Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
301
see the Ar t Deco
theater
for the price of a mo vie ticket any night. Also on the gr ound
floor is the
Catalina Island Museum
(
&
310/510-2414;
www.catalinamuseum.org),
which explores 7,000 years of island history including fascinating exhibits of archaeology,
steamships, big bands, and natural histor y. The museum has a contour relief map of the
island that's helpful to hikers. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors,
$2 for kids age 5 and abo ve, free for children 4 and under; it 's included in the price of
Discovery's Casino Tour (see “Catalina 's Grand Casino” above). The museum is open
daily from 10am to 4pm (closed Thurs Jan-Mar).
Around the point fr om the Casino lies
Descanso Beach Club
(
&
310/510-7410
), a
mini-Club Med in a priv ate cove. While you can get on the beach y ear-round, the club 's
facilities (including sho wers, r estaurant/bar, sandy beach, v olleyball lawns, dance ar ea, and
thatched beach umbrellas) are only open from Easter to September 30. Admission is $1.50.
About 1
1
/
2
miles fr om downtown Avalon is
Wrigley Memorial and B otanical Gar-
den
(
&
310/510-2595
). The specialized gardens, a pr oject of A da Wrigley, showcase
plants endemic to California's coastal islands. It's open daily from 8am to 5pm; admission
is $5 for adults, free for children 11 and under.
DIVING, SNORKELING & SEA KAYAKING
Snorkeling, scuba diving, and sea kayaking ar e among the main r easons mainlanders
head to Catalina. Catalina I sland's naturally clean water and giant kelp for ests teeming
with marine life hav e made it a r enowned diving destination that attracts exper ts and
beginning divers alike.
Casino Point Marine Park,
Southern California's first city-desig-
nated underwater park, was established in 1965 and is located behind the Casino . Due
to its conv enient location, it can get outrageously cr
11
owded in the summer (just like
everything else at that time of y ear).
Catalina D ivers S upply
(
&
800/353-0330
or 310/510-0330; www .catalinadivers
supply.com) runs two full-service dive shops: one from a large trailer behind the Casino
at the edge of A valon's underwater park, where they offer guided snor keling tours and
introductory scuba div es; and another at the G reen Pier, where they launch boat div es
aboard the
Scuba Cat.
The three best locations for snor keling are
Lover's Cove Marine
Preserve, Casino Point Marine Park,
and
Descanso Beach Club. Catalina Snorkeling
Adventures,
at Lover's Cove (
&
877/SNORKEL
[877/766-7535]), offers snor kel-gear
Tips
Instan t Massaging
After a full day of island activity, why not pamper yourself with a relaxing profes-
sional massage in the privacy and comfort of your hotel room? Make a reserva-
tion with
Massage by Michelle
(
&
310/510-8920;
www.catalinamassage
bymichelle.com) and she'll tote her table and oils to you. Michelle specializes in
sports, deep tissue, Swedish, Thai, Swede-Thai combo, and pregnancy massage.
Other treatments include heavenly aromatherapy wraps, sugar glow, body pol-
ishing, foot scrubs, peppermint scalp massage, couples massages, and lavender
or honey facial massages. Michelle works in 50- to 80-minute increments, offers
packages, and caters to groups. If you're just visiting for the day, Michelle offers
her own pampering facility for you to visit. Prices range from $85 to $135.
