An Easy Family “Daycation” On The Ever-Charming Catalina Island
Whenever my father comes to visit California from New York, which is a couple times a year, he mainly wants to hang out with his grandkids and read the newspaper. Buried deep beneath his pragmatic exterior though, is an adventurous soul. This is a man who hitchhiked across the country in the 1960s, loves exotic foods, and is always trying to learn something new. So we like to mark his visits with at least one special excursion. And so when he stayed with us a few weeks ago, we decided to do a daycation to nearby Catalina Island. That’s a day trip that feels like a vacation, and this most certainly did!
My husband was the only one of us who had been there before, and that was many years ago, so we were all looking forward to our little adventure. And let me just tell you right now – spoiler alert – it was a LOT of fun!
Though it’s an easily accessible and modernized island, there’s a rustic charm about Catalina too. Part of that may be because the main town, Avalon, does not allow big chain businesses to open up shop there. The weekend we happened to visit coincided with the Art Deco Society‘s annual charity ball, and so the streets were populated with dapperly-dressed folks wearing their Roaring Twenties Sunday best. Add to that the fact that there are more golf carts than cars on the island, and you get the feeling that you’ve stepped into another time period or another world.
Getting There
Catalina is part of the Channel Islands and sits off the coast of Long Beach. So the only way to get there other than private plane or helicopter is by boat. And while it’s possible to live sustainably on a boat here in California, even if you don’t have a boat it’s still easy to get there by water.
The trip takes about an hour by high speed ferry and there are two companies that offer daily routes over there. We could’ve bought tickets on Groupon for the slightly cheaper of the two, but decided since we were traveling with two young kids and a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary (my dad, another one of his adventurous hobbies), we’d spring for the Catalina Express. Our local Costco sells their gift cards (20% discount), so we saved money that way!
As you can see in the photo above, it’s a decent-sized ship and quite wide across, which made for a relatively smooth journey. I’ve heard horror stories of people getting super nauseous on the ride over, but perhaps because of the size and design of this particular ship it was smooth sailing both ways.
By the way, we bought our tickets online and traveled out of the Long Beach Harbor (San Pedro and Los Angeles harbors also offer routes). The inside of the ferry terminal was organized, but very laid back. Kind of like you imagine airports used to be in the 1950s, or airports on small islands might still be now.
The Boat
As we boarded we caught a glimpse of the standard seating area. Seats looked modern and comparable to a coach class airplane seat. We decided to upgrade to the Commodore Class Lounge for an extra $15 per person when we booked online. This was on the second floor and was accessible by a private indoor stairwell, or a door at the back of the lounge onto the shared upper deck. The price included snacks and one drink, plus early boarding.
The Commodore Lounge seats were leather-lined though I can’t say they seemed noticeably wider than the standard option. We were among the last to enter the Lounge, but managed to snag seats at the front around this table, which was kind of ideal for the kids to eat and play around.
Nice large windows offered great views for the seats along both sides.
The bar area. A server took your drink order and delivered them to your seats. Alcohol was included in the price, so technically you could have a mixed drink. But to me that seems like it’d induce more sea-sickness. Also, it was 10am!
TIP: If you want to really maximize your $15 investment, order the small split of sparkling wine. It is served unopened, so you can take it home and have it sitting in your fridge for a special occasion, which is exactly what I did on our return ride.
Snack selection. Not even slightly eco-friendly but the kids loved the cookies, of course. The snack mix was too spicy for their palates though and tasted stale. : (
The Harbor
We landed in Avalon just after 11am at the quaint open-air ferry terminal. Right along the main path between the ferry dock and downtown Avalon is this fantastic playground called Knabe Park! Perfect for letting your kids let out some pent up energy after being inside the boat for an h0ur.
The whole climbing structure is made to look like a pirate ship. Can you see the sails?
How fun is this whale! There was even a little ledge off the side if your budding sailor wanted to “walk the plank.”
Loved this free filtered water bottle filler! Bring your own refillable water bottle to save money and avoid plastic at the same time.
After letting the kids play there for a good half hour, they were ready to walk into town for brunch. Along the way, we spotted this awesome recycling bin. I love how it includes a poster detailing which items go in which bin. Catalina Island has many eco-friendly touches like this and the water dispenser above, plus more I mention below!
Downtown Avalon
I have no idea why the sky looks so purple in this pic. There’s no filter on it, I swear!
The main drag in Avalon is this car-free pedestrian thoroughfare called Crescent Avenue. It overlooks the harbor and includes a small beach. No matter where you go in Avalon, you will likely find yourself walking on this street at least a couple times.
Though it was an overcast day, it’s easy to imagine a sunny afternoon on the sand here.
Lots of cute little shops and restaurants along Crescent Avenue.
We randomly stumbled upon this unofficial LEGO Club for kids run by a LEGO-loving guy named Ryan Montgomery. He apparently brings all these bins of legos from his personal collection and lets kids play with them to their heart’s content. Doing so was free (though he did accept donations) and was happy to show you his own highly-detailed constructions.
Lunch
We stopped for brunch at Original Jack’s Country Kitchen, which is on a side street less than a block from Crescent Avenue. This is a quirky spot where the walls are lined with kitschy artwork and the portions are plentiful. It also had some unexpected eco-friendly touches, like organic ketchup and seasonal fruit toppings for the waffles. Like many other things on this island, Original Jack’s felt like a throwback to another time, and had all the charm of a small town diner. You can read my full restaurant review here.
Mini-Golf
After our hearty meal at Original Jack’s, we walked a few blocks (everywhere in downtown Avalon is very walkable) to Golf Gardens for one of my son’s favorite activities – mini golf!
Though it wasn’t the cheapest round of mini-golf we’ve ever played, Golf Gardens certainly earns its name with a lush garden setting and beautifully-maintained grounds. At this point, our toddler had fallen asleep in the stroller. So this Eco Friendly Mama was content to sit on a bench by a flowering bush and watch my guys play putt-putt. I love how the greens design incorporated natural elements like stones, hills, trees, and even a barely-there babbling brook.
Believe it or not, it was a challenge to take a photo here without other people in it. There was a steady stream of customers ranging from drunk hipsters to foreign tourists to empty nesters. And everyone seemed to be having fun!
This being a small town on a small island, the affable cashier running Golf Gardens also ran the trolley tour next door. I love how the cars are refurbished vintage trams!
Touring The Island By Golf Cart
We didn’t take the trolley tour because we had already arranged to rent a 6 seat golf cart for the afternoon. All throughout town, you’ll see tourists and locals alike driving golf carts! Though ours ran on gas and was not electric, it was still an eco-friendlier option than renting a proper car. Best part was, we were also able to rent a car seat for our daughter! Have you ever seen a car seat on a golf cart before??
Safety tip: An adult is required to ride in the seat next to the car seat in a golf cart.
This bison statue outside our golf cart rental shop was the closest we got to Catalina’s most famous wild animal species.
We started our tour by driving along the coast to the left of the harbor using a map provided by the rental agency. I rode in the third row, facing backwards onto the open road, and felt a bit like Jeff Goldblum in JURASSIC PARK. You know the scene where he’s laid up in the back of a Jeep as they’re trying to escape the park? Thankfully, we were never chased by a T-Rex and I got used to my rear-facing seat. I even managed to remove my hands from their death grip clutching the sides to snap pics of this cheerful-colored parasail!
Once we hit the power plant at the end of the road, we headed up into the hills. The only vehicles we saw this entire time were other golf carts of varying sizes!
Top Of The Island
A view from the top. There were several look out points where you could pull over to snap pictures and admire the harbor from afar.
I posted my favorite photo of Avalon harbor to Instagram. It’s really amazing to realize that what looks like a sleepy Mediterranean seaport town is actually just an hour’s boat ride off the coast of Southern California!
After taking in this romantic view, we continued our drive back down into town and towards the center of the island to the Nature Center at Avalon Canyon. Though we would’ve loved to get out and explore this nature conservancy, by this point the kids were getting a little tired of driving through the wind. So we decided to keep going and head up the mountain on the other side of town.
Avalon’s Starboard Side
View of the harbor from the hills on the right side of town. That round building below is the Catalina Island Casino.
As we were driving through this side of the mountain, we passed the historic Catalina Chimes Tower. Though it was covered in scaffolding due to renovations, and therefore not much to look at in a picture, the bells happened to go off right as we drove past, much to the delight of everyone on board!
Our route also took us past the Catalina Island Zip Line Eco Tour. There was a group of intrepid adventurists on the top deck, so we stopped to watch one zip down through the valley. I’ve ziplined in Costa Rica and Hawaii before, and this seemed like an equally beautiful landscape to careen by at 30 mph.
If you look closely, you can see a person mid-zipline!
Cairns
Tucked on a less scenic stretch of road, we passed a large gathering of stacked stones. My son insisted on stopping to stack his own so we obliged. I’ve since read a little about the meaning of stacking stones, from the Gaelic tradition of making a “Cairn.” They’re historically meant to mark a trail or a grave, or function as shrines. This area seemed to be none of those things. And in fact I’ve since learned that many tourist locations where these cairns are popping up are trying to stop the practice because it ruins the natural habitat and negatively impacts the local wildlife.
This blog from the Visit Aruba tourism agency explains the issue well. It’s apparently a worldwide phenomenon now! Thankfully, my son only re-stacked a pile that appeared to have fallen and didn’t remove any additional stones from their natural locations. Now we know for the future not to partake in this activity!
Ice Cream
Driving up and down the hills of Avalon really worked up our appetites again. So we decided to stop for a treat at Scoops Handmade Ice Cream before returning to the mainland. Scoops is another eco-friendly gem in Avalon. There they hand-make small batches of delicious ice cream and gelato using unprocessed, natural ingredients free from dyes and additives. I wrote a separate blog post all about their yummy offerings. Click here to read my full review!
A Lovely Daycation
After we finished our ice cream and let the kids play at Knabe Park some more, we boarded the Catalina Express. It was a Sunday and my son had school the next day. So we decided to have dinner at home to stay on schedule for bedtime. We were back on the mainland before sunset.
If we had eaten dinner on the island, we might have eaten at The Lobster Trap. This was another classic Avalon eatery just down the street from Original Jack’s. While nothing fancy, it seemed like a comfortable place for kids that the adults could enjoy too.
Their menu was posted on the wall outside the front door.
Everyone young and old had a great time on our Catalina Island daycation. It’s a gem of a vacation spot that feels like it’s from the early 20th century. But it also is looking forward to the future with an emphasis on sustainability and an eco-friendly existence!
Spotted on our walk back to the ferry: Catalina’s first LEED certified building coming soon. It features sustainable design (reclaimed wood, photo-voltaic solar, rainwater collection, and green design).
We left the island already dreaming of our next visit…which will definitely include an overnight stay. Looking forward to exploring even more of this beautiful island!
Goodbye Catalina Island! We hope to see you again real soon.
Melissa Javan
It looks like a whole new world that you visited. Wow! I love the park for the kids. And the views, wow wow wow. Great choice.
Eco Friendly Mama
It really did feel like another place entirely! And that playground was just perfect for the kids and also in the perfect spot by the ferry terminal 🙂
Harley
Amazing day trip! We’ve been wanting to get over there but haven’t because it seems somewhat expensive to stay overnight. I hadn’t even thought of just doing a day…Thanks for all these tips!
Eco Friendly Mama
You’re so welcome! We saw a bunch of backpacker types walking around town, and on our golf cart drive up to the Nature Conservancy, we passed a camp site where lots of tents were set up. So if you’re into camping, that’s a more affordable overnight option too. : )
Kendra
It looks like you had a lot of fun! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Eco Friendly Mama
We sure did. Thanks for reading! : )
Lara
This looks like such a fun day and so kid friendly too! I’m always a big fan of mini golf. 🙂
Eco Friendly Mama
It was super kid friendly! The town feels very safe and very walkable. I especially liked that Crescent Avenue was closed to cars because we didn’t have to worry about the kids crossing through traffic as we explored on foot : )
Amy
This looks like a beautiful place to visit, so much fun to be had. Love the water station 💚
Eco Friendly Mama
Yes! I always travel with a metal water bottle so it’s always helpful to find a proper filling station : )
Kay
Made me think back to my own family trip to Catalina when I was a kid. Fun times 😄
Eco Friendly Mama
I’m guessing not that much has changed : )