Catalina Island
There's a bustle and energy to Catalina island that excites and invigorates children and adults alike. Avalon city, where the water taxi from Long Beach, California arrives, is a colorful band of artisan shops and restaurants fringed along the beach, where children can splash or enjoy water sports.
The city -- one square mile in size -- also housed writer Zane Grey. During the 1920s, buffalo were brought to film one of his Westerns and the animals remain as a herd on the island today. Catalina was the playground for California's rich and famous in a bygone era. Wonderful stories of Hollywood legends abound. The island's best feature, though, is its isolation. It's located off the California coast, and has preservations of many unique plants and animals. These can be seen in various conservation areas and tours to the island's center. The Wrigley family (of chewing gum fame) helped make preservation possible -- they once owned the island and reserved a large portion of it to be used as an eco-sanctuary.
Recommendations: Explore this island from many different angles. Spend time in Avalon, camp out on the other side at designated areas, and take a Jeep tour to see unique plants and animals. Combine your trip to Catalina with a tour of Disneyland at Anaheim and a visit to Long Beach to see the Spruce Goose and the Queen Mary.
For more on Catalina Island:
http://www.catalina.com/main.html
