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Venice Beach Boardwalk
Categories: Local Flavor Food Active Life Parks Local Flavor, Food, Parks [Edit]
1800 Ocean Front WalkVenice, CA 90291
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
383 reviews for Venice Beach Boardwalk
Review Highlights
"The people-watching is always tops."
(in 62 reviews)
"The drum circle is another galaxy."
(in 18 reviews)
"A bike trail that can lead you to Santa Monica pier."
(in 13 reviews)
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383 reviews in English
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Review from Angela W.
Los Angeles, CA
2/3/2012
This is my third time coming to Venice Beach and it is still a nice place to go to :)
I went around 6 pm ish and so a lot of the shops and side vendors were starting to close. Things started to get a little bit sketchy and the whole place just sort of reeked of weed. There was even a "medicine doctor" who tried to get us to go into one of those weed stores by saying "You guys look kinda sick......... menstrual cramps?.... diarrhea?" which was pretty funny.
Anyways, evening/night time is pretty sketchy... so if you're going to come here, come in the morning/afternoon! it'll be loads of fun -
Review from Cobra K.
Colorado Springs, CO
2/3/2012 12 photos
Venice Beach is a must see for anyone new to LA. You have to come here at least once to see it all. You could, if you wanted to, start off your walking tour at the Venice Canals and then head over to Venice Beach Boardwalk. Warning...it'll be a really long walk so do it early in the afternoon before the sun goes down.
Browse some of the shops there and take a gander at Muscle Beach. It's definitely not as impressive as you would think. During the day there are street performers and sidewalk artists. No real hints here...just enjoy a few hours people watching and enjoy the fact that you're in Cali. -
Review from Robert S.
Quincy, MA
1/30/2012
What a unique place on earth. The dude that originally laid it out actually had canals dug, and hired gondoliers. Later it peaked with three large roller coasters. When oil was discovered in 1929 it was over run with wells, obliterating all the pleasure stuff.
The oil was depleted, it was a run down nothing, and then in the late sixties turned into a way beyond ProvinceTown MA Bohemian mecca.
Now there are all sorts of performers, awesome blues players, nutty folks skateboarding while playing guitars, dudes in suits sitting in front of little desks typing love letters. We have never been anywhere like this, it was great. -
Review from Katie L.
1/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
*****200th Review*****
In less than a year since moving to Los Angeles all the way from Florida I cannot believe I have been lucky enough to try so many places and review them all to keep in my personal Yelp diary.
It's appropriate for the Venice Beach Boardwalk to be my milestone review because as an LA newbie, the Boardwalk was my first eye opening experience.
First off, the beach is gorgeous. To be surrounded by breathtaking mountains as well as waves splashing onto the beach is absolutely heavenly.
Now walk back onto the Boardwalk and some might say you've entered hell. You will always be able to find the Small Stout Man in his speedo and tribal accessories. You will always be able to find the Reggae Children's Songs Man riding his bike. There will always be a drum circle and street performers. I am very thankful for these constants.
The surprise guests may be a filming cast and crew for a reality show or some sexy skateboarders showing off their skills. The people watching is always Grade A.
There are weed shops galore and doctors ready and willing to prescribe you.
The smell of graffiti will be intoxicating, maybe in a good way.
No matter who visits, this is where I take them. You get all the glory of freaks, chics and people totally out of their minds.
Park a little away and it's free. I'll see you there friends! -
Review from Socal C.
Los Angeles, CA
1/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
After all these years I come back to find this place just as before, even some of the same performers can be found.
I mean performers who made an appearance on the Arsenio Hall Show or Jay Leno back in the day! ha ha ha
I arrived 90 min before sunset on a weekday and found plenty of parking in a small lot off Rose Ave.
There is something for everyone here. Personally I enjoy the walk at the beach the most. The bike only path is cool. Not a place I would do a lot of shopping though...
As an Angeleno, I find this place amusing... a place for a brisk walk, a spot to catch the sunset, to lay in the sun, a place to let SoCal soak in.
So many people gather here that I recommend to keep your eyes open for any action! -
Review from Michael W.
La Verne, CA
REALLY?
REALLY?
Come on people!
This place is like a Mary Jane laced magnet for bat shit crazy people.
Honestly if this wasn't so close to the beach I think you guys would be saying how horrible it is instead of "quirky"
When I drove up and saw the sign.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I had high hopes. I thought thats quirky and artsy......
First thing I saw when I walked in was a guy in a loincloth with a fake snake standing on a stool.
It got even better!
Its almost third world with a ton of the actual boardwalk being tin shacks. Seriously.
After going by the Mary Jane doctor booth, the dancing fried chicken booth and about 20 booths selling knockoff clothes I ran into a guy who was trying to sell his watch to everyone who walked by.
Didn't matter if he saw you 3 minutes ago. I doubt his memory was that good anyways.
I did see however see Lou Ferrigno at muscle beach! My pictures like my visit here were a bust though.Listed in: Overated, A Day in Venice (not Italy)
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Review from Javier R.
Garden Grove, CA
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
There was so many weirdos here i thought i was in a third world country! I think this is the reason so many people come here is to watch all the strange shops and people doing things for money that you wouldn't believe it until you saw it. There was shops where you could get tattoos, talk to a marijuana doctor, buy funny t-shirts and also get some food from the random shops here.
It's a good place to visit when you're bored but that's about it, plus parking is expensive unless you don't mind walking quite a bit, i would only come here to people watch and that's about it. -
Review from Neil G.
12/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
There is always something to see at the Venice Beach Boardwalk. The place is the people watching haven south of the Santa Monica Pier.
The bustling boardwalk, the vendors, the side shows, the arts and crafts, the music, the pets, the interesting characters, the muscle dudes and the not so buff, the graffiti, the bums, the food and restaurants, the tattoo shops, the location and the diversity, It makes this place such an interesting place, like a moth attracted to a flame, I just keep on coming back.
Like everything else, you have to take the bad together with the good, Venice Beach Boardwalk ain't so bad, the bums are peaceful and the pot heads seem to have a world of their own. Going to a touristy place as such Venice requires you to have an open mind with your common sense always in tow.
I have never had a bad time here, there's always something new to see. If all else fails for you, who could beat watching the sunset in this bustling part of the California coastline. -
Review from Sophia C.
1/1/2012
It's always amusing coming here to the days leading up to the New Year...why you ask? If there's an out of town team playing at the Rose Bowl on New Years day, you will always see the visiting team's fans out here in Venice...and their facial expressions to the dirtiness and grunginess of Venice Boardwalk is always hilarious!!!!
Born and raised in SoCal, I never got the chubby people get for the Venice Boardwalk. It's just full of derelicts and bums and the place reeks of piss and gum stains everywhere....add on top of it, bad street performers, horrible made hoochie/beach clothes and difficult parking...what's the appeal? Perhaps that shenanagins of the place is the draw.
I say as a tourist to LA for the first time, it's a place to check out...and off your list. But it's not a good representation of what LA offers! -
Review from Joe D.
Burbank, CA
1/23/2012
Just a giant head shop is what this place is. Didn't really feel very safe either. Something for everyone to see ONCE!
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Review from Sam L.
12/9/2011
I hate this dirty, smelly, disgusting place... I really do...and as I've gotten older... I've come to hate it even more. Where else can you see someone pee on the sidewalk...about a yard, if that, from where you're standing? Probably other places as well, but definitely here. This place reeks and is so dirty and disgusting... it's sickening. It also always smells of marijuana (in which I know I am in the minority but makes me absolutely sick to my stomach).
I know it's a California landmark... but it is definitely one that I can do without.
There are way too many homeless people constantly harassing you, medical marijuana people harassing you...and just plain ol' stoners harassing you.
Then there are some wild and quirky, I guess "artsy" people, (although not my idea of artsy) who I just find totally unappealing. Ugh! It's like being amongst the dregs of society...and I hate it.
I swear. This is the antithesis of me. So I will definitely not be back. -
Review from Michelle C.
Los Angeles, CA
11/14/2011 1 photo
All the wild and quirky idiosyncrasies of life are jammed pack into the people, stands, and food of the Venice Beach Boardwalk and I. ADORE. IT.
You can find it all here. Voodoo dolls. "Kick me in the balls for $1" humanitarians. Marijuana art. The whistling man in a wheelchair. Two-headed turtles... and absolutely everything in-between!
I love coming to VBB when I need some me time. The local art is fantastic and the vendors are insanely interesting to say the least. After I tire of walking, I always pick up some $1.25 vegetable samosas from the awesome hole-in-the-wall Bombay Indian Cuisine, and lie out on the beach with my headphones in or a book.
Bucket-list this one. Everyone deserves to experience VBB at least once.Listed in: Carpe LA!
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Review from Michael S.
Marina del Rey, CA
11/8/2011 6 photos
The Venice Beach melting pot of tourists, potheads, skateboarders, drummers, street performers, hippies, junk dealers, medicinal marijuana hawkers, homeless, muscle heads, political reformists, artists, bicyclists, beach bimbos, incense burners, Hare Krishnas, kids, young couples, and old people on the Boardwalk is like no other.
Need 3 or 5 shirts for $10? This is your place.
Need a license & spot to smoke pot? Come to Venice.
Need a bong or any other drug paraphernalia? Yup, it's here.
Need to find religion, go "green", or protest ANYthing? Venice, baby.
Need an excuse to feel better about yourself? Visit the boardwalk.
Need something pierced or a quick tattoo? Choose Venice.
Need to scare your Midwestern relatives? Bring em to Venice.
Need to "bang on the drum all day"? Venice Drum Circle!
Need to ridicule a mime ... again? You'll find one to ignore at Venice.
Need to pay tourist prices for mediocre food? A restaurant is waiting.
Need a beach to see the setting sun? Pay the parking for Venice Beach.
Need to ride a bike, rollerblade, or shoot hoops? Try it at Venice.
Need to be in a LMFAO video? Come on the right day & you might.
The Venice Beach Boardwalk is an entertaining way to meet your needs. Lucy Y's review is so true. It's called the boardwalk and not the bored-walk for a reason ... cause it is impossible to be bored walking up and down this beach-front street filled with a wild collection of weirdos, wanna-bes, has-beens, and never-gonna-bes.Listed in: Boredom Busters in L.A.
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Review from Charles S.
La Jolla, CA
11/26/2011
I guess I really have become an official old fart.
This is a place you need to visit once. For under 30 minutes. The beach itself is beautiful. But the Boardwalk? The best are the quirky characters, the skateboard park, and the murals. But you can find the same cheap souvenirs, hucksters, and fried food just about anywhere.
Where are the chain saw jugglers and glass eating sideshow superstars who I was so enthralled with when I visited last visited Venice Beach 30 years ago? Off doing their Black Friday shopping?
My advice for my fellow cranky old people? After you spend 30 minutes on the boardwalk, go walk along the Venice canals. They are beautiful, peaceful and well worth the trip.
My advice for the young in spirit: don't forget your skateboard and your volleyball. The beach is great. The boardwalk? Not so much. -
Review from Bullet S.
Los Angeles, CA
Venice Beach has so much culture and provides an excellent backdrop for any urban photographer.
Graffiti backdrop can be found around Abbot Kinney, the boardwalk, and the graffiti pit. This place is usually packed during the weekends and holidays, more so when it's hot. If you go on a Sunday, make sure to stop by the Drum Circle. They can be easily found and heard.
My suggestion is to go is a couple hours before sunset. It seems pretty shady soon after it gets dark. Be smart when you shoot and always stay observant.
Good luck and happy shooting! -
Review from David P.
Denver, CO
11/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
This was my first time visiting Venice ( too bad we don't have beach here in Colorado but we do have great bitches lol ).
Honestly , I am not impressed , I have been in better beaches before .
Smelly , trashy and more .
We bought some food from a local restaurant and it was just the worse food ever . Expensive as well . $12.35 for a small plate... Really ? -
Review from Zoie H.
10/5/2011
I took my cousin (i.e. Mr. Major European Tourist) here and he loved it. Venice beach (and the boardwalk) provided us with several hours of cheap interesting entertainment and I'm pretty sure we got a contact high free of charge.
The boardwalk is a very interesting place. You see some real characters down there : crustpunx and their pitbulls, stoner kids with humorous signs ("$1 to kick me in the nuts" being the highlight of my day), bro looking dudes handing out their medical marijuana cards (this was really shocking to my cousin, "you mean its out in the open?" "what?! have you not smelled the air?")
There's plenty of places to eat - a few sit down places, a brewery that looked awesome that I'd love to check out, pizza by the slice places, and tons and tons of ice cream shacks. It's a great place to grab a cherry coke float and just walk and enjoy the scenery.
The stores are your usual : touristy crap, but there are some hidden gems. One store had tons of sports items (football and basketball especially). I tried finding my boyfriend a Colts lanyard, but they were all out (this was BEFORE Manning was injured) ,they were only $8 a pop though (and I'm pretty sure I could have haggled because I was in a bikini) so that was a great deal. I'm pretty sure most accept cards, but take some cash just to be safe. Some smaller bills ($10's $5's would be great for haggling.)
Also check out the sidewalk vendors. There are plenty. There are tons of different themes but ceramic sugarskulls, spraycan art, and hemp products seemed to be the most popular.
Keep walking and you come across the infamous American History X Basketball courts, and muscle beach which depending on the day can have some "Holy *&$(#&#" muscle men or some "psh, he's not that big!" muscle men.
After your done walking - or tired of people watching - head on down to the sand and put your feet in the ocean. It's a lovely way to spend a day and I need to get down here more often. -
Review from Sarah A.
Hayward, CA
1/9/2012
Venice beach was one our last stops on our So.Cal trip. And to be honest I didn't want to leave. I am from the Bay area and Ive been to many beaches. But Venice is in a class all by itself. This place felt like home to me. I love the crowds, I love all the unique people, shops, artwork, crafts, and attractions that Venice has to offer. We were lucky enough to catch a crowd of people playing drums and dancing on the beach, and we were also very lucky to see the sunset before heading home, It was amazing. There is so much to see here I actually felt sad leaving. The vibe is so wonderful at Venice beach I definitely will be going back in the summer.
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Review from Michael S.
Los Angeles, CA
11/10/2011
Who's not a fan of VBB? "Why would I go to VBB?" you might ask...in which case I would say any of the 5 following reasons:
1. Weird ass people...everywhere. It's like they sent out a spam email and said "all weird people, you will have the time of your life if u just come to VBB and then just be here, wondering around, forever...it's great!" and then all the weirdos did it! I love it!
2. Weird ass shops...Along the walk, there is a place that you can pay $5 to go in, and there is a two headed snake, a bearded woman, a dog that only walks backwards, and several other random creatures...you can also buy souvenirs...find that anywhere else...I dare you.
3. the Pacific Ocean...no matter what you think of LA, you can't knock our amazing views and boy our Ocean does not disappoint, from pier to pier, and everything in between, it is all set to the amazing backdrop of the P.O.
4. Great food...I won't bother listing all the yummy places to eat out here. Expensive? Of course, it's one of the biggest tour traps in the world. Worth it? Probably not, if it were located anywhere else, but eating in this environment, surrounded by these people, listening to the crashing of these waves...yap, worth it.
5. It's Venice Beach. If you live in LA and you don't come here, you are passing up the opportunity to spend an afternoon somewhere that people specifically plan trips around from the other side of the world. Revel in the fact that this is in our own backyard. Don't forget to appreciate what you have, ya know?
Anyway, do I love VBB? Do you really even have to ask?
I give VBB, a very hearwarming 5 out of 5 stars. -
Review from Olivia B.
Erie, PA
1/8/2012
Spent half the day in Venice before heading over to Santa Monica. Although Santa Monica was cleaner and less chaotic, Venice Beach was a very unique and special place. Everyone should experience this at least once. Everywhere you look there is something else to see, even more interesting than the last. It was even more special to us because it is the backdrop of Jack's Mannequin's Everything In Transit. Now I know why this place is the inspiration of so many songs and movies.
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Review from Nino R.
9/16/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I remember my first visit to Venice Beach. It was wild. An ex took me there during a whirlwind tour of SoCal. The only thing I remember was this glistening girl in a white bikini that rollerbladed past me. She lifted up her sunglasses and looked at me. I turned around thinking there was someone behind me. There was no one.
I thought to myself, "wow, I think I like California." Unfortunately, I didn't just think that, but I also blurted it out. My ex made the rest of my stay in SoCal an uncomfortable one.
It happens.
Fast forward eight years and dozens of visits and a few things still remain:
The bulky hispanic dude wearing a speedo
2-headed turtles
Overpriced Wu-Tang Clan t-shirts
Terrible fast food
Bums
Girls on rollerblades
Weed
America's Anus aka the public restrooms
A visit during the week is nothing like a weekend trip. If you've never been here on a weekend it's a must try if you can find parking.
Just don't buy a Wu-Tang shirt... -
Review from allyson e.
Los Angeles, CA
9/19/2011 3 photos
its fun to come here and walk around once in awhile i guess...or just enjoy people watching, or basketball watching, or ocean watching.
i wouldnt come here for a dip though, thats for sure....
I loved riding my bike at night on the bike path though...it was soo nice. would probably do that again. -
Review from steve s.
Los Angeles, CA
10/11/2011
This is LAs answer to Haight-Ashbury, with not as much of a gay tint.
Hippies, pot smokers, pot sellers, commercialism, "unique" crafts, the beach, stuff, junk, whatever...its a great place for people-watching, junk buying, junk food...FuNk YeAh! -
Review from Jocelyn M.
Inglewood, CA
7/25/2011 7 Check-ins Here
I used to take puppy here every weekend. Be careful though, technically dogs are not allows on the boardwalk after 11am. Most businesses are COMPLETELY fine with this, but you will get an occasional a$$hole cop who will ask you to leave or write you a ticket.
EXTREMELY good for people watching. vendors have fun stuff like feather earrings, voodoo dolls, calaveras, tshirts and custom art. this is definitely the more lively alternative to Santa Monica which is usually filled with pretentious snobs who could cant understand that not everyone makes a million a year.
CAUTION: parking is a b*tch!! bring $20 if you want to pay for a lot, but be careful because some lots are scams. I have had several tourist friends who have told me they paid for a lot, came back and the person was gone, so either their car was blocked in (which they were assured an attendant would move it) or nobody was watching the lot. Street parking is free, but it is crowded, so either go late morning or be prepared to be circling for upwards of an hour. -
Review from Crystal L.
Torrance, CA
9/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Found $8 parking on North Venice Blvd near the boardwalk, right before you hit the end of the road entering the $15 parking lot.
Even though I live 10 minutes away from Redondo, I prefer Venice since its beaches are cleaner and the sand is softer.
I spent 4 hours walking up and down the boardwalk today. It's filled with all kinds of crazy, drugged out people.
There are tons and tons of people selling the same crap, mainly feather extensions, macrame, incense, henna tattoos, and medical marijuana. Same stuff over and over and over again, yet I walked the length of the entire boardwalk and ended up losing my precious sunglasses somewhere in between.
To cheer myself up, I bought a $1 hot dog and ate it while watching people chasing birds, a crazy man jumping on glass, and sad clowns being sad.
I was tempted to go into the freakshow museum for $5, but decided to save my cash for some ice cream.
As I was walking back, I saw the wolfman standing on the stairs and I waved.
But he didn't wave back. -
Review from Jennifer H.
Chatsworth, CA
5/27/2011 ROTD 12/8/2011
Whatever your age, wherever you come from, you will be welcome here and have a great time! One of my Sunday pasttimes involves rollerblading down the boardwalk.
The ambiance is so colorful and I don't just mean the colors! The people, the music, the tattoo parlors, the body piercing places, cute shops to buy overprice bikinis! Why wouldn't anyone love it here!
There are always amusing street performers like the man who dresses in all silver, with silver face paint and pretends to be a staue, or the same for the one who pretends to be an ancien Egyptian.
Muscle beach is here, nothing to say there...it's a landmark!
Some people may not know that you can actually go pretty far on your bicycle, starting here and just keep going...You have a lovely ride overlooking the water.
If you don't know where to go to have a fun, laid back day, I strongly suggest here! :-) -
Review from Sammy G.
9/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Tons of homeless/hippies selling you stuff. Lots of places to buy things from but weird. Very different from the boardwalks I'm used to but very entertaining! It was definitely an experience to see! The gym on the outside is pretty cool.
The signs people are holding are hilarious. -
Review from Steven N.
5/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a must visit for any tourist visiting southern cali. It is the only place that Hollywood portrays accurately. This strip between Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey is filled with all kinds of entertainment.
It will cost you $9 to park in their lot at Washington or Venice. I like to park in the Washington lot and walk an extra block. Walking the boardwalk on Washington, you get to see the nice looking homes. Once you hit the Venice lot, the freak show begins. You will pass the paddle tennis courts, basketball courts and the famous Muscle Beach outdoor gym.
There are tons of people trying to get you to get a marijuana evaluation for $40 dollars, lots of street art vendors, psychic palm readers and street performers trying to make a buck. Some of these street performers are very freaky. I've seen the Arab dude with the electric guitar roller skating here many times and he was even in the movie White man can't jump. And speaking of freaks, there is even a freak show for $5. I've never gone inside the show though. I thought the freaks outside were enough freaky for me.
So it you are entertaining some out of towners, this is a must stop. I also like that this boardwalk has a trail for walkers and a parallel trail for bikes. You can haul ask on the bike trail. There are lots of twist and turns on that trail and you will not get bored riding it. -
Review from Jean L.
5/21/2011
The Berkeley Telegraph of beaches to the nth degree! Very eclectic, colorful, vibrant, and bustling with people on any given day. People and pets galore. Food stands aplenty. Always something to do or see if you opt out of the whole sand and salt water thing. There's a freak show, street performers, street art/crafts for sale, Mary Jane clinics in abundance, tats and piercings and lots of skin. Lots of people pumping iron, too.
The beach itself has lots of open space and volleyball nets. I ended up buying a rainbow octopus kite and flying it around for a good while. -
Review from Gene k.
Los Angeles, CA
6/14/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This is pretty much a big playground for me. I can work out, run, cruise on the bike path, eat some food, see some acrobats and of course check out harry perry!! With out Venice, LA wouldn't be LA. It would be like boring as San Diego, this is what makes LA very colorful and very cultural.
I read in some review below about marijuana peddling, I have to say that person is one dumb ass thinking that Venice is some church town with half naked women walking around or something. Of course you'll have marijuana peddling, bums and a bunch of characters on this beautiful beach. It's what makes it unique. A great place to bring a child too. I've grown up with the Venice Beach experience, and I have to say a lot of the older performers are no longer here but some of them are going strong like Wine-o.
Not sure why people pay for a gym membership to go running in a stationary confined area. The beach is your playground and a workout spot, for god sakes we pay taxes to maintain it. Use it!!! Unless you enjoy pissing money down the drain.
Parking? For god sakes, just park in the neighborhood for free and walk your sorry ass to the beach. If your all that too lazy just take the Culver City Bus #1, which drops you literally right in front. For a $1 ? Sure beats $10-$15.
I love Venice!!! It's one of the chill spots in LA!! -
Review from Brittany A.
Queens Village, Queens, NY
8/23/2011 5 photos
My beloved Venice.
My Heaven on Earth.
My dream.
This place is AMAZING! Venice is all I have ever wanted in life.
If I had the balls to do it, I'd pack a large duffle bag and just go live on the beach.
Me and my friends, so eager to do something went to Venice at about 1:30 am. Everything was closed but there were a few people out there. Hangging, smoking, hippie swag.
Their was a slew of homeless people. Although homeless and alone , they seem 20times happier than the homeless in NY.
It was beautiful even at 1:30 in the morning. When we returned in the day the magic happened. Stores, people, food, surfers, sand, sun, just beautiful Cali shxt. It was wonderful. All the street acts. The gold guy, some little guy in speedos, churros, smoke shops, friendship bracelets, millions of fake doctors. I even bought a dream catcher from a legit Native American lol It was so amazing.
On my vacation, I went to Venice almost every day. I love it. It's the most wonderful place on Earth!
I met the nicest person on earth, my lost angel Matt! I love Venice beach.
If you haven't been there get there NOW! I can't WAIT to go back. -
Review from Lucy Y.
Los Angeles, CA
Dear Venice Beach Boardwalk,
Thanks for the entertainment today:
* Breakfast at Figtrees Cafe
* A lot of pot smoke
* The opportunity to get cheap ($40) medical marijuana licenses
* Raunchy t-shirts
* N'ice Cream
* Street performers
* Skateboarder Brian Anderson filming tricks at the skate arena bowl
* Hello Kitty bongs
* Lots o piercings and tattoos
* Muscle Beach
* The guy in the loincloth with the fake snakes
* Harry Perry skating around and playing the electric guitar
It's always fun seeing you! : D
Love,
LucyListed in: Entertain me!!, Where to take out-o-towners, Cheap Thrills
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/9/2010
Where else can we show bf's parents (in from Chicago) all this in one place:
Rollerskating, electric… Read more »
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Review from Melissa G.
King of Prussia, PA
7/24/2011
Had fun, walked barefoot on the beach then took a nice nap in the shade of some huge palms with my boyfriend. The rocks and water are gorgeous to look out on, and I took a nice shot of both. Hard to find good meatatarian options.
Totally different scene at night. I wish I could have stayed there a few days tbh. -
Review from christina i.
Glendora, CA
9/9/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The Happiest Place on Earth
I Love Venice Beach
I was sad to see more commercialized venders..where are all the hippies? SF? Please come back! -
Review from S J.
Renton, WA
1/7/2012
Best way to visit Venice Beach is to rent a bike one mile north near the Santa Monica Pier and ride down to Venice Beach from there. Be sure to take the bike path nearest the beach if you are in a hurry but if you have time, ride very slowly with the crowd going past all the booths and businesses there. The advantage of being on a bike is being able to see a lot in a short amount of time plus the guys trying to sell you CDs and the pan-handlers don't bother you. Bike is only $7/hr and well worth it.
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Review from Dom G.
8/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hot as Hell.
More weird than Austin.
Street Vendors.
Weed.
OK, I get it weed is legal in California...but, I am going to assume the only place you can get it is Venice Beach because every other shop was a "doctor". "Hey man you need to get high" and a dealer next door....
Ah, reminds me of Mexico...I feel a little sore, doc...Here is a prescription for 750mg of Vicatin and some 20mg of Soma! -
Review from Celia M.
Miami, FL
7/28/2011
We came to Venice because we had heard it was more for young people versus Santa Monica that was more family oriented and by far, Santa Monica's pier was way better!
There were so many weird people on the boardwalk, it was insane.
We decided to try out some food & to say the least, I threw away half of my cheeseburger. But okay, let's stick to the boardwalk.
Yes, it's good for people watching, to relax under a palm tree, and to hit the beach but the crowd was so bizarre, I didn't know what to do with myself. We ended up leaving because there was not much to do aside from buying things from local stands, eating, watching people in a nearby skateboard park, or receiving a "medical release" by "doctors" for medicinal fill in the blank.
NOT impressed whatsoever. -
Review from Clifford Y.
Garden Grove, CA
8/17/2011
I'm very glad I brought my cousins here after visiting Manhattan Beach.
In my opinion, Venice Beach is just more fun, and gives outside folks a really good perspective on the Californian beach lifestyle. On the walkway/boardwalk area, you have random booth/shop set ups: henna tattoos, antiques, posters, tourist shirts, skate shops, medical marijuana shops, sunglasses, food, etc. You also have those weirdos that walk around with weird scary outfits and body paint, and just observing all those freaks is a source of entertainment. I had to pay the flat rate of $20 for parking in a private lot, even though we only stayed for 2 hours, so beware. If you ever buy something on the boardwalk, make sure you try to bargain as much as you can.
Cliff Notes: The epitome of Southern Cali beach lifestyle -
Review from Jeff M.
San Diego, CA
6/4/2011
Walked the boardwalk with my wife yesterday. We were so disappointed by the constant marijuana peddling and the obscene shirts and signs that were everywhere. Everything was dirty.
The only positive was a few street performers including the Calypso Tumblers.
We likely won't return to Venice Beach. -
Review from Christopher J.
Rowland Heights, CA
6/3/2011
Cool place to walk around and look at the weirdness going on..
The restaurants seemed pretty populated, migh check em' out next time for sure
