Guide to Southern California Beaches Venice Beach

To say Venice Beach is an interesting place is like saying the ocean is moist. There is literally never a dull moment along this famous stretch of Southern California beach. It's not the sun, sand or water that makes this place unique. It's the colorful people who live, shop, perform and gather to form one of the most varied and amazing beachfront communities in the entire region. Downtown Venice is a fantastically varied area, with all kinds of shops, art galleries, restaurants and nightclubs.

Venice Beach is located almost exactly halfway between Los Angeles International Airport and Santa Monica and only a few miles from downtown Los Angeles. There is the famous Boardwalk nearby, which is a symbol of the area's emphasis on walking instead of driving (or sitting in traffic) like everywhere else in L.A. Like Zuma Beach, Venice is a location of choice for both directors and television producers as a conveniently located "California" location for movies and television shows.