This is my second time taking this class. I really enjoy learning the history of Catalina Island…read moreand Catalina Tile. Loved it so much the first time that I had to come back and bring my husband (huge history buff). Robin is a great host and full of information. Excited to receive our finished tiles in a couple weeks.

We have been visiting Catalina annually for 25yrs. This was our first time going to Silver Canyon…read morePottery to make tiles, and we wish we went a long time ago! Robin was great at providing us with a quick history lesson and she was awesome at teaching us how to make the tiles. We can't wait to see the finished tiles. Definitely do this on your first visit to the island!

Catalina Island Library: A Hidden Gem for Community Connection…read more RELAXING MEETS READING ON THE ISLAND Sure you're on the island and the beach is nearby, enhance you're dopamine. Check out a book and get the best to nurture your soul and mind. The Catalina Island Library though officially Avalon Library, is a small space that goes beyond its shelves of books to become a true sanctuary for the community. Nestled on this picturesque island, the library is more than just a quiet place to read--it's a safe haven for youth, especially during after-school hours when parents are often juggling demanding work schedules to make ends meet. SAFE SPACES FOR GROWING MINDS What sets this library apart is its deep commitment to being a hub for connection and support. For many families, it offers a reliable and welcoming space where youth can feel safe and out of trouble creating a sense of intimacy and community that larger institutions sometimes lack. Although there is no GED program on site, adults can participate in digital learning. I support an onsite program so parents can have credentials and work ONE sustainable job. The two job grind at no joke. LIBRARIES ARE MORE THAN BOOKS Catalina Island Library exemplifies the idea that libraries are about more than books--they are vital community anchors. By providing a safe space for youth and continued connection for learning, this library stands as a reminder of why supporting libraries matters now more than ever. INVEST IN LIFELINES FOR OUR COMMUNITIES Let's continue to invest in all libraries. If there's any initiative on any ballot about the libraries to preserve them vote "yes", no matter what city county state or country. Catalina Island Library, is where everybody knows your name (get the pun)? Libraries are not just repositories of knowledge--they are lifelines for those who need them most. *Librarian service: Fantastic Librarian knowledge: Morgan is personable and and librarian approved *Cozy seating: Meh WiFi and computers: Very good *Wireless provider: I have At&t and had 5 bars across the island NOTEWORTHY If you're on a Cruise get off the ship and spend your day in Port at the library. "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." ----Booker T. Washington #AvalonLibrary #Catalinalibrary #SaveLibraries

Very clean and organized library. It has a small desk with outlets as well (only sits 8 people at…read morethe desk I'm at). The mini-libraries they curate seem to be everywhere on the island, which I'm a big fan of. The building itself is modern and definitely not musty like some can be, and the front desk attendant was efficient at answering any questions I had.

I visited RUTH MAYERS GALLERY on Catalina Island with some High School Friends . I am also an…read moreartist , so I wanted to go on the weekend when they have the annual Art Festival. Iam so glad I went because I was fortunate to meet Ruth Mayer who was painting another beautiful painting of the Casino & the amazingly beautiful water. She was so friendly & interesting to talk with. My friends & I also went again to visit her Art Gallery which is where we spent at least a hour viewing with awe The many beautiful paintings of Ruth's. Meeting with Ruth's son at the gallery made our visit even more enjoyable. He was very knowledgeable & shared some interesting stories about his mothers art. I highly recommend anyone visiting the Island to see all the gorgeous art in the Gallery located on Summer Pl.

At first impression, this looked like a cute little gallery with prolific and diverse pieces of…read moreart. But a chance conversation with the store manager made me do a complete double-take. I was extremely surprised to find that all these works were completed by the same person! Her paintings included portraits, cityscapes, serene beachscapes, animals, whimsical figures, and abstract collages. She also has an impressive mastery of capturing the movement of light within her paintings. In one framed print that contained sailboats docked along the shoreline amidst the dusk and illuminating moonlight, the store manager (who also happens to be the painter's son) showed us how the setting quickly transformed into an effervescent dawn scene by just adjusting the power on the halogen light bulb that shone onto the painting. It was amazing, and I was soon lusting after the piece. Unfortunately, it was out of my price range, and I had to walk away before I blew off next month's rent. My boyfriend did end up purchasing one smaller print, which depicted vivid blue and rose views of the sunset and the water along the bay. The store manager was very nice and friendly, often telling us stories about a few paintings. We could tell that he was very proud of his mom. We walked away very happy with the purchase, and we look forward to visiting this and the Laguna beach store if we're ever in the area.

Small but bright, informative, interesting museum on the Island. Lots of local history exhibits…read more They had a looping movie about local history done in a mix of newsreel and TV news styles fitting the era & topic presented. Cool. Surprised to learn about the Island's connection to Marilyn Monroe, Wrigley chewing gum, and the Chicago Cubs. The museum also was hosting several artists' exhibitions. Narsiso Martinez's artwork depicting California agricultural labourers was particularly impressive. Some of the works don't get shown to the public often. One of the museum's docents gave interesting background on the artist and the backstory for some of the art pieces. If on Santa Catalina Island, this museum is worth a visit.

June 26 & July 5, 2025 | Catalina Island Avalon | The Catalina Island Museum is a great way to know…read moremore about the beautiful island, including its history! Experience | It was amazing learning more about Catalina Island: history, the famous people on the island, including Marilyn Monroe, as well as well-known Writers/Authors, incredible art pieces, sculptures, pottery, photography & even the blueprint of the spectacular Casino... and so much more! Lights, Camera, Action | There is also a sit down Theater inside the museum where you can watch a 15 minute movie about the history of Catalina Island! Tickets | $12 | Admission throughout the two-level museum, both indoor and outdoor! Stairs and elevator accessible! Gift Shop | Fun books, postcards, beautiful tiles, souvenirs, jewelry, figurines, Bath & body products ... The gift shop has it all! Overall | I enjoyed every moment at the museum, as Catalina Island Avalon is one of my favorite places! Exploring the museum is a great way to know more about the island and it's history!

A friend and I visited this gallery in spring 2026 and each created paintings, and I bought an…read moreadditional painting. Gregor (?) was an excellent instructor, very patient and lowkey. The paintings are beautiful.

Although I didn't buy anything here, I did have a good time watching others go in and participate…read more The art looks really interesting in both concept and finished product. I see a few negative review here but I can only judge based on what I saw as we walked by and watched others taking part. It looked fun. I'd get one but I've literally nowhere to put it unless I start nailing artwork to the ceiling.

We love Mt Ada and have been visiting for many years since Suzie and Marlene were the attentive,…read morepersonal and most professional owners and concierge. The management has changed since and is now run by concierge who treated us like criminals, not guests. We were punished publically our first morning in the entryway by Liz demanding the keys to our golf cart with her hand outstretched. We broke their 4 persons to a golf cart rule when they observed via their spy cam late the cold night before that my son, after running up the hill to keep up with us, jumped aboard at the last minute and sat on the spacious bench seat with our two other kids. Liz continued to interrupt our breakfast defending her actions. We called the local police who said there is no law against 5 to a golf cart. The Inn feels more rule oriented now versus customer service oriented. Sadly much of the place is falling apart with plumbing issues, mold, rotting wood, stained carpet and peeling paint etc. We hope to return when new staff is hired and when they focus on the restoring this most precious historical Inn.

I'm a bit of a Mt Ada regular; this was my 6th stay and, due to the rainy/windy weather, the most…read moresurreal. I stayed just after the long Valentines/Presidents Day weekend. All boats to and from Catalina Island were cancelled on 2 days of my visit, forcing other guests to change their travel plans. I ended up being the sole guest for all 3 nights of my stay here! With some whispers of Mt Ada being haunted (but not as many as Banning House Lodge in Two Harbors), I was a bit concerned, but fortunately had no paranormal experiences. To briefly review Mt Ada's history, it was once the Catalina home of William Wrigley Jr. and family, of chewing gum and Chicago Cubs fame. He was instrumental in putting Catalina "on the map", and his descendants still own the Catalina Island Company, which runs Mt Ada, Hotel Atwater, Pavilion Hotel and Banning House Lodge, as well as other businesses. All my stays at Mt Ada have been with the Company, although it was previously run as a private B&B. Mt Ada still runs as a B&B, as opposed to a hotel. It's a pricey stay but has many many perks that justify the expense. These include transportation to and from the boat or helicopter terminals, use of a golf cart throughout your stay, daily made-to-order breakfast and lunch, pre-breakfast continental breakfast, afternoon wine/cheese/charcuterie, 24-hour butler's pantry with snacks like gelato, chips, cookies and popcorn plus alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, discounts on Island Company tours and activities. Currently there are about 4 main people interacting with guests at Mt Ada, plus "behind the scenes" kitchen and housekeeping staff. My past reviews have mentioned a stay here is more like a visit to a home, as opposed to a hotel. There will be times when you may not see any staff (especially at night). But Pierre, Liz, Tim and Yoli (Yollie?) work their hardest to accommodate guest needs--they are the chauffeurs, front desk, waiters, luggage handlers, concierges, etc. I applaud them all. One of Mt Ada's pluses is its location on the hill (Mt Ada) above Avalon Bay, even above the main Bay viewpoint that all the rental golfcarts stop at (traffic jams are common here). It's quite peaceful, although in busy times the noise from "downtown" does carry uphill. Mt Ada has 6 rooms. The room I booked was the Grand Suite, Mr. Wrigley's former bedroom. It's the largest room, with a separate living and bedroom, a bathroom with a separate shower and tub, and a large terrace above the first floor terrace. It has a fireplace, as do 3 other rooms, and a raised bed that requires stairs to access, as does one other room. The living room has an antique "radio" that is seen in photos with Mr. Wrigley. There are radio stations hand-written on it; I was appalled to see "graffiti" defacing this historic relic. The terrace is fabulous, but alas the weather prohibited much use; I feared the high winds would blow the cushions on the chaise lounges over the railing. Even the dining tables on the first floor terrace were stored; in more temperate weather it's the loveliest place to enjoy breakfast or lunch. The breakfast and lunch menus have some new items and some old faves. Once again a fabulous and peaceful stay. Thanks again to all the staff. With the Pavilion Hotel reopening soon, Mt Ada may be the next property to undergo renovations. I hope it does not lose its charm or homey character.

We had a fantastic time visiting Catalina Island. If you're…read moredeciding on what to do while you're here, I highly recommend booking one of the island tours. It's a great way to get a layout of the land, we learned a ton about the history of Avalon, and the views from the overlooks high above the harbor are absolutely spectacular. Another major highlight was doing the self-guided tour of the historic Catalina Casino. Getting to walk through the grand ballroom at your own pace is great, but the real prize is stepping out onto the massive wraparound terrace. The views of the harbor and the ocean from up there are incredible. It's easily one of the best photo ops on the entire island.

It isn't what it used to be like in 2014. It's a pain trying to book the Catalina express from Dana…read morePt. Small boats and not as many. So you're stuck with having to go to Long Beach. Plan for three hours if you're coming from San Diego due to the absolutely horrible traffic issues. If you take the toll rd, expect to pay the fine if you don't pay ahead, you get the ticket.Late. That being said, I was so taken aback, from how lovely it used to be in 2014.The ocean in front of the beach right off the dock used to be kept clear all the way the docking area. Now, they just fill up the bay.There's about 30 ft of beach and then about fifty feet of water before it is blocked off by buoys. Filthy. Smelly. Filled with screaming kids.Foot traffic going over u. I imagine the pcb's in that area are immense. The epa should be taking tests. Many of the private homes have been turned into hotels and Airbnb's.The Catalina Hotel was a dump, you can't secure windows.Loud.Dirty. Everything we wanted to do was booked up many days in advance, so give months of advance for your reservations and expect to pay a lot for whatever you do. We were going to the ghost tour, but they said he decided to take the night off.So the buffalo tour. Nope.Spa day.Nope.Don't even think about doing much on a Sunday a lot of businesses r closed.There are also a lot of restaurants,not many had good yelp reviews. Food & service terrible. Chinese restaurant we went to in 2014?Closed years ago.The new one got such bad reviews we didn't even bother. Herds of people.Loads of gas smoke from idling carts.U have to walk everywhere because cart drivers don't want to take you anywhere except back to the shuttle.If you are handicapped, forget it! I have contacted the ADA about this situation. There's one company that has the monopoly, I think it's illegal to do this. I have sent an email to the state attorney general about such a monopoly. Forget it if you need to catch a shuttle - you need to get a cab at least an hour before. It took us 45 minutes to get a shuttle back to the boat - after calling three cabs. I wonder if the Wrigley's only gave this one company permits for cabs?No real competition. They couldn't care any less about you.Line upon line for food, and I don't know if it is just there are no health regulations, or what.i used to review food for Knight-Ridder.I was disgusted.The things we saw the waiters do-clean the floor, the chair and then the table with the same towel.I threw up a little in my mouth.I guess a private island doesn't fall under California health laws. I plan to see what health dept regulates them, if any. Maybe it's up to the Wrigley's and they just don't care. It was a sorry excuse for the Wrigley's preservation of the island (they now have a university teaching preservation on the mainland! Really?), the golf carts are spewing gas fumes - there are so many now-and they rent out four seaters, no two-seaters and forget about having it a weekend. That will cost you a grand. So all these vehicles are clogging the roads and they have a Von's now. Trust me when I tell you you'd have a way better time on the mainland, anywhere else. I once included the island in a travel book, not now. Many of the hotels do not have elevators, or anyone to carry your luggage. The streets there are just packed with people. Herds. It is very difficult to get anywhere. There is no elegance. There are very few stores where there are not people harassing you to make a sale, and the nice people have been there for a while and thinking about selling because of these rude people traveling there. Loud - always. Save your vacation for somewhere lovely.Go to Malibu. Chico. Anywhere else. We took the 5:00 (or thereafter) shuttle out and that whole trip we had to listen to this retired guy from the shuttle fleet who didn't sit in his chair, he stood up talking to a member of the staff who was telling his whole life story. Both of them very loud and the guy leaning on the galley snack bar and swearing, and talking about things that really should have been talked about elsewhere. The guy next to my daughter always standing and leaning into the back of his seat with his hands on the chair like he was humping it, so his crotch was about two feet from my daughter and he kept pushing the seat back and forth. Aren't you supposed to sit in a seat? She didn't want to switch seats with me. She put her ear buds in and leaned up against me. I got a migraine from just coming home. Going there people had slept, but it was impossible with those two carrying on nearly the whole time. Employee. The whole trip was disgusting. Save your money, go somewhere you'll enjoy yourself. Seriously. If the Wrigley's don't care, neither should you. So many other places to go. If you've been before and loved it, save those memories, it's just a garbage can now.

On a one day visit to Catalina Island, there is so much to do, see and eat…read more To start, rent a golf cart or wear good walking shoes because this port is not too big for tourist exploration. There is also a "Circuit" ride share that will take you around the island for $2 per person. Coming in by tender from a cruise ship is great. The docking area is in town and so close to everything. I exited the tender and walked along the waterfront where I passed a few children's playgrounds with a pirate theme. Then on to where the golf carts are rented. I walked to the pier (Green Pier) where there are bathrooms and many small shops all hoping for the tourist business. They carry the typical port souvenirs. After a long walk on this short pier I got to the end where there is many people fishing with poles and the little set ups they will sell you for a few dollars and the bait too. There are plenty of benches to sit and watch the boat come in and out of the harbour. There is a small beach area that has lots of pretty colored little rocks along the shoreline. The walk to the round Casino Building is pretty much the end of the road before a mountainside resort. I passed by some waterfront restaurants that were even crowded on a cloudy day. My walk back to the tender was quick and the ride back to the cruise ship was also pretty nice and calm.

Catalina island interior is the best place to experience nature without having to travel far. We…read morehave toured the interior quite a few times. We booked a tour once to see bisons but didn't get to see animals cause it was raining. The tours we went by ourselves were much better! We saw many wild animals including bisons! The interior vineyard is so beautiful. The trips were very enjoyable but a bit of too much sun for me. Wear sunscreen and a hat to prevent sun exposure! Keep in mind that it takes 20 years to be able to buy a real car on island. Only one golf cart is allowed per residence. There are no spaces for real cars and more golf carts in Avalon. Our family and friends live here so they have a real car to take us to interiors. Yes you will need a real car to do that! Avalon has enough restaurants and bars to hang out. Casino is also a movie theater to show older movies on certain weekend evenings. They offer tours of this historic casino too. They host NYE gala every year. Beach club is great for summer times. Museum is small but still worth taking a tour. Too bad the spa has closed down, we used to go there all the time. This island has so much to offer. It's the best place for a lot of fun just a ferry ride away!

We loved the hotel. Located on a side street and away from the busy Front Street shops and…read morerestaurants. We stayed two nights, and it was great. Our room offered a nice balcony with views of the bay. The bed was comfortable and cozy. The bathroom was large. We had cups and a coffee maker along with a mini fridge, so it was everything we needed for our two night stay. They offer a continental breakfast each morning out on the patio, which is a peaceful spot to just sit, enjoy the firepit, and koi pond. Or the roof deck is awesome with a BBQ, tables and chairs and stunning views. They also offer trays so you can take your breakfast back to your room and have breakfast in bed. Spoiled! The staff couldn't have been more helpful, friendly and accommodating. Evelyn was awesome, thank you for the smiles and truly wonderful service throughout our stay. Off the boat, we went to drop our luggage to store until check-in. Fortunately we were there during the week, and our room was ready earlier, so we chilled a bit before heading out to explore and have lunch. They also held our bags upon check out. After we returned from an adventure, they allowed us to sit on the patio and enjoy the sun before we had to be at our boat. We couldn't have asked for a better stay, and we will absolutely go back. Just a note for anyone who has mobility issues. The hotel is awesome, but note that you have to walk part way up a little hill to reach the stairs to the small lobby. There are stairs to the lobby and depending on which floor your room is located, there is no elevator, just stairs. For someone in a wheelchair or needing a walker and unable to climb stairs, it is not doable.

My husband and I stayed at the Avalon hotel for 2 nights and had a great experience. The staff was…read moreso friendly and helpful! They held our luggage for us after we checked out while we waited for our ferry time to arrive. The reason one star was docked down was due to the fact it is located slightly up the hill & after cutting my foot on the rocks at the beach, was super hard to get up that hill, and their "breakfast" was only bagels and some other random pastry items. We've stayed at many hotels that offer free breakfast that have WAY more items to choose from, including a pancake/waffle bar, eggs, sausage & hash browns. For the price of the rooms, you'd think the hotel would offer more like a simple Best Western does. The room itself was clean and had a pretty view of the docks. Absolutely loved the staff though!!