Avalon

Around Avalon, the primary mode of transportation is by golf cart. The streets are very narrow and the town is crowded and small so this works out very well. Upon arrival to Avalon by sea you will see signs for golf cart rentals.

You may also rent bicycles (or bring your own from the mainland for an extra fee).

• 🌍 Brown's Bikes, 107 Pebbly Beach Rd, ☏ +1 310 510-0986, fax: +1 310 510-0747, questions@catalinabiking.com. Rentals and bike repair. Hourly rates are from $5 to $15 per hour, depending on the type of bike. Daily rates are from $12 to $40. 
• 🌍 Catalina Auto & Bike Rental, 301 Crescent Ave, ☏ +1 310 510-0111. Bicycle and golf cart rental. 

• 🌍 Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden, ☏ +1 310-510-2897. 1.5 miles (2.4 km) up Avalon Canyon Road from Avalon. Daily from 8AM to 5PM, year round. A memorial to William Wriggley, Jr., founder of the WM Wriggley Jr. Company, renowned for its chewing gum. Mr. Wriggley was also a long-time benefactor of Catalina and was key in assuring that it was protected for future generations. The Botanical Garden features plants that are native to California islands, especially species only found on Catalina Island. Adults: $12, Children under 12: $7. 
• 🌍 The Casino, toll-free: +1-800-626-5440. /Art Museum - Casino Point, northwest end of Avalon Harbor. The Casino is an Art-Deco movie palace and ballroom built in 1929 that was once the place to be for the Los Angeles elite. The tour will take you into the movie theater and up the ramps to the ballroom while the tour guide gives information about the history and unique construction of the casino. Adults: $14.50, Children: $7.25, Seniors: $13 
• Descanso Beach Club, ☏ +1 310 510-7410. On the north side of the casino. A beach front bar and restaurant. Showers, chair and umbrealla rentals and restrooms are available. 
• 🌍 Catalina Island Museum, 217 Metropole Ave., ☏ +1 310 510-2414, fax: +1 310 510-2780, info@catalinamuseum.org. 10AM to 5PM daily. Avalon’s only institution devoted to art, culture and the rich history of Santa Catalina Island. The newly renovated Catalina Island Museum includes an expanded museum store, a digital theater, a number of galleries dedicated to the history of the Catalina Island and a new traveling exhibitions gallery. Open daily 10AM - 5PM. Adults $17, Seniors $15, Children 15 & under Free w/ paid Adult. 

• Catalina Island Golf Course, 1 Country Club Rd, ☏ +1 310 510-0530. A 2,100 yard, nine-hole golf course with two sets of tees to provide 18-hole play. Call for current prices. 
• Hiking - Catalina Island has miles of backroads and trails but a permit is required. A permit can be obtained the day of your hike at the following locations:
  • Conservancy House in Avalon, at 125 Claressa Ave.
  • Airport-in-the-Sky
  • Two Harbors Visitor Information Center
• Fishing - The ocean waters around Catalina are teeming with fish. Rent a boat or join an organized fishing trip on a commercial boat.

There is a variety of places to eat on the pier, serving things like hot dogs and fish and chips. There is also a small Vons supermarket at 123 Metropole Avenue which may be helpful if you need a candy bar, soft drink or such.

Santa Catalina Island has no chain restaurants except for Vons, and is full of local, unique, independent, and well-acclaimed restaurants.

• 🌍 Catalina Visitors Country Club, ☏ +1 310 510-7404. The clubhouse of the Catalina Country Club golf course. Nice, quiet ambiance on the patio, but the food is pricey and can be lacking in flavor and creativity. 
• 🌍 Steve's Steakhouse, 417 Cresent Ave, ☏ +1 310-510-0333, stevecat@catalinaisp.com. 
• 🌍 The Sandtrap Restaurant and Bar, 501 Avalon Canyon Rd, ☏ +1 310 510-2505, email@catalinasandtrap.com. 
• 🌍 Avalon Grille, 423 Crescent Avenue, ☏ +1 310-510-7494. M–Th 4–8PM, F 3–9PM, Sa 11AM–2PM 3–9PM, Su 11AM–2PM 3–8PM. Upscale steakhouse with a full bar just across the promenade from the water. Large patio, low, ambient lighting, not too noisy. (updated Jan 2019)
• Bluewater Grill Avalon, 306 Crescent Avenue, ☏ +1 310-510-3474. Su 10AM–9:30PM, M–Th 11AM–10PM, F 11AM–10:30PM, Sa 10AM–10:30PM. Hip waterfront eatery with fantastic fresh seafood. The baked crab and artichoke dip is outstanding, and the seared scalloped with jalapeño aioli is the perfect mix of savory and spice, with chopped crispy bacon to balance the soft scallops. (updated Jan 2019)
• 🌍 Lloyd's of Avalon Confectionary, 315 Crescent Avenue, ☏ +1 310 510 7266. Lloyd's is an absolute Avalon classic. They've got all sorts of handmade chocolates and pastries, but are most famous for their creative candied apples, which come in dozens of flavors. Kids enjoy watching the saltwater taffy machine in the window, whirling the homemade taffy to perfection. (updated Jan 2019)

• Luau Larry's, 509 Crescent Ave, ☏ +1 310-510-1919. 10AM-1AM. Has the island's drink, the buffalo milk cocktail. (updated Jan 2017)
• Catalina Island Brew House, 417 Crescent Ave, ☏ +1 310-590-6905. M-Th 6AM-7PM F-Sa 6AM-8PM Su 6AM-6PM. Food, coffee and locally brewed beer (updated Jan 2017)
• 🌍 Descanso Beach Club, ☏ +1 310 510-7410. Hours vary by season. Beach restaurant and bar. The strawberry daiquiris are made with real strawberry pulp and are thick, sweet and refreshing. Worth visiting just for the daiquiri. Nachos are tasty and a generous portion. (updated Jan 2019)

• 🌍 Catalina Canyon Resort And Spa, 888 Country Club Dr, ☏ +1 310 510-0325, fax: +1 310 510-0900. 
• 🌍 The Avalon Hotel, 124 Whittley Ave, ☏ +1 310 510-7070, fax: +1 310 510-7210, Innkeepers@theavalonhotel.com. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Classic California Craftsman style with ocean view rooms. Have your morning coffee and continental breakfast in the garden patio, meet our koi puppies and watch the local hummingbirds drink their morning nectar. Enjoy the roof deck with a 360-degree view of town and Avalon Harbor. Enjoy our tangerine-sage lotion, salt scrub and shea butter made especially for us. Hike, bike or tour in the surrounding 75 square miles of private nature preserve. Swim, paddle or boat in the Pacific Ocean. Wander through the local shops, eat at the nearby restaurants and enjoy the interesting and elegant history of Avalon's glamorous past. Hollywood use to play here. Opening "talkie" performances were shown in the local Avalon Casino Theater, you can still catch the music on a pipe organ on the weekends before the opening show (we get 1 new movie, every Friday night). The Catalina Island Museum has information on the Chicago Cubs that did their spring training here in Avalon in the early 1900s. Find the serpentine wall traversing down front street. Set up a spa service, relax and unwind. We hope to see you soon visiting our Island home. $175 - 795. 
• 🌍 Aurora Hotel & Spa, 137 Marilla Ave, toll-free: +1-800-422-6836. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Romantic modern hotel & spa in downtown Avalon. $150-$925. 
• 🌍 Pavilion Hotel, 513 Crescent Ave (Closest major hotel to the boat terminal), toll-free: +1-800-626-1496. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. The 71-room, 2-story Pavilion Hotel, formerly the Pavilion Lodge, is 14 steps from the beach. The new design takes advantage of the garden courtyard area by creating semi-private lanais, or outdoor living areas for most of the ground level rooms. The landscaped garden includes a large fire ring and an open air ocean-view lounge area near the front lobby. There is also an indoor lounge area and hospitality room where guests will find their complimentary continental breakfast in the morning and the complimentary wine and cheese pairing in the afternoon. 

If you are coming from the mainland you probably want to see a bit more of Catalina Island, such as Two Harbors or the interior of the island (home of the buffalo). Unfortunately, golf carts are not allowed outside of Avalon; all roads leading away from the town hold "no golf cart" signs. So, if you are interested in visiting other parts of the island, another mode of transportation (such as bicycle, small motorscooter, or guided tour) must be found. Note that the island is hilly so you might find yourself pushing your bike up the roads in the island's interior.