Abbot Kinney's 'Venice of America': the shop-lined boulevard named after him, the 1905 canals, the Venice sign over Windward Ave and Muscle Beach Venice, then north along the boardwalk and beach path to the original Muscle Beach (1934) and the Santa Monica Pier.
Best time: Weekday morning for quiet canals, or late afternoon to reach the pier at sunset
The route, stop by stop
- 1Abbot Kinney Boulevard
A mile of shops and galleries from Main St to Washington Blvd, named for the developer of Venice (Wikipedia). Browse a stretch, then head south-east to the canals. 30 min.
- 2Venice Canals
Canals dug in 1905 by Abbot Kinney to recreate Venice, Italy (Wikipedia); now a residential historic district: walk the canal-side paths quietly. 30 min.
- 3Muscle Beach Venice
Outdoor weightlifting platform on Ocean Front Walk, the successor to the original Muscle Beach (Wikipedia). 10 min.
- 4Venice Sign
The VENICE sign over Windward Avenue near the beach (OpenStreetMap). 5 min.
- 5Original Muscle Beach
Birthplace of the US fitness boom in 1934, on the south side of the Santa Monica Pier (Wikipedia). Walk here along the Venice Beach Boardwalk and beach path. 10 min.
- 6Santa Monica Pier
Pier at the foot of Colorado Ave with a small amusement park, food stands and fishing spots (Wikipedia). E Line Downtown Santa Monica is a 5-10 minute walk. 40 min.
More walks in Los Angeles
- Broadway: the Historic Core and its movie palaces
- El Pueblo, Union Station and Chinatown
- Little Tokyo and the Arts District
- Bunker Hill: library, steps, Angels Flight and Grand Avenue
- Silver Lake stairways: Micheltorena to the Music Box Steps
- Griffith Park: Fern Dell up to the Observatory, down to the Greek
- Hollywood Boulevard beyond the stars: movie palaces and old Hollywood
- Old Pasadena to the Colorado Street Bridge