Catalina Island – 4th of July – Not Another LA Blonde

It’s another TRAVEL TUESDAY over here at Not Another LA Blonde! So for those of you who are unfamiliar, Catalina is an Island about hour boat ride from the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. My family and I have been going pretty much every summer since I was just a few weeks old. My grandparents have 2 houses on the island, so we always have somewhere to stay.

Hubby and I went over with my dad for 4th of July in 2019 and met my dads brother (with his wife and daughter) and my dads sister (she lives on the island part time and works there) over there. I can’t remember why my mom and brother didn’t come with us.

July 3:

We left out of the Port of Long Beach (you can leave out of either port but Long Beach tends to have more boats and better hours) and upgraded our tickets to sit in the Commodore Lounge on the Catalina Express.

We got there at about 9pm and dropped our bags at the house and went to grab some dinner with my aunt. We ate at the Lobster Trap and all 4 of us enjoyed our dinners. After dinner we met up with my aunt, uncle and cousin at the El Galleon where they do karaoke after 9pm.

July 4:

Hubby and I took a walk out to the casino before meeting my dad for breakfast at Toyon Grill (this is where my aunt was working at the time).

I got the avocado toast with bacon & egg and my dad and Robert got the Toyon Bay burrito (breakfast burrito).

During the day, the city of Avalon puts on a parade so we watched for a little bit before going to find a space on the beach. Hubby and I spent the rest of the day on the beach getting some sun before heading back to the house to meet up with my dad.

We bbq’d with the family and then went to watch the fireworks on the rooftop of the restaurant where my aunt worked. She reserved us a table and met us when she got off of work.

July 5:

We spent the day at the beach and then decided to go parasailing. My dad didn’t want to go up so just Robert and I did it, but luckily he was able to come on the boat with us and watch.

We ate dinner at Bluewater Grill which is located right on the water. We sat outside and had an amazing view. We took the last boat out that night and headed home.

There are so many great places to eat and to stay in Avalon. I highly recommend going once things are safe and open again. A lot of the restaurants are closed right now during the winter months and won’t open again until mid March. This is a great place for a weekend getaway or even a day trip if you plan it out right! I also highly recommend the Descanso Beach Club if you want to spend the day on the beach but have the resort experience. You can rent a day bed or a cabana where you can enjoy food and drink all day on site.