A trip to Catalina Island will hold adventure, relaxation and an escape from the everyday only possible on this compelling island.

Catalina Island Bucket List

Catalina Island offers plenty of experiences and your bucket list should include them all. Here are five not to miss:

  • Trailhead Center: The Catalina Island Conservancy’s new Trailhead Center is a compelling gateway to the wildlands of Catalina. Not only is it a new face of the non-profit charging with protecting the island, it is a source for hiking permits, information about the island’s natural history and the starting point for the Catalina Island Conservancy’s popular Jeep Eco-Tours.
  • Vons: Early 2019 welcomed a new opportunity for shopping on Catalina Island – specifically grocery shopping for both residents and visitors. A new Vons grocery store opened on Beacon Street, replacing the two smaller Vons stores in Avalon.
  • Hotel Atwater: One of the island’s oldest hotels reopened in summer of 2019 after a multi-million-dollar renovation. The Hotel Atwater has been serving guests for nearly 100 years and its new look is a nod to that history while also offering modern services and conveniences.

No Catalina Island Bucket List would be complete without plans to #OptOutside. Like nowhere else on earth, Catalina Island offers a dramatic confluence of earth and sea, rewarding explorers with sheer cliffs, gentle beaches and powerful surf. Whether you choose to circumnavigate the island, camp at Blackjack, kayak at Little Harbor or just take a stroll around Avalon Harbor, every visit offers plenty of options for things to do on Catalina Island in the great outdoors.

Get creative: Catalina Island has inspired artists for generations. Photographers, painters and sculptors alike have interpreted the island in creative ways, crafting a myriad of art pieces that will endure for generations more. These days, Catalina Island continues to inspire and is a perfect place to discover – or rediscover – your own creativity. Whether you’re looking to write a novel, improve your plein air painting skills or just perfect your smart phone photo capabilities, let this year be the year Catalina Island is your muse.

Try something new: A Catalina Island vacation offers a wealth of opportunities to try something new. From learning to scuba dive to trying a new spa treatment and from ocean kayaking to escape rooms, you and your family will find that the things to do on Catalina Island invite exploration and innovation.

Go Green: Treading lightly on the earth is a resolution we can all add to our bucket list. On Catalina Island, thanks to some recent regulatory changes, it’ll easier to do just that. The Avalon City Council has banned polystyrene, so getting your grub to go will come with less impact on the earth. Over at the Trailhead, the Catalina Island Conservancy’s new building is one of the first on the island to be LEED certified. And on Jan.1, 2019 plastic straws disappeared from Avalon.

Get together: There’s no denying it – the island brings people together. Co-workers bond over unique team-building activities. Families come together to share time together on a Catalina Island vacation. Friends relax and unwind over cocktails and spa treatments. And couples forge a fiercer bond while exploring the Island of Romance. If your bucket list including spending time with those who matter, there’s no better place to do it than Santa Catalina Island.

Get away: There’s no denying it. Americans lead the way in missing out on getting away. More than any other country, we don’t use our time off and only you can fix that. Make sure this year you maximize your time getting away from it all. Need some inspiration? Click to download your free Catalina Island Visitors Guide.