Top 10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Catalina Island, California (CA)

Take a private tour with us and explore the wild side of Catalina Island. Your personal driver will pick you up in an open-air Jeep and show you picturesque views and share Catalina's rich history. Tours runs daily, you can choose one of our existing tours or call us to customize your own.

Diving Catalina is your gateway to underwater diving adventure in the waters off Catalina Island. Whether you’re looking for an afternoon of fun or a lifetime of marine experiences, our professional staff will help you and your family design a diving adventure for everyone. Catalina Snorkel and Scuba welcomes divers of all experience levels. Whether diving is like second nature to you, or the largest body of water you’ve ever been in is a public pool, you’ll feel comfortable diving and snorkeling with the pros at Catalina Snorkel and Scuba. When you make your reservation with us, you can rest assured you’re in good hands!

Suitable for adults and teens, explore Avalon as never before while leisurely walking through downtown with our fun, local guides who will share the inside scoop on just about everything! This one and only, informative 3-hour tasting and cultural walking tour will open your eyes to hidden tidbits of the island's rich history and culture. Satisfy your appetite with our town's award winning cuisines as you indulge your palate for a few hours of Sipping, Sampling & Savoring!

Silver Canyon Pottery offers an intimate glimpse into tile production on Catalina Island. Small, all inclusive tours, personally led by the artist, educate guests about the history, geology, artistic traditions, and techniques that created the historic tiles that define Catalina. Most fun of all, guests don an apron, role up their sleeves and create their own tile! Great family activity.

Join the Crew with the Catalina Pirate Challenge. Compete against the clock in this one-hour escape room experience. Enjoy the free charging stations and temperature controlled rooms as you work together to beat the captain and win your freedom. Free prizes and photos with every admission.

The iconic Catalina Casino epitomizes everything glamorous about Santa Catalina Island. On the lower level the building features extraordinary Art Deco murals and a classic 1929 pipe organ inside the Avalon Theatre, which still shows movies on its massive screen.The top level of this 12 story high architectural wonder features the beautiful, world-famous Casino Ballroom, a masterpiece of design and a long-standing venue for the world’s best musical performers and big bands. It is also a popular venue for weddings and special events. The only access to the building is through an exclusive Casino Tour offered through Discovery Tours. Once on the tour you’ll soon understand why many call this the most romantic place in Catalina.

Fun at Descanso Beach, Catalina Island with rentals of kayaks, paddleboards, snorkel equipment, tubes & viewboards. Featuring daily paddle tours and discounted rental packages. Support for kayak campers.

The Avalon Theatre is located in the lower level of the Catalina Casino building. It was built in 1929 as one of the first theaters designed for talking movies. The original Page organ still is played before the movies on Friday-Sunday nights. The theater features first-run movies, seats 1,184 people, is 138 feet across and 43 feet high. Art deco murals by John Gabriel Beckman (designed the artwork in the Grauman's Chinese Theater)adorn the walls and create a glamorous ambiance.

The Airport in the Sky occupies a 1,602-foot-tall mountaintop at the center of the Catalina Island, 10 miles from the city of Avalon. It's a great destination by tour or shuttle bus, bicycle, on foot whether hiking the Trans Catalina Trail or walking over from Black Jack, or of course, via private or chartered small plane. Its single 3,250-foot-long runway was constructed by blasting and leveling two adjacent peaks, then using the resulting debris to fill in the gaps.The image is of a T-34 Beechcraft that flew in to participate in one of the Airport in the Sky's monthly Aeroclub Fly-In Days.