Venice Beach Boardwalk050

One of southern California's most famous attractions is also one of its most interesting. There is a sandy three-mile beach here, but that is not what attracts visitors, who come to Venice's Boardwalk to shop and gawk.

For the entire length of colorful Ocean Front Walk (no actual boards on the walk), street performers, including instrumental musicians, singers, jugglers, acrobats, mimes, comics, magicians, and fortune tellers entertain tourist crowds. But in addition to the Boardwalk's sidewalk circus atmosphere, there are plenty of activities for locals and families.

There are courts for basketball, handball, shuffleboard, and paddle tennis. Just behind famed Muscle Beach, where fanatic bodybuilders pump iron in a public show of strength, there is a lovely children's playground sitting right on the edge of the beach. The view of the surfer-filled waves and Malibu mountains in the distance is a sight to behold while the little ones slide on the slides.

The Venice Beach Skate Park, completed in 2009, is a free, 16,000 square foot skate facility near Windward Ave. and Ocean Front Walk.

The Boardwalk covers more than a mile of Ocean Front Walk along the coast, but there are several key intersections. An important one is Washington Blvd., which has bike rentals, the fishing pier, and casual restaurants frequented by locals. Venice Blvd. signals the start of the really heavy tourist foot traffic, with lots of cheap eateries adjacent to the paddle tennis courts.

The public restrooms all along the Boardwalk are surprisingly well kept, and are cleaned on a regular basis. While the walk itself is made for stroller traffic, be aware that some of the shops have very narrow aisles that aren't quite as welcoming to four wheels.