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Point Vicente Lighthouse & Interpretive Center
Rating Details »
Categories: Landmarks & Historical Buildings, Museums [Edit]
31501 Palos Verdes Dr WRancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
(310) 541-0334
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
9 reviews for Point Vicente Lighthouse & Interpretive Center
Wedding bells rang!! This place was as big of a fantasy as the wedding budget, breathtaking!! The wedding was like something out of a fairytale book, that will stay in our hearts and mind forever.
The site has built in seating for wedding guests, right on the cliff, and it sure does make for a special treat when the dolphins or whales cruise by as wedding guests too. After the ceremony, head up to the multi-purpose room for a reception that will have everyone mesmerized!
The reception area has a spacious patio area, spacious kitchen and joins right up to the museum...cool! The museum is a stroll down memory lane for me, remembering the good ol' days of Marineland.
It is a bit pricey and be sure to keep out some extra cash for a setup and cleanup crew...it was a bit tricky to try and be setup in time for the wedding and we ended up there on our hands and knees...scrubbing the carpets afterwards! Now that I think of it...it was much like the Cinderella story! No matter...it was worth every penny.
This museum is so good that I almost saved the write-up for a milestone review. It's a treasure, and I was unaware of it until I wandered in there on Veterans' Day. The museum's been open 2 years & I didn't even realize it was there all the times I've been in the surrounding park. I thought that the attractive new building was a community center.
Take the first right after Hawthorne when driving south on Palos Verdes Drive W. There's a ton of free parking.
Admission to the museum is free also, although it would be nice to throw a few bucks into the donation receptacle.
And I was allowed to take photos freely anywhere inside the building, an opportunity of which I took full advantage. I posted more than 50 pics of the museum, the exhibits, the park grounds, and the views.
Point Vicente Center is situated on a bluff overlooking the ocean, a spectacular setting. The park's grounds have picnic areas, and nice shade trees, and walking paths, but do not cover a very large area in terms of usable acreage. Ample, but not huge.
The walking trails at the north border of Point Vicente do now connect with the paths in the area at Hawthorne & PV Drive, though. Very cool. I reviewed those paths separately a couple years ago:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
On the day I was at the park, a fog horn sounded constantly. I think it originated at the lighthouse on the park grounds. I love that haunting sound.
Although the museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, the 1926 Pt. Vicente lighthouse is open only the second Saturday of each month. Admission is free. Call 310-541-0334 for info.
The Interpretive Center is a whale-watching site from December through April/May. Guided tours of the center are available, including its trails & tidepools.
The museum has lots of memorabilia from the old Marineland site, including a battered exterior sign, see my photo.
Other exhibits depict the history of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, which is quite a fascinating place. Marine exhibits include a kelp forest. I especially like the geologic exhibits, and need to take more time to investigate them. There's a lot to digest in this comparatively smallish museum, it's very impressive. It even has a gift shop.
I look forward to going back soon. Maybe I'll even spot some whales....other than the one I see in the mirror these days, damn you Yelp....lol....
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Really? I didn't think it was all that great and I wouldn't go out of my way to come back.
Am I missing something?
One word is enough. Beautiful!
I love Palos Verdes. I don't live there and it's not that close from where I live. However, I just love going there whenever I feel down. This place has calmed me down as I went through lots of stuff in my life.
Occasionally, I see people getting married here under the sunset. Usually, the reception is held inside the interpretive center. I think if I ever get married, this place would probably be on the top of my list for wedding venues.
I love the park along the coastline. Actually, it's a perfect spot for a little picnic. They've got tables where people can sit down and eat. Perfect for a romantic picnic under the sunset with a bottle of wine may be? Look for a photo I posted at the end. The table under the sunset. That is what you can enjoy for a romantic date!
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Beautiful, this place is pretty romantic. Though, not so much when I'm with my dad. The lighthouse view is great, the walking trails look really nice and clean. The shrubbery is also excellent!
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We went here for a memorial for a cousin this week, he had been here him self and there were pictures of him on the point or on a boat called the Disappearance looking at Point Vicente .which made this a special place .Sunset was beautiful .Quickly walked through the museum and though to myself I'll be back plus I want to go back to go to the Admiral Risty PVDW & Hawthorne BLVD Restaurant to see how it is after all these year away from my old stomping grounds
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i love this place, just like the previous review, it's all free. (they accept donations however) a nice place to spend on a sunday afternoon, bring a date and a picnic and you're set. once a year they do a "whale watching" day, a celebration of the whales migrating north/south to mate, so get your binoculars.
just recently they added a section dedicated to marineland, which closed down back in 1986. very cool. there's also a historical section of how the palos verdes peninsula formed, the native americans who once roamed the land, and the previous owners of palos verdes and what went on during the 1800's here.
there's a little gift shop inside too.
it opened in 1984 but closed down for a number of years due to toxic lead in the soil and ground. back during the world wars the area was used as target practice for the military. the government didn't bother to clean up their mess and left the bullet shells there for many years.
crazy huh?
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This historic lighthouse is open to the public for free. Parking if free. View is gorgeous and free. Go check out the interpretive center or just walk around the grounds of this scenic park. The park has picnic benches, bring your lunch and binoculars...it's one of the best places to watch migrating whales... All for free!
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I have not been to the light house but just south of this location, there is a lookout point with parking spaces and public restrooms. Don't use the restroom here though, I'm not sure if people are deliberately peeing on the floor but for whatever reason floor is always wet. But the view from this lookout point is awesome and it's free! I've seen people with binoculars so my guess is that you can observe whales migrating. I have been here dozens of times but I have not seen any dolphins, whales, etc. You will see people from all walks of life here and they are all here for the same purpose. As Cassandra S. K. reported, it's a great place to come and forget about problems in our lives. Watching the sun go down is wonderful here too. Finally, I know it's a great place to eat your lunch with this multi-million dollar view but please do not discard food wrappers here and don't feed the seagulls! It's such a beautiful place but people leaving behind beer cans and fast food wrappers in the parking ruin the moment.
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