It's me again...What's the best way to spend the day on Catalina Island? Do we need a car to get around? We are also looking for a romantic place for lunch. Any ideas? Thank you!

I love Catalina. There are boat and inland tours to take, the snorkeling and diving are good but the water is chilly. No cars to rent only golf carts, but that's all you need.

Is the glass bottom boat excursion worth doing?

Logandog: Do you have to reserve these golf carts ahead of time or are there plenty to rent once you arrive? Thanks!

Glass bottom boats are a good way to see the fish and kelp without getting wet. Also cool are the flying fish boats that go out at night.
I think the golf carts are plentiful,but you can never be sure. They rent by the hour,day or half day. so there are frequent returns. The golfcart tour is very scenic with wonderful views of Avalon and the Pacific.

Take Catalina Express from San Pedro to Avalon. There you can rent a golf cart for an hour or two. You are not allowed to go into the interior with them, just around the town, and they give you a map for the directions. You can go up to Mt. Ada to see the view of the harbor from the Wrigley Mansion, but you have to be a guest to go inside.
During the summer, weekends and days the cruise ships are there, there is more of a demand for them. You can put your name in and go have lunch. Otherwise, Avalon is so small, you can walk everywhere. Avalon is filled with bars and restaurants, some on the pier, like Armstrongs, or the Busy Bee Cafe, or inland, like The Catalina Country Club for fancy.
8-)

logandog and MBnancy, thanks for the information. LOL, the Pacific Ocean was bitter cold in August so I think taking a swim in May would be out of the question...for me at least We're going on a Sunday mid-May. How is brunch at the Catalina CC?

A few years ago we took a jeep tour of the island and enjoyed it immensely. We got to see the buffalo which were left there during a movie shoot in 1924 and have grown considerably in numbers. We got up close to an injured American Eagle which was being cared for on the island. The tour driver was a Catalina native and had a lot of inside information.
http://www.catalinaconservancy.org/v...tion/tours.cfm
http://www.catalinainfo.com/Early.html
http://www.scico.com/

Thanks Maggi for the links -- great, great stuff. Catalina Island looks like a beautiful place to spend the day

Hi there, it's me again.

You've gotten good advice, I just wanted to add a few things.

Re: Glass Bottom boat tour. I personally don't think it's worth doing. I went last year with my daughter's field trip. The "glass" is actually scratched up plexiglass and visibility is lousy. The guides chum the water a few times and Garabaldi (sp?) fish swim underneath you for a few seconds and then they're gone.

There is, however, a different tour that uses a semi-submersible vessel where you look out the sides. I haven't tried that yet, but that may be a better option.

One other place I would recommend is Descanso Beach. After your golf cart excursion and walk around Avalon, take a walk past the Casino to Descanso Beach. There you can sit and enjoy the view while waiters bring you your favorite tropical drink. In my experience, the tourists don't venture that far past the casino, so it is relatively uncrowded.

lvk: Thanks for the feedback. I've gotten some terrific information and hope to make the most of the spectacular views and natural beauty of the island. Thanks for the tidbit about Descanso Beach - I can't think of a better way to spend time with my DH!

Thanks so much, everyone!

I am so glad I stumbled on this thread. We are going to be in laguna Beach area around first of July. We thought we would take a boat over and spend 4th of july there.

has anyone been here fro 4th of JULY celebrations?

and how long of a boat ride is it from Laguna or Dana Point?

Anne, we went once for the Fourth, it was fun, but very busy. They have a local, decorated golf carts, bicycles, wagons, etc. parade in town in the morning, and at night a Fireworks display. You would need to make reservations for your boat and hotel accomodations right now for that day, as I think the last boat back would leave before the fireworks. It is about a hour and half on the Express boat. The Pavillion Lodge is a great place to stay, steps from the water with a nice grass patio area.
8-)

Re: glass bottom boat versus semi-submersible - you definitely get better views from the latter. The best views however are from a snorkel mask You'll need a wetsuit in May and they have rentals set up right at Lover's cove on weekends.

If you decide to do a jeep/unimog tour through either the Catalina Conservancy or the Santa Catalina Island company, check to make sure that the interior road (the one heading to the airport) has been repaired. The heavy rains this season washed part of the road away and when we were there last month, it was still under repair with no definite date for completion. Neither the Conservancy nor SCICO mentioned anything to us about it when we called to inquire about inland tours. It wasn't until we got there that we found out.

We did end up doing an abbreviated trip on the east end which was scenic and interesting and an area that's not normally open for public tours but there are no bison to see on this side.

mbnancy - thanks for your responce!!! I have looked into hotels for just the 4th. Still trying to talk DH inot going....

Patty, I just saw your reponse. Thanks so much! I'll check and see if the road has been reopened. Are these jeep tours bumpy (over boulders and such as I see in Arizona)? Just wondering