Venice Beach, California Should Be Voted America's Top Beach

Whether it's family fun, solitary meandering or social well-being you're after, this public beach is poised to please. Families with small children usually gather along the one-mile stretch of beach located between the Marina del Rey pier and the jetty due to it's proximity to play areas, bathrooms, and parking. Surfers also enjoy this stretch of the beach; they can often be seen catching a wave off the jetty.

For a more laid back experience, walk, bike or blade about 200 yards north of the jetty along the bike path. This area of the beach is the best place for casual beach-goers looking for a broad, sandy beach away from the crowd. It remains peaceful - even on holiday weekends! There is plenty of room for volleyball, Frisbee and kickball; or to watch passerby from the comfort and tranquility of your beach blanket.

Feel free to bring along your flippers, snorkel equipment and boogie board so you can cool off in the refreshing ocean water; Venice Beach has an "A" rating for water quality. This rating conveys the trend of bacteriological levels over the last 30 days. The Los Angeles County Ocean Water Monitoring Program for Environmental Health tests the water quality each Monday.

Venice Beach attracts an eclectic crowd of tourists, bohemians, local sun worshipers, sports enthusiasts, bikers, street performers and artists. The best way to appreciate all the sights and sounds of Venice is to walk along the wheelchair-friendly boardwalk on a sunny afternoon. If you're lucky you will see DJ Hymn playing his guitar as he glides by on rollerblades or the Snake Man of Venice expertly balancing on a stepladder while cycling through a series of poses with two rubber cobras in one hand and a soccer ball in the other. You'll also want to stop by Muscle Beach to see what all the hype is about; there is always something exciting happening!

Few tourists leave empty-handed; artists and vendors come early to set out their modestly-priced paintings, photographs and souvenirs. An afternoon can pass easily while admiring their unique creations. Some visitors may also be persuaded to adorn themselves with Henna body tattoos, authentic tattoos, body piercings and the like. Others may choose to have their futures told by a Tarot card or Palm reader. Whatever your pleasure, you'll most likely find it along the boardwalk!

Riding along the bike path is a great way to take in the scenic beauty of Venice Beach and boardwalk all at once. You will ride past playgrounds, basketball courts, storefronts and the Venice Art Walls. Artists with valid permits are welcome to express themselves and paint on the walls. Although some artists have expressed themselves on the nearby bike path and palm trees, this is still an interesting photo opportunity. There is often an impressive display of quality artwork, but take your photos quickly, they won't last long.

In addition to the sandy beach, the boardwalk and the bike path, the buildings themselves can often draw a crowd. Venice Beach was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as "Venice of America" and was originally intended to be a resort town. Venice was architecturally built to mirror its namesake, Venice, Italy - complete with a Grand Canal. This canal has since been paved over and is now known as Winward Circle. If you walk past the Best Western on 17^th Avenue, you'll notice remnants of trolley tracks in the street; at one time Venice and Santa Monica were connected by an electric trolley which serviced thousands of locals and tourists.

From 1920s Bungalows to million dollar homes there is plenty to enjoy. Take a walk around town to see hand-painted murals of Jim Morrison on Speedway and 18^th Place, Homage to a Starry Night on Ocean Front Walk, and Venice Beach on the boardwalk.

When you have finished admiring the local artwork, you'll want to take a short walk to the other side of Pacific Avenue and enter the canal community on Venice Blvd. Here you can enjoy a peaceful walk along the sidewalks and bridges of the canals; the quiet atmosphere will take you a world away from the hustle and bustle of Pacific Avenue.

Venice Beach has something for everyone and it draws tourists from around the world. Why wouldn't it; after all, where else can you enjoy a boisterous day at the beach and a peaceful evening along the canals?