7 Things To Do in Venice Beach: Secret Highlighs of a Trip to LA

After my recent assignment to get to know my home city of Brighton in England’s new Twin City, Santa Monica (turns out the two seaside cities are more similar than I thought), I spent two days exploring its bohemian next-door neighbour.

If you’re researching things to do in Venice Beach, most articles or blog posts direct you to the world-famous muscle beach, the boardwalk, the skate park and sometimes, shopping on Abbott Kinney Boulevard. These Venice Beach icons are must-sees, of course.

But there’s another side to Santa Monica‘s edgy neighbour that you won’t find on most tourist itineraries which gets to the heart of the city. Let’s explore some things to do in Venice Beach, California.

This post is part of a popular travel series on Ellie & Co called Seven Secret Highlights featuring round ups of stylish, unique and characterful discoveries I make in the places I visit.

Other destinations in the series include my hometown of Brighton and the nearby town of Hastings on the south coast of England, Marrakech in Morocco, Seville in Spain and Beverly Hills in California.

Things to do in Venice Beach, California

1 Discover the Venice ‘walk streets’

Had I not been researching restaurants in Venice on Google Maps, I wouldn’t have known these urban gems existed.

The Venice Walk Streets are a set of pedestrian-only streets inland from the beach, dating back to the 1900s – part of tobacco tycoon Abbot Kinney’s vision to recreate Venice, Italy, in southern California, complete with the charming canals you can visit today.

Discovering one feels like falling down a rabbit hole into another era – elaborate gardens, gateways and kitschy artefacts adorn each property, and the houses are now some of the most expensive in Los Angeles.

Read my full guide to finding the Venice Walk Streets here.

2 Visit the Mosaic Tile House

I left the Saturday shopping and lunch crowds on Abbott Kinney Boulevard behind a while ago. As I strolled through the tree-lined residential streets of Venice, with their mishmash of single-story homes bathed in lunchtime LA light, I wondered how much further it was. Until I spotted a cluster of people up ahead and knew I must be close.

The Mosaic Tile House had drawn a small crowd, but its location away from the centre of town felt like discovering a city secret.

I couldn’t believe my eyes – a regular single-storey 1940s house, completely covered from path to front gate, roof to floor, with colourful collections of mosaic tiles.

Inside it’s the same – every square inch is covered in mosaics! Even if you don’t love this art style, it’s hard not to appreciate the work that’s gone into creating it.

Read my full guide to the The Mosaic Tile House here.

3 Wander around the Venice Canals

Ever wondered why Venice Beach is called Venice Beach? It’s all thanks to a visionary tobacco tycoon called Abbot Kinney, with an idea to recreate a city after its Italian city of Venice in 1905.

The Venice Canals Historic District, as it’s officially known, was part of this project. Today, it’s an exclusive three-block neighbourhood set around six man-made canals.

It’s so peaceful and hard to believe you’re just a minute’s walk east of Venice’s crowded boardwalks and traffic, and mile-long Abbot Kinney Boulevard with its shops, restaurants, and galleries.

Read my full guide to the Venice Canals, here.

4 Have lunch at Gjusta Bakery

Gjusta is not a city secret by any means and gets packed every day, especially at weekend brunch time. That said, it’s made it onto my hit list as a fun food destination to discover away from the Venice Beach drag. It also might just be the most beautiful bakery I’ve ever seen.

It’s set in a whitewashed warehouse-style building with wooden shutters. To the side, is a big sunlit cobbled courtyard garden hung with string lights and filled seats in the shade of a huge old olive tree.

To order food, head inside where you grab a numbered ticket and wait your turn. It can seem a bit chaotic if it’s busy – the line snaked out the door when I was there – but once you’ve eyed the tempting stacks of pastries, platters of salad, generous sandwiches, and pretty platefuls, there’s no turning back. While you wait in line, have a snoop at this hidden holiday apartment for two to rent above the bakery!

Find Gjusta at 320 Sunset Avenue, Venice

5 Drink cocktails in an original 1920 speakeasy

The Del Monte underground live music venue in the basement of a bar is the oldest bar in Venice with a fascinating history. Cesar Menotti opened his bar in 1915.

Though this drinking establishment is now called Townhouse, with the Del Monte Speakeasy in the basement, its early name, Menotti’s Buffet, can still be seen in tile near the front door.

It was a popular local gathering place since its opening, but when Prohibition began in 1920, Menotti got creative. The bar moved underground while he turned the upper level of his business into a grocery shop, laying out displays of fruits and veggies. Genius! Alcohol was brought in by boats from Canada and then smuggled via underground tunnels.

Imagine getting into Menotti’s Buffet during Prohibition. First, you had to know the speakeasy existed underneath a Venice grocery shop. Plus, you also had to know the bartender. And be willing to enter the bar via a tiny two-person, rope-operated dumbwaiter through a trapdoor. Needless to say, once Prohibition ended in 1933, a staircase was added.

Find the Del Monte inside Townhouse at 52 Windward Avenue, Venice

6 Find the El Bordello Alexandria Apartments

This is the most unique sight I stumbled upon while in Venice. One block from the Venice Beach boardwalk is a 1906 building decorated with bizarre murals and statues. It belongs to an artist couple, Tony Wells and Brittany Stevenson.

They bought it and named it El Bordello Alexandra: a nod to the building’s history, and Stevenson’s late friend. According to the LA Times, ‘It’s more than a building. It’s a vibe.’

There are nine apartments inside the building, the couple rent to artists, musicians, and other like-minded folks who don’t mind their home being gawked at by people like me. The owners continually add to the decorations outside the building, with art and murals by Brian Mylius, who lives in the building.

Find the apartments at 20 Westminster Avenue

7 The Peep Hole Box

This public art installation on the junction of Abbot Kinney Boulevard and Windward Avenue is by a local artist called, Robin Murez.

Peek through the tiny hole in the box and you’ll see old-fashioned pictures of the street it’s located on and a nearby area called Windward Circle in the early 1900s.

At this time the area was home to a canal and a lagoon with an 80-feet high diving platform, giant swing, and even a rollercoaster, all since long gone, obviously!

8 Spend the night at the storied Venice V Hotel

My favourite kinds of hotels are those set in reimagined historic buildings, like the Venice V in a 1915 landmark – originally The Waldorf – slap-bang on the Venice Beach boardwalk for sea views and watching the Venice Electric Light Parade.

When it originally opened, it was dubbed “the Crown Jewel of Venice” for its modern amenities like steam, heat, electricity and a telephone in each room.

Over the last century, the V has served as the backdrop for countless Hollywood films and has been home to early A-List stars, many of whom lived long-term in the penthouse bungalows – where I stayed!

During Venice Beach’s Golden Era, it hosted Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow. Later on, in the Sixties, it became a hangout for the Doors, and in the Seventies, it was home to skaters of the legendary Z-Boy crew.

Today it’s been completely refurbished, and many period details preserved, like the exposed interior steel beams, central staircase, and the lift with etched bronze doors, mahogany, and brass interior, alongside modern artwork, like the striking lobby mural of Venice visionary Abbot Kinney made of skateboard wheels.

Find the Venice V Hotel at 5 Westminster Avenue, Venice

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