With a population of fewer than 4,000 people, the rocky Catalina Island off the southern coast of California attracts a million tourists a year — and for good reason.
With a population of fewer than 4,000 people, the rocky Catalina Island off the southern coast of California attracts a million tourists a year — and for good reason. The rugged nature of the interior offers unique hiking and biking excursions, while the surrounding waters welcome snorkelers, scuba divers, surfers, and sun bathers. Seafaring folk can tour the reefs and shipwrecks in a glass bottom boat, and catch a glimpse of the famous schools of flying fish.
Back on land, the Catalina Island Museum offers an in-depth look at the island's cultural heritage, as well as classes, lectures, and walking tours of Avalon, the island's only city. While the use of cars is limited on the island, bus tours of the interior are available, and bike and golf cart rental agencies are plenty. Annual events, such as the Jazz Trax Festival, the Community Hoe-Down, and the Rubber Ducky Derby, add even more color to this gorgeous getaway island, where visitors arrive by ferry, plane, or helicopter.
