Venice Beach, California
Do you love the atmosphere, food, and fun of being involved in a carnival? How about street vendors and artists? Do you love beaches, swimming, and waves? If the answer to these questions is “Yes”, you may just find that Venice Beach is your own personal paradise.
Venice Beach is like no other place on earth, with street vendors hawking their wares, beautiful waves crashing on the golden beaches, and artist’s easels as far as the eye can see. Originally built at the very beginning of the 20th century, Venice Beach has gone through a lot of changes and growth in the last century. The founder and builder, Abbot Kinney, had imagined an American version of Venice, Italy, with large canals and boats to take the residents to their destinations. Few of the canals originally dug by Kinney remain, but those that do have been transformed into a beautiful, postcard perfect area.
The beauty of the area has meant that many artists have moved to the Venice Beach area and made it their home. Aside from the paintings on easels there are also murals on almost every building, and even the lifeguard towers for the beach have been decorated! Everywhere you look you’ll see evidence of an artistic community.
Venice Beach is well-known for its free-spirited roots. The most famous person of the hippie era to make his home there was Jim Morrison of The Doors, but during that time period, almost everyone who lived in Venice was a part of the hippie movement. Gypsies are a large part of the scene at Venice, and so whether you’re looking for your palm to be read or your fortune to be told, you’ll find what you’re looking for in Venice.
It has a long, colorful history that is still be changed and added to today—visit Venice and see history in the making for yourself!