by its classical name, the creators of Venice Beach did not intend for it to be such a circus. In fact, the town of Venice was created in 1890 with the intention of becoming the "Venice of America," a cultured and stylish vacation town, complete with canals, gondolas, amusement piers, hotels and Venetian Renaissance-style buildings. Venice Beach has always been popular, from its early days when it was known as "the Coney Island of the Pacific" to the years following California's tourist surge in the 1970s, when it became known as "the roller skating capital of the World." It's boisterous appeal is always evolving, as it continues to provide the unexpected.