Out and About: Catalina Island Edition

From flying fish to laid-back luaus, here are our picks of the best things to do on Santa Catalina Island

Once a getaway for Hollywood elites to escape from paparazzi, Catalina Island has in recent decades become more of a not-so-secret treasure for everyday Angelenos and visitors looking for a simple, relaxing vacation. Cars are few and far-between on the island, and just about everything is either walking distance or a short golf-cart-taxi-ride away; whether you’re shooting for a family vibe, an outdoor-sports experience or a party-heavy hang, Catalina’s got something for everyone in both its port town of Avalon and out into the wild island interior. Here are the best things to do no matter your vibe once you hop off the hour-long boat ride from the mainland.

Flying Fish Voyage

What is it: One of the only opportunities you’ll ever have to watch fish fly. Seriously.

Why go: For nearly a century, Catalina’s flying fish boat has been wowing visitors with a surreal experience that seems culled from a dreamworld. Every night over the summer, the crew lures Cheilopogon pinnatibarbatus californicus (otherwise known as flying fish) out of the water for not-quite-actual-flying-but-it-sure-looks-like-it glides up to 100 feet. Bring a jacket—it can get chilly —and keep your eyes out: the fish often end up landing inside the boat.

Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Gardens

What is it: A beautiful ode to the island’s famous founding father.

Why go: William Wrigley, Jr (yes, the gum guy) is responsible for the development of Catalina. So of course the garden and memorial that carries his name is one of the most beautiful spots on the island. It’s a moderate hike from the beach (you can also get up to it by renting a bike, or via golf cart—more on that in a bit). Once there you’ll be immersed in a 37-acre botanical garden focused on plants endemic to California and the Channel Islands. See breathtaking views from the tower overlook built from quarried rocks culled from the island itself.

The Catalina Casino

What is it: Not a gambling hall—rather, it’s a palatial special-events venue complete with a beautiful art-deco movie theater.

Why go: The sort-of-Roman-looking Catalina Casino is the most iconic building on the island, with walls full of stories. Steeped in over 90 years of history, your able to learn more about Catalina Casino on three different walking tours. If a tour’s not your thing, it’s still worth going to a movie there (first-run films show nightly at 7:30pm). The art deco theater is gorgeous, and there’s often pre-show music played through its 1920s-era organ.

Luau Larry’s

What is it: A classic burger-and-drinks shack—with the best fries you’ll ever have.

Why go: First time visitors to Catalina can’t help but notice slews of tourists sporting straw hats. It’s because they’ve all had the Wiki Wack at Luau Larry’s. The fun signature cocktail comes with one of the ubiquitous headpieces. Grease the drink down with their curly fries, which are always perfectly crispy, and seasoned with—well, it’s a secret, but it’s gotta be magic, whatever it is. The burgers aren’t bad, and there are often live-music singalongs at night.

Descanso Beach Club

What is it: The ‘fancy’ beach on the island, with cabanas, booze and more.

Why go: You can set a blanket on Avalon’s main beaches for free if you’d like. But it’s worth taking a walk just past the Casino to Descanso. Here they offer rentable chaise lounges and cabanas. They’re also the only place on the island you can enjoy alcoholic beverages(for all you rose drinkers). There are also rentable paddleboards, snorkel sets and kayaks, and, over the summer, DJs and live bands on weekends.

Golf cart rental

What is it: The best way to see a large percentage of the island—and get a great view.

Why go: Sure, you could spend all your time on Catalina in town in Avalon. But if you want to explore more of the island, the best way is via golf cart. In about two hours you can see beautiful views, check out some of the historical structures and explore hidden spots.

Eco Zip Line

What is it: A high-intensity aerial experience.

Why go: High-octane adventure seekers should seek out two Catalina experiences: the Ocean Runner boat tour, which blasts through the water at high-speeds on a ribcraft boat, and this high-flying tour, which descends over five ziplines, 600 feet above Descanso, from a unique vantage point to learn about the island’s unusual ecosystem if you’re not just in it for the thrills.

Hiking trails

What is it: An outdoorsperson’s prime reason to visit.

Why go: Catalina’s inland is covered with hiking trails and camping spots. With over 165 miles of trails to explore, you’ll have options ranging from easy to expert. Obviously, it’s a way to get closer with nature: the island’s host to tons of interesting plants and animals. These include tiny Island foxes and imposing buffalo! With some luck, on an inland hike, you may see a herd peacefully grazing.

Catalina Room Escape

What is it: Avalon’s newest family-friendly activity.

Why go: Just opened in 2018, the island’s only escape room (pirate-themed, naturally). It is a challenging and fun way to spend an hour if you have one to spare. Just keep in mind: duck, and then look up. We didn’t, and needed to ask for a hint. You’re welcome.

Bar-hopping

What is it: A time-honored nighttime tradition.

Why go: There’s not a ton of nightlife on Catalina, which can become part of the appeal of a visit. Stop by for karaoke at El Galleon, venturing later in the night to the Marlin, before hitting the dance floor at Club Chi-Chi. Then end the evening with a final nightcap at the Locker Room. The next night? Repeat.

Mt. Ada

What is it: William Wrigley Jr’s old mansion—and your fancy lunch spot.

Why go: Mt. Ada, once William Wrigley Jr.’s mansion, and now the fanciest hotel on the island, is also an ideal dining spot. It’s only open for lunch, with a three-course menu that’s not exactly formal, but does have an air of classiness.

November 29, 2018

Your Holiday Travel Guide

The best part of the holidays other than quality family time is the time to get away. While we love the sites and scenes in the city of stars, sometimes it’s nice to spend the festive season abroad. With that in mind we have rounded together the top destinations to jet off to between Hanukkah and the New Year, so pack your bags for the great Winter escape!

Mexico’s Pacific Coast

While Puerto Vallarta is always a guaranteed great time south of the border, the beach town of Sayulita delivers its own level of style. Just 20 miles south from the major resort area, this is plentiful of vintage board shops and hammock strung guest homes. Feel like splurging? In between beach shack margaritas and local bites are NYC and Parisian designers tucked into brightly painted boutiques. Your winter getaway awaits!!

Tbilisi, Georgia

While this destination may seem an unlikely choice for a winter get-away, it is an ideal spot for those looking to find a different skiing scene. While places like Aspen and Switzerland never disappoint, the same can be said for Tbilisi. With its jumble of colorful balconies, Art Nouveau facades and picturesque flea markets, its the perfect combination of Eurasian wonder.

Botswana

It’s the place where HRH Prince Harry swept nor HRH Duchess Megan off her feet. It is also one of the most extraordinary safari experiences you can find in this region of the South African Nation. The Okavango delta is overflowing in wildlife found throughout the areas protected park and game reserve. With the area’s new found press, Wilderness Safaris was lucky to open it’s new luxury tented suites; Oorokwe Camp at the right time. With bleached timbers and private deck , these accommodations along the border of Moremi Game Reserve is fit for any Royal or visitor alike.

Nepal and Bhutan

As we promised, this is a list of destinations perfect to visit during the winter months, and the area of Nepal and Bhutan holds true to that promise. Stay at the famed Dwarika Hotel–an oasis of architectural charm and traditional luxury, one of many luxury hotel options in the area. Then take your exploring to new heights by enjoying a helicopter ride to the top of The Taktsang Monastery. There you will enjoy a picnic lunch above the clouds followed by a hike down to tour the Monastery. When do we leave?

India

While India almost speaks for itself as a travel choice, this year marks a historic opportunity to visit. This year the country celebrates 150 years since the birth of Gandhi. Also while there one can see the wonder of Nagaland and the Kaziranga National Park-home to asiatic rhinos and some of Asia’s last surviving former-headhunting tribes.

Tohoku, Japan

Japan has always served as a fascinating and unique destination full of culturally exquisite finds. With so many area’s to chose from to explore, why not venture off the beaten path? Tohoku, 90 minutes north-east of Tokyo offers incredible natural landscapes. Perfect for hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter, it is a year round escape. Wander through the village of Kakunodate, home to Samurai legends and artisan workshops, reminiscent of the Edo period.

Mackenzie Country, Otago, New Zealand

We all know New Zealand as the land of Hobbiton(or Lord of the Rings fans know this), but the island nation is more than fantasy in it splendor. With it’s glacial highlands and sunken valleys, visitors are recommended to enjoy the country’s Alp region for hiking, biking and luxury accommodations.

Nusa Penida, Indonesia

While Bali and the Gili Islands already serve as world renowned vacation spots, the island of Nusa Penida is just as breathtaking. Located just of the south east coast of Bali, Nusa Penida offers untouched landscapes. Amongst the beauty is a chance to soak in the natural wonder of the Giri Putri Cave or Angel’s Billabong. Stay at the Kabeh Jati Garden Villa for a perfect nights rest.

Panama

While 2019 will be a celebration off Panama City’s 500 year history, mid-December begins it’s season of the best time to travel to the region. While the country is small in size, it offers vast options of exploration. From it’s white sand beaches and indigenous culture and it’s to tropical rainforest and misty highlands, your adventure awaits.

Palomino, Columbia

With it’s beautiful; Caribbean beaches and and stunning wildlife, Palomina is the ideal holiday escape. Enjoy surfing or floating via tub down the Palomino River and its natural beauty. With it’s amazing range of seafood and luxury stay options, this Columbian destination awaits your well deserved visit.

June 4, 2018

The Best Places to Travel in July

PLACE DES ARTS, MONTREAL | JEFF GREENBERG/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/GETTY IMAGES

Quebec

No one crushes on summer like French Canada, and no surprise, July’s the height of festival season in Montreal and Quebec City. If you’re into ex-Olympian acrobats soaring overhead, the Montreal Completement Cirque is your jam, a circus festival where jaw-dropping acrobats have nightly public performances in squares and streets, like a city-wide Cirque du Soleil running from July 5-15, most of it free. Montreal also hosts the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival July 14-18, headlined this year by Kevin Hart, Trevor Noah, and Tom Green. For jazz enthusiasts, one of the biggest jazz gatherings in the world kicks off July when the Montreal International Jazz Festival runs from June 28 to July 7. For practically every non-jazz genre, head 150 miles further northeast to Quebec City for the Festival d’été de Québec, one of the most underrated parties anywhere on the continent. Just $80 (USD) covers your pass for the entire festival (July 5-15), which fills clubs, parks, and pop-up stages around the 410-year-old city’s vibrant, fortress-lined Downtown with the likes of Neil Young, The Weeknd, Future, and the Foo Fighters.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Yes, it might be a little warm down Mexico way this time of year. But you know what that means? One of the most popular and beautiful beaches in the world won’t be nearly as packed and will cost a fraction of what it would during spring. There’s also tons to do here toward the end of the month, when the Festival of the Virgin Carmen lands and parades, musical performances, and general Mexican mayhem take over the city. A few days later, the ZoukMX festival takes over the beach, a 10-day dance party on the shore that feels like a more-authentic spring break, with a far more upscale vibe.

MACKINAC ISLAND HARBOR, MICHIGAN | APMADOC/ROOM/GETTY IMAGES

Mackinac Island, Michigan

There may be no better place to spend a summer week than on the shores of Lake Huron, where perfect weather and calm lakes make for an idyllic summer retreat. If you’ve got the cash, the best place to experience it is historic Mackinac (pronounced just like Mackinaw) home to one of the country’s most impressive Fourth of July fireworks displays over the lake. Cars aren’t allowed on the island, and with 80% of the land protected as a state park, it’s the kind of place where you’ll feel completely disconnected once you cross over the largest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The highlight of the month is on July 21, when the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac arrives in town. Bringing with it all the parties, dinners, and general high society that accompanies a big-time sailing race.

Kenya

The single greatest animal migration on the planet happens this month in Kenya, when the thundering wildebeest make the move from the Serengeti to Masai Mara. It’s one of the greatest shows in nature, and unlike the northern lights or a spewing volcano, you can actually plan a vacation around it. The places to see it best are at the Lamai Wedge and at the Mara River, where the wildebeest must cross treacherous, crocodile-filled waters. It’s like a front row seat to Animal Planet. The Kichwa Tembo Camp, Bateleur Camp, and Sayari Mara Camp are the ideal spots to stay to catch the action. Afterward head out to the coast and some of the most underrated beaches in the world at Watamu, where you’ll likely have most of the sand to yourself.

Niagara Falls, Ontario

If you haven’t ever been to one of the great natural wonders of North America because you thought it was basically Pigeon Forge with a waterfall, prove yourself wrong in July. This month Niagara Falls welcomes the world’s biggest elevated go-kart track at Niagara Speedway, which looks like a real-life Mario Kart set atop Clifton Hill. Also returning to the falls is the new-ish Mistrider zip line, where you’ll zip past the US falls, right to the base of Horseshoe. Once you’re done marveling at the power of the water flow at Journey Behind the Falls, head up the river and take a high-speed jet boat through the Niagara Gorge and its class V-VI rapids. Then sample beers you’ll never find in the States along the Niagara ale trail with stops at Niagara Brewing — right by the falls — and Oast House, a brewery set inside a barn in the heart of Ontario wine country.

Byron Bay, Australia

Music festivals have become a summer tradition on par with road trips and T-shirt-shaped sunburns. And sure you COULD drive to your nearest Live Nation-approved festival and see names like Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, and Vampire Weekend. But wouldn’t it be more fun to head to the easternmost point in Australia and see all those people plus the Wombats, MGMT, Franz Ferdinand, and dozens of other bands in the temperate winter down under? Of course it would, so go ahead and blow your 2018 festival budget on Australia’s biggest festival, Splendour in the Grass, held July 20-22 in tranquil Byron Bay. Beyond the festival, Byron Bay has some of the most unheralded beaches on the continent, plus a hinterland rainforest and plenty of trails traversing it all.

Idaho

Even though it got its own dark sky preserve last year and spots like Sandpoint and Stanley are lauded as outdoor paradises, Idaho is still the undiscovered gem of the Pacific Northwest. And no time of year does it shine brighter than July, when biking through the Sawtooth Mountains, rafting the Snake River, or perusing the breweries and greenways of hipper-than-you-realize Boise can all be done under cloudless skies. On July 14, the northern resort town of Coeur d’Alene welcomes From the Ashes, sort of a mad science fair of smoked foods. More than a simple barbecue throwdown, this festival gives pitmasters from Idaho, South Carolina, Texas, and New York City (NEW YORK CITY??) custom-built equipment to test modern takes on smoked food, served alongside a bounty of local craft beers.

Turkey

This is one of those world destinations where you really have to separate the acts of the government — currently the world leader in imprisoning journalists — from reality of regular restaurateurs and hoteliers and tour guides who would love to welcome you. So on the assumption you still want to see one of the world’s oldest, most fascinating cradles of civilization, this is not the worst time to do so (tourism isn’t exactly at an all-time high). Places like Istanbul and the coastal city of Ankara won’t be nearly as clogged with visitors, and considerably cheaper. To best experience the ancient ruins, natural wonders, and exotic culture of the country, Intrepid Travel offers a 12-day tour for about $1,100 that’ll have you cycling along the shores of Lake Gokova before soaking in nearby thermal mud baths. You’ll also tour historic World War II battlefields, kayak over sunken cities, hike through pine forests, and spend time in the town of Antalya, a waterfront gem just a few miles from the Greek Islands. Along the way, you’ll probably answer a few questions from curious fellow travelers about what the hell, exactly, is going on in Washington DC these days.

ST. LOUIS ZOO, MISSOURI | CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE/GETTY IMAGES

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is one of the great bargain American destinations, where top attractions like Forest Park, the zoo, the art museum, and the science center are all free. This month also brings the grand opening of the $380 million Gateway Arch renovation, where the city’s signature landmark reopens with 11 acres of new park space, 7.5 acres of gardens, a bridge over the highway from downtown, and live music at the new amphitheater. It’s also the height of baseball season, and few scenes in baseball rival that of Ballpark Village outside Busch Stadium before Cardinals games. Add in a cold, refreshing trip to the original Budweiser Brewery and you’ve got the best cheap US destination to hit in July.

NANJING ROAD, SHANGHAI | DOWELL/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES

Shanghai, China

One of the biggest logistical pains in travel is getting visas. But Shanghai is making it a little easier for you to visit now, allowing US visitors to stay in the city visa-free for up to 144 hours (six days). Shanghai has sunk millions into redeveloping its waterfront at The Bund, where you’ll stroll by Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, and Renaissance architecture with striking views of the modern skyline across the river. Want to get in your summer theme park fix? Shanghai’s got its own Disneyland. Or relax in the more-classical Yuyuan Garden after a hectic day of shopping in along Nanjing Road.

New Hampshire

For outdoor-adventure types in the east, no place beats New Hampshire in July. White Mountain National Forest is more green than white this time of year, with some of the best mountain biking and off-road cycling trails in the country. Kayaking and canoeing along Squam Lake makes for a calm, serene mountain getaway. Or hit Newfound Lake in the state’s Lake Region for the largest freshwater swimming beach in the state. For the extreme athlete, July 8 brings the Loon Mountain Race, where competitors climb more than 2,000 vertical feet over the course of 6.5 miles, including the Upper Boss ski run. Afterwards, relax at the RiverWalk Resort, which in addition to a massive lagoon pool also has a small winery onsite where you can nurse your sore muscles with a nice glass of rosé.

CALGARY, CANADA | JEFF WHYTE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Calgary, Alberta

If you love country-western anything, there may be no better place ever than Calgary in July. That’s when this Canadian prairie city hosts the annual Calgary Stampede, where more than a million people attend the 10-day festival that’s as much about the parties as it is about the biggest purse in outdoor rodeo. Nightly concerts include headlines like Brad Paisley and Luke Bryan, with plenty of smaller country bands playing venues around a city that’s striving to be the Austin of Canada. If live animals get old, head about 80 minutes outside of the city to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the only solely dedicated paleontology museum in world. In July, it offers opportunities for you to join in on an actual live dig and maybe find some dino bones.

Story by Thrillist.