Venice Beach

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Venice Beach

By: Paul Benevich

I don’t think any place defines Southern California like Venice Beach. I mean, Southern California is naturally a place for misfit toys, and Venice Beach personifies this. I say this as a compliment and as one of those misfit toys.

For approximately a mile of California Beachfront, you can experience characters as diverse as Harry Potter’s Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans. This is where every facet of American and International human spice exists in unique harmony.

It is an amalgamation of street painters, roller bladders and dancers, skateboarders, musicians, artists, basketball players, weight lifters, street performers, gymnasts, and the homeless. It’s purely wonderful.

Talk about candy for the senses. The combined smell of cannabis, pizza, burgers, and candy is almost as engaging as what is visually in front of you. Make sure you take some time to just people-watch. Everyone is walking to their own beat. It’s fun to see the hustle.

This is a mile of Southern California Coastland that is truly without judgment.

Be a part of the hustle

We brought a family friend who is 14 and he wanted to play his first street ball game in the infamous Venice Beach where he had just been exposed to White Men Can’t Jump and the Mecca of American Streetball. We were sitting on the side of the court when someone approached us and tried to convince my mom (who is 80) to purchase a few trinkets. My mom a hustler herself, said she would if he could get our 14-year-old friend into one of the adult pick-up games. That’s all it took. He was playing in the next game…and the street vendor got a big tip.

That personifies Venice Beach. It’s all about the hustle and finding a way to get what you want.

What to explore in Venice Beach

Street Performers - Bring a few extra dollars to tip them, because for the most part they have talent and are quite entertaining.

Basketball - Nothing like a basketball pick-up game in Venice Beach. As I mentioned above, if you want to play, be creative to get into a game. From someone who spent years playing streetball, the talent is just ok, but the trash talk is epic.

Venice Beach Skatepark – It’s a mix of beginners and experienced street and bowl skaters and is always a fan favorite for Venice visitors. It’s fun to watch the skaters battle a single trick, but a few can link multiple tricks for a glorious ride.

Venice Art Wall - Have fun watching artists spray paint and re-spray paint the walls. This is where graffiti meets the beach. Go ahead anyone can try it.

Muscle Beach – Get a day pass for $10 at the iconic Gold’s Gym Venice Beach. This is the gym Arnold Schwarzenegger made famous.

Walk the strand

You can easily pass an entire day at Venice Beach. It really never gets boring and make sure you take time to enjoy it all: The professional street performers juggling chainsaws; skateboarders skying through the air; roller bladders dancing to their music; entertaining trash talk on the iconic basketball courts; touring Muscle Beach made famous during Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding days, and the Graffiti artists creating walls of fun.

Also, don’t forget to explore the many pop-up tents where you can: try henna tattoos; purchase a grain of rice with your name on it; have an artist create a cartoon sketch of you and your family; shop for hundreds of creative trinkets. And let’s not forget the many retail shops on the boardwalk for ice cream, cannabis, pizza, and burgers, since they all go together.

And… if you are a novice to the cannabis industry, don’t be intimidated and stop at any of the cannabis shops and they will be happy to educate you on everything cannabis. It’s like taking a cannabis 101 course with very nice instructors and it is impossible to fail.

For a list of Cannabis dispensaries around Venice click here.

For a preview of dining establishments in Venice click here.

Click here for more on attractions.

Beach Rentals

Venice Beach is a true visitor destination and will cater to just about any rental needs including beach cruisers, e-bikes, surfboards, boogie boards, scooters, and roller-skates. If you desire surf lessons, well this is your place.