Top Catalina Island Art & Culture

Discover life under the surface of the Pacific Ocean on a glass-bottom boat tour from Catalina Island. Board your vessel in Avalon and enjoy views of colorful fish, coral, and other sea life while you sail. Listen to commentary from your captain about the local ecology and enjoy a relaxing time on this boating adventure.

Make the most of your time on picturesque Catalina Island—and explore the major highlights of the Avalon area—on this private golf-cart tour. Pick between numerous tour times, and meet your guide at your preferred local address. Then, hop aboard your golf cart for a fun and zippy way to explore. You’ll see landmarks like the Catalina Casino, will visit Pebbly Beach, will admire the Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Garden, and more.

For those who want to explore Catalina Island's town of Avalon at their own pace, this downloadable app is a great option. Download at your leisure and walk around the town; the commentary will play automatically as you hit each local highlight. The tour will answer all of your questions and provide you with hidden facts and figures about this exclusive island and town.

Take a trip down memory lane to the days when bands were big and movies were just beginning to talk. The Catalina Casino epitomizes everything glamorous about Santa Catalina Island. You'll see the extraordinary Art Deco murals and a classic 1929 pipe organ inside the Avalon Theatre, which still shows nightly movies on its massive screen. A short film is shown highlighting the history of this iconic building and its Hollywood connection. This tour requires uphill walking inside the casino.

See what lives in the Pacific waters surrounding Catalina Island on a 45-minute underwater cruise. As you sit comfortably in a climate-controlled cabin on board a large boat, you'll glide five feet (1.5 meters) below the surface to look for marine life in their natural habitat out of your own porthole. Along the way, listen to live commentary from a guide.

Discover the underwater world of Catalina Island during a 45-minute ride on a semi-submarine. The semi-sub allows you to view the marine life of Avalon Bay as you dive six feet (two meters) below the surface at Lovers' Cove. Stay dry as you get a close look at fish feeding around the submarine, then take in views of the island from your vessel's top deck during the return journey to Avalon.

Go back to the days when bands were big and movies were just starting to talk with a guided tour of the Catalina Island Casino. Dating back to 1929, the casino symbolizes the glamorous era of Santa Catalina Island and is home to art deco murals. Watch a brief film about the building's history and connection to Hollywood and see the 1920s pipe organ inside the Avalon Theatre, which still shows movies on its large screen.