Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey

If you were born too late, and have always been a little jealous of the hippie heyday, come down to the Boardwalk and inhale a (not just) incense-scented whiff of Venice, a boho beach town and longtime haven for artists, new agers, road-weary tramps, freaks and free spirits. This is where Jim Morrison and the Doors lit their fire, where Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped himself to stardom, and the place the late Dennis Hopper once called home. These days, even as tech titans move in, the Old Venice spirit endures.

Explore Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey

Venice Boardwalk
Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…
A
Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Abbot Kinney, who founded Venice in the early 1900s, would probably be delighted to find that one of Venice’s best-loved streets bears his name. Sort of a…
V
Venice Canals
Even many Angelenos have no idea that just a couple of blocks from the Boardwalk madness is an idyllic neighborhood that preserves 3 miles of Abbot Kinney…
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LA Louver
The best art gallery in Venice, and arguably the best in LA, LA Louver was established by Peter Gouls in 1975, and since 1994 has been housed in a…
D
Dockweiler State Beach
With jumbo jets soaring overhead, sailboats bobbing beyond the rolling surf, bonfires raging in the pit and a waxing moon rising high, summer nights on…
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Venice Reconstituted
Perhaps Venice's signature mural, it depicts an updated version of Botticelli's Birth of Venus, painted by Rip Cronk in 1989.
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Ballona Wetlands
These last remaining wetlands in LA County are home to at least 200 migrating and resident bird species, including the great blue heron. Their habitat,…
B
Ballerina Clown
Even the artist, Jonathan Borofsky, has questioned the taste of this landmark sculpture of a ballerina in a bearded clown mask perched above the corner of…
C
C.A.V.E.
One of our favorite Venice galleries, it specializes in single-artist exhibitions. When we passed it hosted the works of Ralph Ziman, a South African–born…

Venice Boardwalk
Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…
A
Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Abbot Kinney, who founded Venice in the early 1900s, would probably be delighted to find that one of Venice’s best-loved streets bears his name. Sort of a…
V
Venice Canals
Even many Angelenos have no idea that just a couple of blocks from the Boardwalk madness is an idyllic neighborhood that preserves 3 miles of Abbot Kinney…
L
LA Louver
The best art gallery in Venice, and arguably the best in LA, LA Louver was established by Peter Gouls in 1975, and since 1994 has been housed in a…
D
Dockweiler State Beach
With jumbo jets soaring overhead, sailboats bobbing beyond the rolling surf, bonfires raging in the pit and a waxing moon rising high, summer nights on…
V
Venice Reconstituted
Perhaps Venice's signature mural, it depicts an updated version of Botticelli's Birth of Venus, painted by Rip Cronk in 1989.
B
Ballona Wetlands
These last remaining wetlands in LA County are home to at least 200 migrating and resident bird species, including the great blue heron. Their habitat,…
B
Ballerina Clown
Even the artist, Jonathan Borofsky, has questioned the taste of this landmark sculpture of a ballerina in a bearded clown mask perched above the corner of…
C
C.A.V.E.
One of our favorite Venice galleries, it specializes in single-artist exhibitions. When we passed it hosted the works of Ralph Ziman, a South African–born…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey.

See
Venice Boardwalk
Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…
See
Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Abbot Kinney, who founded Venice in the early 1900s, would probably be delighted to find that one of Venice’s best-loved streets bears his name. Sort of a…
See
Venice Canals
Even many Angelenos have no idea that just a couple of blocks from the Boardwalk madness is an idyllic neighborhood that preserves 3 miles of Abbot Kinney…
See
LA Louver
The best art gallery in Venice, and arguably the best in LA, LA Louver was established by Peter Gouls in 1975, and since 1994 has been housed in a…
See
Dockweiler State Beach
With jumbo jets soaring overhead, sailboats bobbing beyond the rolling surf, bonfires raging in the pit and a waxing moon rising high, summer nights on…
See
Venice Reconstituted
Perhaps Venice's signature mural, it depicts an updated version of Botticelli's Birth of Venus, painted by Rip Cronk in 1989.
See
Ballona Wetlands
These last remaining wetlands in LA County are home to at least 200 migrating and resident bird species, including the great blue heron. Their habitat,…
See
Ballerina Clown
Even the artist, Jonathan Borofsky, has questioned the taste of this landmark sculpture of a ballerina in a bearded clown mask perched above the corner of…
See
C.A.V.E.
One of our favorite Venice galleries, it specializes in single-artist exhibitions. When we passed it hosted the works of Ralph Ziman, a South African–born…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey

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