The attractions in Venice Beach seem to be limitless, there is always SOMETHING to see or do here.
The Venice Beach Boardwalk is one of those places, and it’s such a funky place that absolutely cannot be missed during a trip to Southern California. That’s why it’s on my SoCal Bucket List Challenge! With the hippie style, artists, street performers, and gorgeous beach, it’s one of those places that you will remember forever.
Venice Beach is definitely unique. You may see things here that you would not normally see such as “green” doctors, wacky street performers, religiously open-minded individuals, and hippies. It’s is an open-minded place with a wide variety of people, but I believe this is what makes it so fun and interesting to visit!
Ready to see what this funky beach city is all about?
Here are 7 Awesome Attractions in Venice Beach You Won’t Want to Miss!
1. Venice Canals
It’s nice to take a stroll through the canals to admire the million-dollar homes that I know I will never be able to afford. I can dream though! Technically not on the boardwalk, the canals are only 2 blocks away so it’s worth the short detour.
2. Muscle Beach
I wonder if this place hires people to work out there just to entertain the public, or if these people are there for a real workout. But they are fun to watch! Feel free to buy a day pass and join them if you dare!
3. Graffiti Art Walls
One of my favorite attractions in Venice Beach is the graffiti art wall area!
I have never been to a city that allows this, but it’s such a great idea! It makes Venice so unique! Every weekend, painting is allowed (by permit), so the art is always different.
4. The Skatepark
I’m no skateboarder, but this skatepark looks pretty awesome to me! There’s always a crowd watching, and you can’t miss this skatepark that has a beautiful ocean view.
5. Venice Pride Lifeguard Tower
This tower was supposed to be painted back to its original blue, but a bunch of people signed a petition to keep it as is. Be one of the thousands of people to snap an Insta-worthy photo with LA’s first official monument in the LGBT community! #VENICEPRIDE
6. Venice Beach
Of course, you absolutely have to take some time to enjoy the beach if you are in SoCal! It’s nice to just take a break and listen to the ocean.
7. The Venice Sign
Probably one of the most popular things to see in Venice Beach is this Instagram-famous sign. It can be found hanging over the crosswalk of Windward and Pacific Avenues, just one block off the boardwalk. See how many walks across the street it takes for you to get that perfect shot.
I would love you hear from you if you decide to head to the Venice Beach Boardwalk and see some of these things! Have you already been? What’s one of your favorite attractions in Venice Beach?
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Grew up in San Diego and visited Venice Beach many times. Love this beach. So many great memories of eating good food and just people watching! Great list of free things to do in such an expensive area of town!
Hi Richard! I could spend all day in Venice people watching, it is such an interesting place! Thanks for your comment!
Great ideas! I will definitely keep this saved for my next Cali trip!
Thanks for reading Nicole! I hope you get to visit Venice Beach and that you enjoy it as much as I do!
This is truly one of my favorite places in Southern California. You cannot find a better people-watching location than this!
You are so right! What is your favorite thing to do or see in Venice Beach?
Great photos and write up. Always wanted to visit, it always looks like the place to be when the sun is out!
Thank you so much Tom! I hope you do get to visit one day!
I loved the Venice canals!! I did miss #5 and #7 :/ gotta go back soon!! Thanks for the recs!
The canals are so cute! But I never see anyone riding their little boats through..I feel like if I lived there I would be rowing around all the time! Yes, you definitely need to get a photo on the rainbow tower and the Venice sign! Thanks for your comment!
Wow I haven’t been to Venice beach since I was little! Looks like not much has changed haha! I did not know about the canals, though! That’s pretty interesting.
Haha I imagine it still has the same hippy-ish vibe from back in the days! The canals are so cute to stroll through! I hope you get to visit again one day!
oh wow… can’t wait to get over there, have trip booked in Feb. When you add AK into the mix it’s such a terrific base for the LA area. Thanks for the read!
Hi Cheryl! Have an excellent trip!! Thanks for your comment!!
Venice canals look so pretty, canoeing must be fun there. Yeah, that skatepark looks nice as well. Awesome destination to explore.
I actually don’t know if the public can use the canals…or just the people that live there! But it would be fun! Venice always has something interesting going on, I love exploring it!
I love this place thru your photos, I wish to visit it one day. It’s so nice that beautiful spots like this are free.
Thanks so much for your comment Farrah! I hope you visit one day and see them for yourself!