Venice Beach
Venice Beach began as a vision of an American imitation of Venice, Italy, complete with canals and gondoliers, but over the years it has transformed into one of the most unusual communities in California. The wide beach extends 2 miles between Marina del Rey and Santa Monica State Beach.
A good number of people you encounter at Venice Beach march to the beat of a different drummer, which is perhaps no drummer at all. Free thinkers and free spirits, they enjoy being who they are without conforming to anyone else's expectations. You'll find all kinds of people at Venice Beach - street performers, athletes, proselytizers, hippies, artists, musicians, surfers, sun bathers, and gawkers. A complete list would fill pages.
Venice Beach Facilities
Facilities at the beach include restrooms, lifeguard towers, picnic areas, Muscle Beach athletic equipment, basketball and handball courts, paddle tennis courts, a skate dance area, Ocean Front Walk, a separate bike trail, Venice Pier, volleyball courts, and food concessions.
Parking at Venice Beach
Three city parking lots are located adjacent to the beach and several others are nearby. The three lots by the beach are at Rose Avenue, Venice Boulevard, and Washington Boulevard. Rates for parking vary by season. The lots next to the beach can cost as much as $25 per day while those a short distance away generally range from $4 to $15 per day.
On weekends you may find parking at Westminster Elementary School on Westminster Avenue, between Main Street and Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
Public Restrooms
Along the Ocean Front Walk are a number of restrooms which include outdoor showers for washing off sand. Other restrooms are found about the beach and pier:
- Venice Pier parking lot
- Main Beach Parking Lot at North Venice Boulevard
- Windward Plaza
- Immediately north of Windward Plaza
- Brooks Avenue and Ocean Front Walk
- Rose Avenue parking lot
Into the Surf
Areas for surfing at Venice Beach are separated from swimming sections of the beach. Red flags mark the surfers' areas. With such a long, wide expanse of sand, there is plenty of room for everyone. Waves in the swimming areas are generally mild, but certain conditions can kick up rumbling breakers. Check with the lifeguards for advice about swimming.
Bike Trail
With Ocean Front Walk set aside for pedestrians, the Class 1 Bike Path is reserved for cyclists where separate walking tails are not available. Notable exceptions along the 22-mile trail are portions within City of Santa Monica and City of Redondo Beach.
Officially the bike trail is the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, which stretches along the coast 22 miles between Will Rogers State Beach in the north and Torrance County Beach. Along the Venice Beach section, the trail meanders closer to the ocean than Ocean Front Walk.
